Brent Celek will be in pads at practice field for Eagles

Eagles tight end Brent Celek said the hardest part of dealing with his knee injury hasn't been the presence of pain as much as his lack of patience. Now, that is finally paying off -- Celek, who has been sidelined since the start of camp with a sore knee, said that he will be in pads for Saturday afternoon's hitting session.

“As much as we all hate training camp, you still want to be out there with your guys, helping the team get better,'' said Celek, after the morning walk-through. “It's going to be hot and it's going to be hard and I can't wait to get out there.”

Celek said he understands why the training staff wouldn't let him take the field before this, even though he's pushed for that the last few days. He understands it's a long season and training camp is the first step.

“It's the right thing,'' Celek said. “But your heart tells you that you need to be out there where you belong. And now it's finally time.”

Celek said his knee feels fine and he's not concerned about reinjuring it and being forced to the sideline again.

“You can't think about things like that,'' he said. “When you play this game you have to go 100 miles an hour or you shouldn't be out there. So, I can guarantee you this -- when I go out there today, I'm going to give it all I've got.”

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSSportsNFLPHI.