THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
The Eagles have begun the process of bulking up their roster for minicamps and training camp by signing two defensive stalwarts from the Canandian Football League to 3-year contracts.
Toronto Argonauts cornerback Byron Parker and Calgary Stampeders defenisve end Charleston Hughes are both expected to join the Eagles when the offseason workouts begin in March, according to reports in Canada. Hughes, at 6-1, 245, is expected to work at linebacker, given his size.
Of course, neither player has any guarantee, but both jumped at the opportunity to try the NFL and selected the Eagles after interest or workouts from other NFL teams.
Parker, 27, has previously been cut by Dallas and Jacksonville and the Argos would retain his rights if he is cut by the Eagles in training camp. "He and I talked about it. and, as tough as it was emotionally for him to leave, the CFL can't compete financially with the NFL," Parker's agent, Lance Riddle, told the National Post.
Parker was All-CFL in 2006 and 2007, and holds the league record for interception return yardage in a game and for a season.
Among the more interesting factoids about Parker is that he went to Tulane initially on a basketball scholarship and won the NCAA slam dunk contest -- held at the Final Four each year -- in 2003.
Hughes, 25, signed after a workout with the Birds on Monday. He led the Canadian Football League in tackles for loss with 12, tied for the team lead in sacks (five) and fumble recoveries (two) while finishing second in tackles with 66 for the Grey Cup champions.
Les Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News since 2002. Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
Paul Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982. He has spent most of his 27 years at the paper covering the Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo came to the Daily News from the Fort Worth (Tx.) Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually wa s boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose two sports coats to blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley, a University of Oklahoma grad and very dangerous to be around following a Sooner loss, have been married 29 years and have raised 2 terrific daughters – Allison, 26, a lawyer and graduate of Boston University School of Law; and Amy, 23, who graduated from Clemson and works in marketing and sales for a professional baseball team.
