IS BUYING CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS
Leonard Weaver got excited when he ran the route to the left side, looked back, and saw the Donovan McNabb pass coming toward his left shoulder.
"In Week 2, I missed that pass against the Saints'' that would have been a sure touchdown, Weaver, the Eagles fullback, noted yesterday evening on Comcast SportsNet's "Daily News Live.''
"I made a vow to myself that I had to come out more focused and determined . . . that's why that touchdown was a great feeling [Sunday].''
This time Weaver caught the ball cleanly and turned toward the goal line, zipping just inside the pylon for his first Eagles touchdown, the second touchdown of a 33-14 victory over Tampa Bay.
"I think I went straight to Donovan and was like, 'Bro, thank you so much. I really appreciate that,' '' Weaver said.
Touchdown receptions are special for fullbacks in the NFL these days. The Eagles don't often even employ a fullback, and when they do, it's often just for blocking.
"It's a blessing, man,'' said Weaver, who also carried the ball twice, for 4 yards, resplendent in the pink cleats he was wearing to aid the cause of breast-cancer awareness. Weaver said he kept the ball, as he has all his touchdown balls through his 50 NFL games. So far, storage has not been a huge problem.
"I started a tradition in '07, with the first one, [playing for Seattle] against the Redskins,'' Weaver said. "I have [four] now.''
"After the game, my phone, I had literally 25 messages. Father, friends, family, people I went to school with in high school. It was crazy.''
Weaver said he also had received or was expecting to receive props from other teams' fullbacks - a tight-knit group that tends to notice when one of their number grabs a little glory.
"Lorenzo Neal, Mike Karney - we all talk, like, 'That's what I'm talkin' about,' '' he said.
Andy Reid's review of Jeremiah Trotter, after watching the film: "He did a good job of plugging his spot. There wasn't necessarily a lot of action in his direction. For being out of it a while, he did a respectable job . . . I've reminded him a couple of times that he's been sitting on the couch watching the games, and he reminded me that I was right.''
Reid said Trotter's acclimation is "just a matter of his timing and seeing things for the first time.''
Asked if wide receiver Kevin Curtis still can expect to be a starter when and if he fully recovers from his present knee problem, Andy Reid said: "I'm just trying to get him better right now. I have to see how he does here.'' . . . Reid's reply when asked about former assistants Brad Childress (Minnesota) and John Harbaugh (Baltimore) facing off this week: "I don't get into all that.''
For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com
