IS GLAD SPRING TRAINING IS FINALLY HERE
Is Macho Harris ready to be this team's starting free safety?
The answer won't be provided at least until Sunday -- maybe not until the bye week.
But one thing can be said: the rookie talks a good game. Harris said that he did not lack the confidence to step in and do the job. Asked if he would be able to handle some of the quarterbacking responsibilities a safety has like calling out assignments, Harris didn't pause.
"Definitely, I'm ready," Harris said. "I'm ready. I got an assistant [SS Quintin Mikell] back there, too, to help me out, so it shouldn't be so bad."
Harris won the starting job late in the preseason, beating out Quintin Demps. Not many saw it coming. Harris played cornerback at Virginia Tech and was hurt through various parts of minicamp and training camp. But Demps failed to get the job done and Harris showed that he had the physical skills to play in the middle. Coupled with his cover skills, the Eagles coaches felt as if Harris could step in even though he's hardly played the position.
"When I came out of college I didn't know anything about free safety," Harris said. "I didn't know my alignments. I felt like I was covering grass rather than being around making plays. But now that I've been hip to it, coaches coaching me up, guys like Quintin Mikell -- even Quintin Demps, he helped me out a lot, too. I've got a bunch great guys around me around me helping me with the transition."
In other news, the following players with recent injuries were able to fully participate in Wednesday's practice: WR Kevin Curtis (knee), T King Dunlap (elbow), LB Moise Fokou (shoulder), DE Darren Howard (groin), T Winston Justice (shoulder), CB Dimitri Patterson (ankle), FB Leonard Weaver (knee) and LB Tracy White (ribs).
