Posted on Tue, May. 6, 2008
When there are 85 players on the roster, there's more than one story to tell.
The story that got the most play during the Eagles' three-day camp that concluded yesterday was Lito Sheppard and the crowded cornerback situation.
Rest assured, more is to come.
Here's a look at three of the stories that were under the radar as the 2008 Eagles gathered for the first time:
Competition at left guard. During the owners' meetings last month in Florida, coach Andy Reid said Todd Herremans "has to do a better job than he did last year." That's about as strong a public comment as you'll ever get from Reid on one of his players.
"He showed a lot of intestinal fortitude last year by working through the knee surgery and coming back without missing any time," Reid said. "With that said, the production part of it, he has to do better."
The good news for Herremans was that he continued to work with the first-team offense at minicamp, which means he is still ahead of Max Jean-Gilles and Scott Young on the depth chart.
Herremans, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after the Eagles' Week 4 loss to the New York Giants, did not disagree with his head coach's view. He also refused to use his injury as an excuse.
"I definitely need to play better," Herremans said. "It's not a secret. You could watch the film or watch the games on TV, and my game broke down as the season went on. I have to tighten it up, work on my technique, and get stronger, faster and bigger. There's no excuse for technique breaking down."
Linebacker shuffle. At the end of last season, Omar Gaither said, given his druthers, he wanted to remain at middle linebacker. Gaither wasn't given his druthers and is now back at weakside linebacker, the position he played as a rookie.
Gaither explained why he wanted to remain in the middle.
"It's change, and nobody really likes change," he said. "If you feel like you were somewhere, and you figured it out and then you change, that's why I didn't want to do it. But now I've been out at practice, and it's almost like I never left the position. I retained a lot more than I thought I would."
As a rookie, Gaither had a sack and an interception in five starts at weakside linebacker. Last year at middle linebacker, he played well and led the team in tackles. But he had just one interception in 16 starts. Gaither said he'll like the challenge of more one-on-one coverage matchups with running backs and additional chances to rush the quarterback.
"Rushing off the edge is what I like the most about it," he said.
He said the thing he would miss the most about being the middle linebacker is calling the defensive signals, a job that now belongs to Stewart Bradley. Gaither thinks the Eagles' young linebacking corps should be exciting.
"We're young and experienced," he said. "I think that's the best combination you can have. Chris [Gocong] has started an entire season, and although Stew [Bradley] hasn't started an entire season, he has played. He started the last few games last season, and I've started two seasons. It's not like we're fresh off the turnip truck."
The rapid rookie. Receiver DeSean Jackson, the rookie second-round pick out of Cal, now has one camp under his belt and confessed that he saw some things on the NFL practice field that were different from college.
The punts from Sav Rocca, for example, were much higher and deeper than any he had witnessed at the college level.
"I think the biggest difference is how high the punts get in the air and the hang time," Jackson said. "You just have to focus. The NFL balls are also bigger, so they have more movement in the air. You have to make a good jump on the ball and make a good read, but I feel very confident and comfortable, and the more I catch the better I will get at it."
While Asante Samuel, Sheppard and Sheldon Brown were the focus at this camp, the talented trio also provided Jackson with a challenging introduction to the NFL.
"That's huge," Jackson said. "What other cornerbacks could you go against in practice that could make you better and help you prepare for the season? I think that's a huge deal for me, and I have a lot of respect for those guys."
Jackson has to be considered the leading candidate to return punts this season, but he wants to do even more.
"I'm very comfortable and confident that I can produce and do great things for this team," Jackson said. "I want to do anything and everything possible to help this team. Anyway I can fit in, that's what I want to do."
Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.
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