Eagles rookie Rasul Douglas holds his own during workout
The cornerback lost a one end-zone battle with Alshon Jeffery, but said he feels confident in the Eagles' defense.
THE MOST memorable play of a rainy Eagles organized team activity session came at the expense of the guy who might have been the most memorable player.
Alshon Jeffery outfought rookie cornerback Rasul Douglas for a ball in the end zone, then spiked the ball at Douglas' feet.
Douglas seemed unfazed, on a day when he seemed to have uncanny anticipation, breaking up passes despite not having a complete grasp of the Eagles' defense, or the offense he was working against.
"It makes me feel good, boosts confidence. I'm still waiting for my first interception, but it's good to get a feel of the ball, the route concepts," said Douglas, a third-round pick from West Virginia who intercepted nine passes in his two seasons there.
Douglas said the breakdown between preparation and reaction when it comes to finding your way to the ball is "50-50."
"You do a lot of ball drills. Then in the games, you just react. Go get it," he said.
"I'm just having fun, playing football," Jeffery said. He denied the spike was aimed at Douglas. "I'm just trying to make a play."
When he's competing with a corner for a contested ball, Jeffery relates it to basketball, he said: "I just look at it like it's a rebound."
Pumphrey's pumped
As advertised, Donnel Pumphrey has moved in and out of the slot a lot in the two OTA workouts open to reporters. Pumphrey, the fourth-round rookie running back from San Diego State, said Tuesday his role has "kinda, sorta" been defined by coaches as a "Darren Sproles-type back." Sproles was missing from Tuesday's rain-soaked practice.
Birdseed
First up in the competition for the Eagles' part-time fullback role seems to be Dillon Gordon, the 6-4, 322-pound former LSU tight end the Eagles moved to offensive tackle last year. "It's a way for me to get on the field, something I showed them I could do (in practice) last year, and they're kind of taking advantage of this year," Gordon said. "Me playing o-line and being in that room with (veteran centers Jason Kelce and Stefen Wisniewski), and just knowing the terminology they use, and where Kelce's making his point, it makes it all fall into place easy" . . . Greg Ward, the undrafted former Houston quarterback who is transitioning to wide receiver, seems to have pretty natural hands. "I knew I would be a wide receiver (in the NFL), my senior year in college. I embraced it. I was happy that I would get the chance to play in the NFL. I don't get mad" at not getting a chance to play QB, Ward said . . . Carson Wentz doubled down on his tweeted endorsement of venison cheesesteaks, when asked about fan (mock) outrage. "I like 'em with Cheez Whiz and provolone," Wentz said, in a further attempt to stir the masses.
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