Bowen: Eagles' old heads work hard to keep lengthy careers going
THE EAGLES drafted eight players in 2007, five before they took Brent Celek 162nd overall, two after choosing Celek in the fifth round.
THE EAGLES drafted eight players in 2007, five before they took Brent Celek 162nd overall, two after choosing Celek in the fifth round.
None of the other seven players the team assembled then still plays football for a living.
"I think it's been a few years" since anyone else in his Eagles draft class played in the NFL, Celek said this week.
He's right - second-round quarterback Kevin Kolb and third-round linebacker Stewart Bradley both finished their careers in 2012. Everyone else was done before that.
"It feels like that (draft) was just yesterday," Celek said. "It feels good, though," to have survived this long.
The subject of longevity came up when the Eagles signed Stephen Tulloch, the linebacker who joins Celek, left tackle Jason Peters, running back-returner Darren Sproles and two of the team's specialists, punter Donnie Jones and long snapper Jon Dorenbos, as Birds who have played 10 seasons or more in the NFL.
Peters, 34, the oldest nonspecialist on the team, went undrafted as a tight end from Arkansas in 2004, when he signed with Buffalo. None of the six players the Bills did draft that year still plays football. Every Eagles practice, when the players stretch, Peters gets his own personal member of the training staff to pull and tug on his hamstrings and glutes.
Sproles, 33, was drafted in the fifth round, 130th overall, by San Diego in 2005. Of the seven Chargers draftees that year, only Sproles and wideout Vincent Jackson, now of Tampa Bay, still play.
This summer, Eagles quarterbacks and receivers gathered to work out in California with Sproles' trainer, Todd Durkin. Durkin said then that Sproles has last so long because he "does what no one else does."
"He doesn't take days off . . . He takes really, really good care of his body . . . His nutrition is impeccable, his mindset is strong," Durkin said.
On the day Tulloch first practiced, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz talked about what 10 years in the NFL means. He told a story about when he was Detroit's head coach in 2013, trying to give his middle linebacker a day off in training camp - Tulloch objected, because he'd never missed a practice, going back to high school. Finally, they settled on limiting his reps that day.
"We compromised a little bit," Schwartz said. "I'm not a big compromiser, but I respect guys that have played a long time. I have tremendous respect for guys that get 10 years in the NFL, because you can't make 10 years on talent alone, and you can't make 10 years by being a try-hard guy. You have to have a great combination of things.
"Also in 10 years, let's face it, you're going to be working with different coaching staffs in 10 years. You have to have the ability to work in different schemes, whether you're an offensive player or defensive player. I'll bow down to guys that play 10 years in this league, because that's tough business."
In 2006, Schwartz, then the Titans' defensive coordinator, persuaded Tennessee to draft Tulloch 116th overall, in the fourth round. The Titans netted10 players in that draft. Only Tulloch and cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who signed with the Saints during training camp, are still active.
"I just take care of my body. I invest my money in my body," Tulloch said. "Trainers, chiropractors, massage therapists. I do so much. Acupuncture . . . It's like an investment. You invest in the stock market over time, with compound interest - you invest in your body over time, you'll play a long time."
Celek has always been known for embracing contact, running over tacklers, taking a hit and staying on his feet.
"There's some days when I feel great. There's some days when I don't feel so good," said Celek, who turned 31 in January. "But I know the things I gotta do in order to make myself feel better, whether it's stretching, getting massages, rolling out, getting in the cold tub - there's a lot of different things you can do."
Celek said Tulloch, who turned 31 on New Year's Day, probably has had the harder path to staying in the league.
"I think it's probably even more so true for him, because he's tackling people on every play," Celek said.
Tackles aren't an official stat, but Pro Football Reference credits Tulloch with 670 of them, in 147 games.
"It's just a way of life for me, something I love to do," Tulloch said. "I have a passion for practice, I have a passion for the game, and I play hard, I work hard, take care of my body, do what I have to do."
Five things to watch
Here are five things to keep an eye on in Saturday's Eagles preseason game at Indianapolis, the third preseason game, traditionally the longest and last action of the preseason for starters:
1. Offense and touchdowns: Sam Bradford has looked pretty good but the Eagles' first-team offense doesn't have an actual touchdown drive in limited action through two preseason games. Be good to get that out of the way.
2. Offensive line: Allen Barbre gets his second start of the preseason at right tackle, but Stefen Wisniewski will play left guard for rookie Isaac Seumalo, who suffered an apparently minor pec strain in practice. Is subbing in someone yet again going to set the unit back? Can Wisniewski, the vet with 77 career starts, do enough to open up the competition for the starting job again?
3. Wide receivers: Somebody, anybody, step forward, please. Dorial Green-Beckham should play with the starters for the first time. Nelson Agholor seemed to take baby steps forward last week. There's a sense that maybe Rueben Randle and Chris Givens have been on veteran cruise control so far. Let's see something from them. And let's keep the legend of Paul Turner alive, to get us through these last few weeks before the season.
4. Linebackers: Staying healthy would be a good start. Also covering backs and tight ends vs. Andrew Luck. It will be interesting to see whether the presence of Stephen Tulloch affects any of the current starters.
5. Turnover time: The Eagles have benefited from nine opponent giveaways in two games, eight of them courtesy of Jim Schwartz's defense. This feels kind of like a fluke, but maybe if the bonanza continues, we'll have to re-evaluate.
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