Wes Hopkins thinks that despite all of the adversity and all of the injuries, the Philadelphia Eagles will somehow continue to have one of the best defensive teams in football. “I guess,” he said, “because we have a lot of good players.”

Perhaps he’s right, but the number of those good players keeps decreasing.

Half way through last season, Ben Smith, one of the most promising young cornerbacks in the National Football League, suffered a knee injury so severe that he missed the rest of last season, will miss all of this season and may never be able to do the kinds of things necessary to return to that position again. The best hope for him may be that he’ll be able to switch to safety.

In the off season, Jerome Brown, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle who at times could be the most dominating and intimidating player on the field, was killed in an auto accident.

Last Sunday, Andre Waters, once called the dirtiest player in pro football, but certainly one of the most feared players in the NFL, broke a bone in his leg and will be lost at least until late this season.

Those three players are now totally missing in action. Hopkins himself has a knee problem that may force him to the sideline Sunday when the Phoenix Cardinals visit Veterans Stadium. Linebacker Seth Joyner has a knee problem that would force a lesser player to take a game or two off.

Mike Golic has a back problem, Reggie White a sore knee and yet they, like Joyner, miss very few downs.

Golic said, “Fortunately, historically, we’ve played our best under adversity. Sometimes we play better that way.”

But it can’t continue forever. The Eagles have bodies to put in the game if someone goes down or can’t play Sunday, but there are also problems.

Yesterday they resigned William Frizzell as a backup in the defensive backfield. He played for the Eagles from 1986-90, both as a safety and cornerback, although the former seems more suited for the 6-3, 206-pound veteran. Frizzell spent 1991 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being cut and was working as an assistant coach at his alma mater, North Carolina Central, when the call came from the Eagles.

But despite his experience and the fact that he always seemed to be able to come up with big plays for the Eagles in the past (10 interceptions in his last three seasons) he probably won’t do much more than play on special teams Sunday.

“The defenses we’re using are pretty much the same as when I was here before,” Frizzell said. “But the terminology is different.”

So if Hopkins can’t go on Sunday, John Booty will move from cornerback to free safety and Izel Jenkins will return at cornerback, neither move being one the Eagles want to make, but will be forced to.

Playing Booty at free safety will mean two backups playing at safety. And since Jenkins already had lost his job to Booty, his already shaky confidence now has to be totally absent.

Miano said he’s going to have enough problems filling Waters’ shoes and doesn’t need any additional pressure put on him. He said, “I would like Wes to be in there. If he goes down, I’ll probably have to help the other safety if it’s John Booty or whoever it is. Then you’d have two new people in key roles.”

Miano reminded his questioners, “I started the (first) Phoenix game (when Hopkins was hurt), but I wasn’t physically able to go all the way.”

At the time, Miano had a knee problem of his own, but said, “I’m close to 100 percent this week. This time of year everybody is a little nicked up.”

Although he’s said his versatility in being able to play both free and strong safety is what has kept him in the NFL for seven years, the last two with the Eagles, he said, I prefer strong over free safety. I’m more built (6-1, 200) to be a strong safety.”

Hopkins said, “I think Rich likes to have me in there. But we’ll see. If you would have asked me Monday, I would have said, ‘No.’ But it feels better and by Sunday (my knee) should be ready.”

The problem is, Hopkins can’t practice all week and his unsettled status means Booty, with only one NFL start under his belt, may now have to practice at two positions.

Down the line, the situation in the defensive backfield could improve with Frizzell’s addition. Hopkins said, “He’s experienced and it’s good to have him back.”

Frizzell, nicknamed “Lefty” by former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan, signed with Tampa Bay last year as a Plan B free agent, but midway through the season hurt his back lifting weights and had, although he said he should have sat out a game, played when Buccaneers coaches asked him to play hurt. Then they demoted him when he turned in a weak performance.

“I was pretty sour about the way things happened,” he admitted. He said he thought, “You ask me to play hurt and when I play hurt, this is what I get.”

He said he signed with Tampa Bay “because I always felt I was good enough to start” in the NFL and he wasn’t a starter for the Eagles, except for six of his 68 games when he filled in for someone who was injured.

He said North Carolina Central has a struggling football program with lots of young players. “It was pretty easy to stay in shape,” he said. “The kids wanted to challenge me every day. On Mondays and Tuesdays I would run with them.”

Frizzell was brought in Tuesday for a workout with the Eagles staff along with Leonard Smith, the former Buffalo Bill, and Mark Robinson, the former Penn State player, who had previous NFL stops with the Chiefs and Buccaneers.

“I was surprised I was still so agile breaking to the ball,” Frizzell said.

“It’s good to get back on familiar ground,” he added. “You play with a little more confidence when you know the people around you.”

But there are more and more strangers in the lineup every week.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Besides signing Frizzell,the Eagles made two other roster moves. They moved wide receiver Roy Green from the injured reserve list to the practice squad and made room for him by releasing Bill Hess from the practice squad.

Green, a veteran, is eligible for temporary assignment to the practice team because he’s coming off IR. The Eagles, who have used two of their five allowable moves from IR, will have to make a decision on him soon.

Hess, who has been on the Eagles practice team three times, is the former Parkland and West Chester graduate, who was trying to make the team despite a fractured wrist.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In some minor good news, injuries to both offensive tackles aren’t as bad as they first appeared. Ron Heller’s injured foot may improve enough for him to dress this week and Antone Davis’s knee is no worse than originally believed, tests showed. He’ll just need rest, not surgery.