Eagles Notebook: Eagles' Boykin holds his ground

BRANDON BOYKIN is listed at 5-10, 185. Maybe there was a time when he would have been able to play linebacker effectively in the NFL, but that time faded into memory right around when the Eagles dropped those blue-and-yellow 1930s uniforms.

Nonetheless, Boykin found himself an inadvertent outside linebacker for a few minutes Sunday in Denver. Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis later explained he'd sent Boykin out thinking the Broncos were running a three-wideout set. Instead they were going with two tight ends. Denver was in hurry-up mode, making Davis unable to sub for a three-play span, one installment of which was a 16-yard run at Boykin.

"It's going well," Boykin, a cornerback, replied when asked about his linebacking career. "I've been in that situation before. Sometimes as a nickel, you've got to [defend] the run, but it's not as much as the outside linebackers. I know what to do. It's just the fact that . . . I'm giving up 145, 150 pounds to a lineman. Really, at the end of the day, I've just got to hold my ground, and that's what I did."

Boykin suffered a shoulder contusion against the Broncos - not trying to be a linebacker, he said, it happened making a tackle on a punt return - and he was a limited participant in yesterday's practice. Eagles coach Chip Kelly said it wasn't a serious problem and Boykin said he sat out as a precaution, since this was a padded practice, with hitting in drills.

Boykin, in his second year from Georgia, has been the most effective member of the secondary, so anything that would detract from his play could be very damaging to a defense already rated last in the NFL.

"I'm sure everybody on the team's got some injury that's still lingering. You've just got to play through it," Boykin said. "I'm to the point where it's not going to affect me jumping or running or trying to tackle. I might feel some pain if I land awkwardly or get jerked or something like that, but every player's got to play through pain . . . I'm sure I'll have something help me put some support on it."

The Eagles used Boykin to blitz a lot in Denver, which can almost be as much of a size challenge as having to fill a linebacking spot.

"Because I'm a nickel and I'm not the biggest guy, it probably looks crazy, me being in a lot of those situations, taking on tackles and guards," Boykin said. "I liked the blitzing part. I think it was effective. Peyton [Manning] still got the ball out fast . . . moving forward, we're going to get better at those things, and I'm going to get better at it."

Former Eagles defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins told a conference call yesterday with Philadelphia-area reporters how he knew his time here was up last winter. Jenkins signed with the Giants and is hoping knee and Achilles' injuries don't keep him from facing the Birds on Sunday.

"They got the new coaching staff and me and some of the guys, we were texting back and forth to see who had heard from the coaching staff yet," Jenkins said. "You slowly started to hear guys say, 'Yeah, coach and them called me,' 'Yeah, they called me.' Me and a couple other guys I won't mention, we never got calls from the coaches.

"Since I was living in the area, I figured I would reach out to the coaches, just sit down and have a conversation with 'em. I went [to NovaCare] to meet the coach. The secretary went in [to Chip Kelly's office], and coach Kelly was talking with Howie [Roseman, the general manager]. It was funny, because I heard her say I was outside, and then I heard the coach say, 'Have I met him yet?' I knew there was probably a pretty good chance I wasn't in their plans at that moment."

Jenkins said he did sit down with Kelly and with new defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro and enjoyed the conversations.

"Everybody was really cool and real respectful," he said. He credited the Eagles with giving him his release graciously, in plenty of time to find another spot.

Safety Patrick Chung (shoulder) was a limited practice participant. His status for Sunday remains unclear . . . Chip Kelly said Giants quarterback Eli Manning "may be the best deep ball thrower in the game." He also lauded Manning's toughness . . . Kelly said the rebounding from Sunday's beating in Denver, which he had highlighted as important, was everything he expected. "I really like this group," he said. "I like their mind-set. I like their attitudes. You like being around them. I think they work extremely hard."

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