Reid indicated that Bell played well Sunday against the Giants, which he said "bides me a little time to see how King is doing." Bell was especially effective at run-blocking in the second half, when LeSean McCoy gained 121 of his 123 yards.
What does it mean to Bell, to get a chance to perhaps hold on to the job?
"It means a lot. That's what they brought me here for, right?" said Bell, signed as a free agent from the Bills in March after Jason Peters tore his Achilles'. "I expect that to be my job."
Bell said he "just settled down and played football" after an erratic first week in Dunlap's spot, at Arizona.
"We'll have to see what tomorrow brings," Bell said.
Curry OK waiting
Second-round rookie defensive end Vinny Curry hasn't been active yet this season. Normally, that might invite some scrutiny, but everyone assumes the Eagles' amazing depth at DE is the problem, not a lack of skill on Curry's part.
This still isn't exactly what Curry envisioned when he arrived, though.
"I wouldn't say it's frustrating, because you know these guys are doing a good job. If they'd been slacking on the job, then I would say it'd been frustrating. These guys are phenomenal, right?" Curry said.
Curry said he tries to stay plugged in at games, even though he's in street clothes. "If I see something, I'll let these guys know," he said.
Last week, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said the transition to defensive line coach Jim Washburn's methods was easier for first-round defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who played a similar technique at Mississippi State.
Pocket full of Kryptonite?
Michael Vick said the major adjustment he made in playing without a turnover in last week's game against the Giants was to settle down and run the offense.
"Sometimes you just get in situations where you just try to force things and make things happen," Vick said to a huge media throng crowded around his locker stall. "Sometimes that can be Kryptonite for a quarterback . . . you try so hard, you don't let it come naturally . . . you get into a rhythm, learn to play within the system, try to do that over and over again."
No hurry on Cooper?
Among those practicing as he has the past few weeks, was wide receiver Riley Cooper, who suffered a broken collarbone early in training camp. Asked why he seems in no hurry to get Cooper back in the lineup, Reid emphasized how much work Cooper missed, and said WR Mardy Gilyard has done well on special teams.
"It allows Riley to get out there and practice, and that's what he needs right now," Reid said. "He needs to continue to do that. We'll see how he feels this week, and evaluate it as we get further in the week."
Birdseed
Linebacker Akeem Jordan (hamstring) and defensive tackle Derek Landri (knee swelling) didn't practice . . . "I think a lot of us were surprised by it," safety Kurt Coleman said, when asked about the cutting of his former Ohio State teammate, linebacker Brian Rolle. "BRoll, he's my buddy and my homey. . . . Regardless, this is a business. When you step in here, you know it . . . Whatever team he lands on, he's going to be a playmaker, as he always has been, his whole life."
Contact Les Bowen at bowenl@phillynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @LesBowen. For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' blog at eagletarian.com.
