Archive: August, 2011
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Now that DeSean Jackson is in camp and seems to have a good attitude about helping the Eagles get to the Super Bowl, much of the discussion has shifted to what he's worth.
It's a difficult question to answer because Jackson is unlike any other player in the league. And his true value seems to be a polarizing topic, both locally and nationally.
Earlier this offseason, the Jets gave Santonio Holmes a five-year, $50M deal with a reported $24M guaranteed. Does Jackson deserve a similar deal? More? Less? Arguments have already been made on all three accounts.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
With so much being written about the Eagles on a national level, I'll try to put these together more frequently.
As always, this is a roundup of what others are saying about the Birds.
Grantland's Bill Barnwell, a friend of MTC, sees holes in DeSean Jackson's game and says he needs to catch the ball more to justify a big contract:
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
The Eagles sent out their official game notes for the preseason opener yesterday, complete with the first depth chart of the year.
The Birds host the Ravens Thursday night at the Linc, and with so much roster turnover, combined with the shortened offseason, there will be more areas to focus on than normal.
To preview the game, I'm going to break down the depth chart on offense and defense, going position-by-position.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
A lot to get to, so let's just go topic-by-topic.
And thanks to Andrew Brandt of the National Football Post/ESPN for helping out with this one.
DESEAN ARRIVES... EXTENSION COMING?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
The Eagles couldn't have been more than 20 minutes into practice when Juan Castillo delivered his message to Casey Matthews.
The central points? He doesn't care what Matthews' personality is off the field. On the field, he has to be the man and take charge of the huddle.
If they're messing with you, they're messing with me.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
A few notes to get to before everyone's attention shifts to DeSean Jackson.
The Eagles missed out on at least one free agent, according to Michael Lombardi of NFL Network:
The Cowboys knew once the lockout ended they would need to re-sign Free, but I am sure they never anticipated the Eagles would be their chief rival in securing Free's services. It was a hard-fought battle to get Free back, as the Eagles wanted him badly to play him at their right tackle spot. The Cowboys' offensive line would have taken a huge step backwards had they not secured Free.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Join me at lunchtime for a live chat about all the latest happenings at Eagles training camp, starting at 1 p.m. Monday.
If you're on a mobile device, click here to follow along and post questions or comments.
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Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
I will not be at camp today, but here is the weekly roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles:
SI.com's Peter King was at camp Friday and caught up with Nnamdi Asomugha:
Asomugha is used to practicing in the summer in front of a handful of fans where the Raiders trained at the Napa (Calif.) Marriott Hotel. “Here, you actually have hecklers,” he said. “I love the fans being here. Some guys get stage fright in front of crowds like this. You’re used to just practicing and not getting cheered or booed at practice. But this is fantastic. I love the energy.”
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
At one point, during the second half of practice, Jason Babin lined up at right defensive end with the first team as Trent Cole got a breather.
The Eagles were blitzing, and he somehow found himself lined up against tight end Brent Celek. Babin, who goes all out on every snap, used his hands (something he's undoubtedly refined with Jim Washburn) and threw Celek out of the way as if he were a cardboard cut-out and not a 255-pound tight end.
But there was one more man to get by: running back LeSean McCoy. He too was no match for Babin, who trucked him over before "sacking" Michael Vick.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
When asked about Rob Ryan calling the Eagles the "all-hype team" earlier this week, Andy Reid made a hot dog eating joke, and Jeffrey Lurie refused to fire back.
But Michael Vick? Well, he had a response.
"I was mad about that," Vick said, during an interview with Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic. "Sometimes my emotions do come into play and I felt like that was inappropriate. But he's gonna have to deal with us. And he’s going to have to find solutions just like everybody else. And we don’t talk. We go about our business the right way. Maybe we’ll make him eat his words. I hope he backs it up."
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