CAN HEAR CLEARWATER CALLING
A pretty fun morning practice to observe so far.
Some quick notes before I head back out:
** Fullback Leonard Weaver drew applause from the crowd here during pass-blocking drills. Running backs, fullbacks and tight ends took turns going one-on-one against a linebacker or safety. Weaver clearly stood out, getting the best of Omar Gaither on a couple occasions. The new Birds' fullback has shown his versatility throughout the day. In the receiving game, he got past rookie LB Moise Fokou for a catch that picked up a big chunk of yardage. And in 11-on-11s, he had a 30-yard run.
I overheard one offensive lineman say "Hey, we got a fullback" to his teammates after the run. He then listed the different things Weaver could do.
** The Eagles ran a play in the Wildcat early on, with DeSean Jackson lined up under center, LeSean McCoy in the backfield and Donovan McNabb split out to the right.
** When the team breaks up into positional groups, they often don't have enough players to simulate the other side of the ball. In other words, when the defense was going through schemes, they needed someone to simulate the QB, center and WR. Nothing strenuous, but just bodies in place to make it a little more real when they snap the ball. I noticed Stewart Bradley, Darren Howard, Chris Gocong and Akeem Jordan all volunteering (at least I didn't see anyone tell them to get in there) to take the spots as the second- and third-team defenses went through the motions. Again, not a big thing, but it's hot out here, and they probably could have just as easily taken a breather.
** Gaither is the loudest member of the defense, no question.
** I just walked by the usual crew that's been stretching and recovering from injuries so far at camp: Brian Westbrook, Victor Abiamiri, Jason Peters, Asante Samuel, Trevor Laws and Macho Harris. Still no sign of Shawn Andrews. And as Jeff McLane pointed out over on Birds' Eye View, Kevin Curtis is back on the field practicing.
** Back to the field. Much more to come later, including notes on McCoy and an observation on the role of the assistant coaches.
