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Full Training Camp now underway
The veterans are all in. Eagles Training Camp has officially begun.
As the Birds usher in a new era with the likes of Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and Sheldon Brown no longer on the roster, this camp has a feel unlike any other in the last decade. For the first time there is a bit of uncertainty as to what to expect from this team. Will the youth movement result in the Eagles taking a step forward or back? Is Kevin Kolb the real deal at QB? What can we expect from the Eagle’s defense in Sean McDermott’s second season?
Over the next few weeks phillysportsblogs.com will examine those questions and many more.
But for today, here is a look at some highlights from last season as football fans get pumped up for their favorite time of year.
No punishment coming for Vick
For a change there is some good news regarding Michael Vick. According to an NFL spokesman, there will be no suspension forthcoming for Vick after his latest off-field issue.
Eagles coach Andy Reid is scheduled to have a press conference at 5 p.m. to provide further information.
Bellow is the Associated Press report:
An NFL spokesman says there has been no change in Michael Vick’s playing status, so the Eagles quarterback reported to training camp on Monday as expected.
When asked whether a league investigation of Vick has been completed, Greg Aiello tells The Associated Press in an e-mail the NFL would have no further comment on Vick at this time.
Vick reiterated on Monday that he has done nothing wrong.
The NFL and the Eagles have been looking into a shooting incident at a Virginia Beach, Va., nightclub, where Vick held his 30th birthday party on June 25th. Police say no charges will be filed in the incident because of a lack of cooperation by witnesses and the victim, who Vick’s attorney Larry Woodward identified as Quanis Phillips — a co-defendant in Vick’s federal dogfighting case.
Bradley vs. Celek Twitter Battle
This is not really the kind thing I thought I’d be writing about today. Given the Eagles 2010 season starts in just a few hours. But none the less.
I guess we can call this a battle of the twitiron. Recently Stewart Bradley and Brent Celek have began a twitter “battle” to see who can get the most followers and the winner will make a donation to their respective charity.
Follow Stewart Bradkley here http://twitter.com/stewbradley
or Follow Brent Celek here http://twitter.com/brentcelek
All I can say is someone had a bad year last year before it really began. Lets help to get him off to a good start this year.
What I learned on my 2-week vacation Part 2: You have got to be kidding me!
PSB writer Eric Schwartz spent’ the last two weeks on vacation traveling up and down the East Coast for two weddings, moving into a new house and doing a lot of sweating. Here is a five-part what he learned during that period and how it relates to the Philadelphia sports scene.
Orlando, Florida is the setting of my next lesson and once again it is a wedding reception that serves as the background. This wedding had it all: a Disney backdrop, great food and even an appearance by Donald Duck. Yet a “You have to be kidding me!” moment was about to sneak up on the guests.
During the cocktail hour an odd choice of music came on. I’m not sure of the title of the song but it was no doubt a selection from Nickelback.
About 20 minutes later with the dinner now underway Nickelback was again the song of choice. Knowing the bride and groom I know this was not their choosing.
Then inexplicably, 10 minutes later another Nickelback song was played. By this time the groom had had enough and ordered the DJ not to play any more Nickelback for the night. The crowd was thankful. Very thankful.
Three Nickelback songs in one hour at a wedding? You have got to be kidding me!
Which brings us back to Philly where Eagles quarterback Michael Vick once again found himself in the news for the wrong reasons.
By now it’s old news that Vick left his birthday party just minutes after a co-defendant from his dog-fighting case was shot. For most media members the questions surround when Vick left the party and why the shooting happened in the first place.
For me, I want to know why Vick is still hanging out with this crew?
Vick got a second chance in the NFL after his dog-fighting past and said he would be smarter about the situations he put himself in and the people he hung out with.
So far, Vick is 0-for-2.
For now it looks like the Eagles will stick with Vick as their backup QB although there is a chance the team’s relationship with the player could still end. I can’t fault the team for sticking with him considering there is currently no direct evidence to link Vick to the shooting, I can only ask “What was Vick thinking?”
On the bright side, I’m sure Nickelback wasn’t played at his party.
Read Part 1: Avoiding disaster
Mixed Messages
The Philadelphia Eagles released a statement Saturday saying that they are not considering releasing quarterback Michael Vick at this time. The questions surrounded the star because he is in the midst of an investigation of a shooting. After signing with the Eagles following his two years in prison, Vick had seemingly stayed out of trouble, until June 25th.
On the eve of his 30th birthday, a former defendant on Vick’s dog fighting case was shot outside Vick’s restaurant, where he was out celebrating. Vick insists that he was long gone from the restaurant by the time of the shooing, but questions still remain.
This latest incident just adds to the controversy that surrounds Vick. The former Virginia Tech star, who was previously imprisoned for his famous involvement in a dog fighting ring, was given a second chance by the Eagles, but he does not seem to be making the best of his situation. While it is understandable that he can not have control over everything that goes on around him, it would be in his best interest to try to stay under the radar as much as possible.
It seems that Vick has put the Eagles in a difficult position. With the release of Donovan McNabb this off-season, the team showed they are committed to quarterback Kevin Kolb, with Vick backing him up. Now the team will have to decide whether Vick is worth the risk.
Jaws says Eagles look energized; Vick voted most hated athlete
If Ron Jaworski is to be believed the Eagles are a team with a ton of energy right now. With so many young players on their roster and the likes of Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and Sheldon Brown no longer in the fold, there is a sense that things are fresher than they have been in years.
Bellow is an excerpt from profootballtalk.com
“I’ve spoken to a number of players, a number of the coaches, and the one thing I sense that was probably missing over the last couple years is energy,” Jaworski said this week to Mike Missanelli on 97.5, via Sheil Kapedia of Philly.com. “There’s almost that little-kid enthusiasm right now within the organization because of the changes they’ve made.”
Time will tell if that energy translates into more wins.
In other News Michael Vick has been named the Most Disliked Person in Sports by a poll provided by Forbes. Nothing too surprising there as people who read Forbes are still a little upset about the whole dog fighting thing. Rounding out the top five were Al Davis, Ben Roethlisberger, Tiger Woods and Jerry Jones.
Marlin Jackson injured again
Fears felt by Eagles fans the day the team signed Marlin Jackson unfortunately seem justified as Jackson reportedly suffered a serious leg injury today at practice. Bellow is a blog by ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio:
Eagles starting free safety Marlin Jackson appeared to suffer a serious injury to his right leg at practice Tuesday.
Jackson, who has a history of knee injuries, had to be taken off the field in a cart. The Eagles are officially calling Jackson’s injury a right ankle injury.
Jackson, who left the Indianapolis Colts to sign with the Eagles in March, suffered season-ending knee injuries the past two seasons and had surgery on both knees.
He missed the second half of 2008 with a torn ACL in his right knee and tore the ACL in his left knee in 2009.
Not that we expected big things out of Jackson, but he would have provided quality depth in the secondary. This is why teams stay away from players who have a history of serious injuries. I looks like the Eagles may not get anything for the investment made in Jackson.
Writer labels Dawkins as overrated
Pete Prisco picked the wrong guy to pick on. In his article on cbssports.com, Prisco chooses the players he feels is the most overrated and underrated on each NFL team. What he wrote wasn’t so bad about any current Eagle, but rather an Eagle that is still No.1 in the hearts of Philadelphia fans.
Yes, Prisco choose Brian Dawkins as the most overrated player on the Denver Broncos. Of Dawkins he said: “He’s a good player, but he’s not nearly as good as his reputation. No way should he have been in the Pro Bowl.”
As if that wasn’t naïve enough cbssports has gone as far as to put up a poll on its main page about the most overrated players in the NFL and sure enough they chose Dawkins as one of its five choices, joining Brandon Jacobs, Matt Light, Anquan Boldin and John Abraham.
When I read that list I see a lot of winners. Overrated never even comes to mind.
As for what Prisco thought of the Eagles, he had Asante Samuels as the overrated player and Jason Avant as the underrated guy. You get no complaints from me there but by the time I got down to the Eagles picks it was far too late to salvage Prisco’s work of garbage.
So does anyone here think Dawkins has suddenly become an overrated player? He sure didn’t seem overrated when the Cowboys lit up the Dawkins-less Eagles secondary the last two games of the season.
And how about the Eagles picks? Did he get it right?
Joe Gibbs doesn’t understand
Remember when Joe Gibbs was retired from football and just stuck with his racing team?
Yea, those were the good days.
Gibbs threw in his two sense about the Eagles trading Donovan McNabb. Naturally the former Redskins coach can’t understand the move and think the Eagles are fools. Bellow is an except of his conversation with ESPN’s First Take courtesy of our friends at Profootballtalk.com:
“I didn’t quite understand that one,” Gibbs said when asked about the trade in an interview on ESPN First Take. “Because what you’re doing is you’re taking someone in the division and giving them a quarterback.”
Gibbs said that he has first-hand knowledge of McNabb’s abilities from coaching against him, and that the Eagles just gave the Redskins exactly the kind of quarterback they need.
“My problem with Donovan was when we played against them, he hurt us,” Gibbs said. “He’s a big man, he scrambles out of the pocket, he’s hard to get down, and when he gets out of the pocket, he makes big plays down the field.”
Added Gibbs of McNabb in a Redskins uniform, “I think Philly’s going to be holding their breath on this one.”
Well Gibbs, we here at PhillySportsBlogs think you’re old and should have been out of the game years ago. … Speaking of that, take it away Jim Carry.
McNabb Apologizes
Donovan McNabb apologized Friday, to the fans in Philadelphia for not bringing home a Super Bowl trohpy to the city. The former Eagles quarterback spent 11 seasons in the city of brotherly love, taking the team to the 2004 Super Bowl and 7 playoff appearances, but was unable to bring home the ultimate prize.
The quarterback, who was traded to NFC East rival Washington Redskins during the off-season, feels that he let the city down by not achieving his goal. While many fans had hoped the face of the franchise would bring a much needed championship to the city, the overall feel seems to be sad to see him depart, especially to a rival.
So the question is, do you think Donovan needed to apologize? Whether he needed to or not, I think his intentions are good. He feels he let down a great amount of people who supported him, through the good and the bad, down and by acknowledging his own disappointment, shows how much he cares and looks fondly on his time in Philly.
McNabb has certainly cemented a place in Eagles history, only time will tell if his successor will be able to deliver a Championship.
What do you think of McNabbs apology?
McNabb-Westbrook together again?
Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook might still be teammates after all.
Westbrook was in Washington for a visit with the Redskins/ If the Skins decide to take a chance on Westbrook, he will be paired with McNabb, who the team acquired earlier in the offseason.
Bellow is an excerpt from an Associated Press report:
The longtime Philadelphia Eagles standout visited the Redskins on Wednesday. General manager Bruce Allen called it “a good meeting” and that he will “probably have some meetings down the road” with the 30-year-old back.
The Redskins already have plenty of experienced star power at the position. In addition to 28-year-old incumbent Clinton Portis, they’ve added 30-year-old Larry Johnson and 29-year-old Willie Parker this offseason.
While I still think Westbrook can be a great third down back I don’t see Washington would bring him on considering their depth at the position. If they do sign him, expect Portis, Johnson or Parker to be cut in training camp — maybe even two of the three.
For the Eagles sake I hope this doesn’t happen. Having McNabb come to town in a different uniform will seem strange enough without Westbrook being beside him.
Eagles draft 13 most ever in 7 round draft.
With the 13th overall pick the Philadelphia Eagles select Brandon Graham. While most were surprised, one was elated. Now this goes completly against my character but I am a Michigan football fan. Well the Big Ten Michigan football not the Rich Rodreiguez football we see now from the Wolverines. At first when the selection was made my reaction was just like everyone elses. What!? Earl Thomas was there that’s who the Birds traded up for and smack Brandon Graham. Having a night to sit on it and then sleep on it, I decided it was a good pick up. Not only were the Eagles not going to spend 15 million in guaranteed Safety but it was more sensible to get a pass rushing DE. What make Asante Samuel most effective jumping a route, a rushed QB. Graham is a high motor relentless pass rusher. Having said that he isn’t a typical run stopping end that should be opposite Trent Cole. So that is something he will have to work at. But this young man has a chance to be a real special player, and sooner or later we shall see if he is what the Eagles thought he was.
The Eagles were a bit trade happy this draft season. They came in with 11 draft picks ended up drafting 13. Making several moves in fact only keeping one of their regular picks Lb Keenan Clayton round 4 number 121 overall. They made six draft day trades in all, with many people upset that a trade with the hated Cowboys again. The Cowboys traded up and recieved LB Sean Lee from Linebacker U Penn State. Yet another player that could come back to hurt the Eagles Offense.
With the number 37 pick the Eagles select Nate Allen S from South Florida. Now for most of the rest of this recap I am going with the scouts and experts. Allen has good size and is smart and is very good in zone ceverage. He may not be etremely physical but he is a sure tackler, which is much more important then a big hitter from the safety position. I would much rather have a guy who will make a tackle then someone who will try for a big hit and possibly let up a big play.
In the third round after wheeling thier second, second round pick away three times moving all the way back to number 86 and draft DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim from the university of Washington. He is a non-stop motor guy much like Graham, but he struggles with going against bigger OT and is really not fast enough to play outside linebacker.
In the Fourth round the Birds selected Trevard Lindley CB from Kentucky. He is a solid cover corner and has a good job of quickly recognitizing routes. Is good covering the screen pass or at the point of the run. He is very physical with recievers. The down side is he battled injuries the past two years. With the 121 selection they drafted Oklahoma LB Keenan Clayton. He is a weakside linebacker with good speed and explosion. He really needs to learn how to get oof the block and he will be a serviceable linebacker for a few years or more. With the very next pick 122, Tony Kafka is drafted by the birds. He is a good mover out of the pocket, good in the short passing game as well. He has good touch, and knows where he recievers will be a very smart QB. Good to add depth to the Eagles Qb position. Andy always looks for a guy to groom as a backup and maybe become an AJ Feeley type. He doesn’t have the strongest arm but should be ok. With the 125 selection, just three picks later, the Eagles draft TE Clay Harbor. This guy is a former wide receiver who got too big for the position. He runs great routes and has really good hands. The knock on him is that he doesn’t know the blocking techniques yet. I have faith that Juan Castillo, one of the best o line coaches in the league, will be able to coach him up.
In the fifth round with a pick from Clevland number 134 they draft yet another DE/LB hybrid type in Ricky Sapp. He is quick, moves well laterally, and is a sure tackler. Like every other undersized/hybrid type he has trouble getting off the block. With the 159th pick the Birds draft Florida WR Riley Cooper. As much as I have seen him, he is a good possesion reciever, Wes Welker light. No Second gear but catches everything.
I would be remiss to say I know anything about any other picks so I will just list the rest. WIth pick number 200 they drafted Charles Scott RB from LSU. With number 220 the Eagles picked Jamar Chaney LB Missisppi State. In the 7th round they drafted S Kurt Coleman out of Ohio State. The last pick was a DT from Georgia named Jeff Owens.
While I was shocked no O lineman were drafted, I understand. Most of the “experts” said their wasn’t a whole lot of line depth in this draft. This is the third time in Andy’s draft history he didn’t get an O lineman. Maybe they heard the rumblings and want to sign G Alan Faneca. I dont know but one could hope. Lastly I loved the format of the draft over three days it made more interested and want to watch what my team would do. So here’s to the commish Roger Goodell. Way to make the best event in sports better.
With the 13th Pick…
The Philadelphia Eagles select Michigan’s Brandon Graham.
In what many speculated to be a move to get Texas safety Earl Thomas, and rebuild the team’s depleted backfield, the Eagles traded up 11 spots to to take the 6-foot-1, 268 pound outside linebacker. Read more
What will Eagles do?
Now im no GM, nor do I play one on the internet, unless it’s fanatasy sports but I want a few things from my favortie sports team in all the land. I’m not objective when it comes to the draft I am a true blue Eagles fan and my wings sprout this time of year. Just to give you a little back round I was the guy who made 17 trade in 8 weeks in fantasy football. So I am a little insane. A few of the things on my “resonable” wish list are Eric Berry, Maurice Pouncey, Jason Pierre Paul, Earl Thomas, Derrick Morgan, and last but not least Rolando McClain. That’s just my first round. In all seriousness I would love to trade up and get Berry, but I wont get my hopes up because it will cost a lot to move up that far. I am fine with Earl Thomas though. Maurice Pouncey would be a great pick as well. In a draft when Olineman are a little scarce, maybe it’s the direction to go. Unfortunatly Rolando McClain probably wont be pick by the Birds. Seeing how they just traded for Ernie Sims. I am exstatic that the Birds got Sims for a 5th Round pick. I love Jason Pierre Paul. Everyone is saying he played at a small school, but he has a motor and speed like a CB. Also there was the guy the Eagles had play DE from a small school with a crazy motor and he was pretty good. Eh hem Hugh Douglass eh hem. Plus it’s not like South Florida doesn’t play good schools.
Let me just say Tyson Alualu I want you in Philly. This kid looks like a beast. Having watched a ton of Pac-10 games. You know late at night or just when I should have been doing work around the house and I wasn’t. I have seen him play a few times and thought “I wouldn’t want to have to block that guy”. This should be a defense heavy draft, but dont count out Andy’s need for Oline and his love of drafting players who where hurt or have questions but tremendous talent. Maybe Jermaine Gresham, or do they countinue the spin that Cornelius Ingram is just like another draft pick this year. Getting Ernie Sims is like a second first round pick this year. I still think another LB is necessary. As well as CB, S, and DE. Also the Birds need Oline help. We will see what happens tomorow night, and I have a strong feeling that Andy will trade up in the first round maybe twice early and late.
On a seperate note, I am sickened by McNabb’s politicing for TO. Mcnabb let this man and the fued destroy the team for a year. I loved TO and wanted McNabb to go and not him but for Mcnabb to come and make a plea for him angers me to no avail. Maybe they will get him and TO will cry for McNabb, that’s my teammate, that my Quaterback. I know I come across as a angry Philly fan, but this isn’t the norm. This is McNabb playing his cute little games to take shots at the Philadelphia sports nation. Lastly I cant wait to see how the Washington fans react to 3 and 8 when Donny throws it 5 yards and the punt team runs on. Or 3rd and 3 and he throws it at the feet of one the three running backs on Mike Shanahan’s revamped team.
What will the Eagles do in the draft?
This might be the most important draft in the Andy Reid era. The Eagles have a total of 10 picks and 5 of them are in the top 100. With all of these picks the team is sitting in a pretty good position if they decide to move up for a player that they like. The Eagles need to address the defense side of the ball; needing help at every position. If I was the GM I would be praying that somehow Eric Berry would slip past the Browns at pick number 7 and would then package up picks to try and move up to anywhere from 10-15 and grab either Eric Berry or Earl Thomas whichever one is still on the board . Both of the choices would be instant impact players for this defense that is in need of a few good play makers; my preference would be Berry. After hopefully picking up Berry or Thomas the team should then try for Carlos Dunlap for their 2nd round choice with the 37th overall pick; Dunlap is a top 10 talent but will end up falling in the draft due to his off the field problems. So how would everyone feel if the Eagles first two draft picks were Eric Berry and Carlos Dunlap? Feel free to discuss
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