"I was here at Lehigh at, like, noon, just waiting for it to get done," Laws said yesterday.

The second-round defensive tackle from Notre Dame was the final Eagles draft pick to sign; his 4-year deal was announced by head coach Andy Reid during Reid's welcome-to-training camp news conference Monday evening.

"I was riding around the mountains, all over the place," Laws said. "I was hanging out at some copy shop, who knows where, waiting for it to get done."

Eagles sources said Laws' deal was delayed until the last minute because of a hearing over an arcane dispute between the league and the players' association over the legality of guaranteed money in the fourth year of rookie deals, since the owners have voted to reopen the collective bargaining agreement and there is no CBA for 2011, four seasons from now. Special Master Stephen Burbank ruled in favor of the union on Monday, and Laws and a bunch of other rookies across the league signed.

Normally, the team really cherishes the reps rookies get in these sessions before the vets report tomorrow, but defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said it wasn't a big deal that Laws is sitting out with a minor foot injury sustained preparing for camp. The other rookie defensive lineman, third-round defensive end Bryan Smith, also is sitting out, with a hamstring pull. Both players are expected to join practice soon after full-squad workouts get under way this weekend.

"It's always been kind of a passing camp, without pads," Johnson said. "They're here, they're both signed, they're learning in the classroom and spending time with [defensive line coach] Pete [Jenkins] in the classroom. Right now, I don't think they're missing a lot on the field. Wait until we get the pads on."

Jenkins, by the way, got the morning practice off since he had nobody to coach.

"Pete's in the over-60 club," Johnson joked, a reference to Reid's plan to rest over-30 veterans for the morning practice every third day of camp.

Laws agreed he wasn't falling behind, but said he would prefer to be out there with the other rookies.

"Of course I'd like to be out there, to get some more fundamentals in," Laws said. "Coach is saying that because there's no way we can really field a defense, with only two d-linemen here, total, and we're both not really healthy now. Being here for the meetings is great . . . when the veterans report, just kind of coast in with 'em."

Laws walked without a limp or any kind of visible wrap on his foot.

"I can walk fine on it, I just don't want to reinjure it," he said. "It's a little sore, but it feels good. They just want to make sure it's great before I go back out there."

Laws, Smith and fourth-round corner Jack Ikegwuonu were placed on the physically unable to perform list. Ikegwuonu is expected to miss the season with a knee injury. PUP designation gives the Eagles the right not to IR a player, which would sideline him for the season. It is available only for players injured before camp.

Considine confident

 

"When they do these surgeries, they tell you there's about a 10 percent chance that [the problem] can reoccur," Considine said yesterday. "I guess I'm one of the 10 percent. At the same time, they give you a rehab regimen you really need to follow, and I don't think I did that too well my first time. My second time, I did, and I can already feel the difference . . . I think if I'd done that the first time, I wouldn't have been in that 10 percent. I think I loosened it up, doing too much on it. Now I feel good.

"That's what camp's going to be for, to see how this thing holds up . . . Right now, we haven't hit yet, but it feels great."

"Right now, it's Q's job, there's no question about it," said Jim Johnson. "But we'll play the best player, that's what preseason's about. The lineup's pretty well set. We're going to use Sean in a lot of different ways, sometimes in nickel, where Q's playing the dime, stuff like that. We'll try to get the best players on the field." *