Iggles Blog - Philadelphia Eagles Blog

Football's Back!

Full slate of coverage at philly.com today.

Hallelujah.

Check out this particulary informative pdf that lays out the Eagles training camp schedule.  Interestingly, it also includes a picture of Sav Rocca practicing either field goals or kickoffs?

Best line in the bunch:

Booker is more of a third-down back than Westbrook ... but he sure seems to be able to run a pattern and catch a pass. Andy Reid likes backs who do that, the Daily News has learned.

--Les Bowen

This Is Awesome

This is really, truly cool.  I was checking my web stats tonight and saw a referral from this link: http://www.nfl.hu/modules/Forum/viewtopic.php?pid=309144

Note the URL.  Yeah, it's all in Hungarian (or is it Magyar?).

There are pages for all the NFL teams.  Unsurprisingly, the Patriots have the most posts.  Gratifyingly, the Cowboys are pretty far behind the Eagles.

America's Team, maybe, but not the rest of the world's, evidently.

Jevon Kearse Article on the Dot Com

On the website today, ESPN has running one of the dozens of obligatory "will Kearse rise again" offseason features.

In this age of perennial athlete fluffing, I was pretty amazed to catch the relatively unsympathetic take by the writer:

The defensive end hardly sells himself as a victim in what unfolded in Philadelphia. Still, he says the two-gap style he was asked to play -- the way he was asked to start with his feet parallel rather than in a sprinter's stance with one foot forward -- and way the Eagles deployed him were largely responsible for his poor showing.

But coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson are smart and successful coaches who surely would have adjusted things to better suit Kearse had they believed something else would have worked better for a player given an eight-year, $66 million contract with $20 million in bonuses in the first three years.

Here's Kearse on how he's approaching the 2008 season:

Kearse has adopted the chip-on-his-shoulder cliché with a twist, turning the chip into a boulder. He said there isn't a player in the league looking forward to the season more than he is. At the end of the 2008 season, what will Eagles fans think of him?

"They'll say, 'Why the hell did we let that dude go?'" Kearse said. "'What were they thinking?'

"But everything happens for a reason. Maybe it was a good reason: So I can get pissed off and get more motivated."

First off, no, we're not ever going to wonder that. 

And secondly, if you'd been that motivated while you'd been here ... you might still be here.

Who's Childress Really Talking About?

Interesting note in Dr. Z's annual prediction column, in which the good doctor decides that Minnesota is his choice to be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February (and you thought I was an optimistic sort):

There aren't many better situations for a young quarterback than the one in which Jackson now finds himself. Childress played the position. He coached on the offensive side for 29 years before getting his head coaching shot at Minnesota two seasons ago. For seven years he was the Eagles QB coach and offensive coordinator. Donovan McNabb made the Pro Bowl in five of those years. When McNabb was hurt during the 2002 season, Childress' offense set a team record for points, using three starting quarterbacks. In 2005, when McNabb tried to struggle on with a sports hernia, Childress practically talked him through it.

"I told him that when those legs go, you're going to have to learn to rely on other things," the coach says. "You've got to evolve. It's like a wounded animal. All the other senses are heightened. And he went out and had some of his most accurate games, passing the ball."

Ok, so we've heard that all before.  The 'wounded animal' comparison is weird, but there's nothing new there. 

But then check out his next line:

"When I got the job here [in Minnesota], well, in my wildest dreams I didn't think I was going to have to get rid of a franchise quarterback. But after three weeks in the spring, it was just obvious that it wasn't going to work, with Daunte Culpepper. So I replaced him, and everybody pilloried us.

"Daunte was a guy who always used his legs. He wasn't an anticipatory thrower. He had to see the whites of their eyes. And once he got hurt, well, coming back from the injury, he couldn't play that way."

It's at least interesting, no?

So What Sports Dot Com

WhatIfSports.com uses its "simulation technology" to predict the outcomes of both future sporting events and hypothetical cross-generational match-ups.  Right now, the site is in the midst of simming the 2008 NFL season, and I know you're dying to hear how things are shaping up for the Eagles.

Not well.

The site predicts the Eagles will finish fourth in the NFC East with an 8-8 record.  They list the most significant newcomer as Asante Samuel, the biggest strength as Brian Westbrook and the most exploitable weakness as "pass protection."

Meh, whatever, I just want to mention their biggest fantasy sleeper:

Chris Gocong, LB - We would love to say Lorenzo Booker, Brent Celek, DeSean Jackson or Kevin Kolb, but they may have to wait until next year. Gocong, the former Buch Buchanan Award winner (DI-AA/FCS defensive player of the year, like Jared Allen, Rashean Mathis, Dexter Coakley and Ed Hartwell) is in his second full season with the Eagles. In the simulated 2008 season, he leads the team with 93 tackles and also notches two sacks.

Truly MVP-caliber numbers.

So, how'd the rest of the division do?  Well, the site has the Cowboys first, the Giants second and the Redskins third.  Hmmm... that's not very creative.  What about the rest of the league?  Let's see, they've got the Patriots, Colts, Chargers and Browns all winning their division ... the Jaguars making the playoffs ... the Raiders, Ravens and Dolphins all being pretty terrible ... wait a second, that sounds exactly like last year.  Surely they didn't just load in all of last year's statistical performances, tweak a few things here and there and burp out some season results? 

Um, yeah, that actually seems to be exactly what they did.  Give me the Football Outsiders KUBIAK projections any day of the week over this junk, please.

Speaking of banana peels...

Although they did pick the Celtics to win in six.

Cuts Announced

From PE.com:

The Eagles released nine players on Friday, the most notable being defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey, and agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen.

The other players released were Gary Butler, Jeremy Clark, Tanard Davis, Terrell Golden, Casey Hansen, Xzavie Jackson, A.J. Schable and Mark Staffieri.

A little surprised about Ramsey, but also Jackson.  Heard some good things about the latter.

Sad to see Golden walk, but not that surprising.  Hansen could be right back here in a year.

Reid Agrees

On the biggest problem in these minicamps not being McNabb's shoulder or Lito's non-appearance:

Reid said he was more concerned about Jackson than Samuel's missing time at the Eagles' final spring camp. Both players sat out the final five practices with hamstring injuries.

"DeSean has a lot of work ahead of him both mentally and physically," Reid said. "When you're young like that, you can't afford those kinds of things, because the game passes you by real fast. We were working him into the offense, but he's got to get himself right and healthy. The hamstring isn't something that has bothered him before."

Jackson said he would recover from his injury by training camp.

This is honestly, potentially by far the biggest story since the draft.  Who knows if the rumors about Jackson not being a player who loves to practice are actually true.  What we do know is:

1. It's virtually impossible for rookie wide receivers to master the whole playbook even under the best of circumstances.
2. Missing OTA time with a strained hamstring is not the best of circumstances.
3. A hamstring strain seems like a "conditioning" type of injury that happens to guys who haven't been working hard enough -- especially at his age.
4. A strained hamstring during OTAs is the quintessential prima donna wide receiver injury.  (see Owens, Smith, etc.)

A Mark Whipple Sighting

Kudos to the increasingly indispensable Eagletarian blog for spotting this Boston.com story on new Eagles' offensive coach Mark Whipple:

Former University of Massachusetts coach Mark Whipple, who as Steelers quarterback coach was instrumental in the development of Ben Roethlisberger, is back in the NFL after a one-year hiatus.

He's working as an offensive assistant for the Eagles in a "walk-around" role that focuses on the entire offense. His responsibilities could change day to day, from assessing specific players, to the opponent's personnel, to X's and O's such as studying blitz packages.

Whipple, who will work under offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, is glad to be back in the NFL.

"It's even better than I thought, just great to get back to coaching," he said. "To step back, it was nice for me, but I think it also helped me realize how important coaching is to me, and how fortunate I am to be in this position in this chosen field."

The story doesn't cover much new ground, but at least someone is recognizing the guy's existence.  It's a start. 

(For newer readers, here's the background on why I'm so interested in the guy.)

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With that said, I've got one bone to pick with that same Eagletarian post.  Josh Barnett writes about the Jeff Garcia situation:

Garcia is seeking an extension of the 2-year contract he signed with the Bucs after the 2006 season, when he helped the Eagles reach the postseason following Donovan McNabb's knee injury. Garcia is scheduled to make $2 million this season, plus a $750,000 roster bonus that already has been paid...

While money and playing time were certainly factors in why Garcia was not back with the Eagles, it seems the only appreciation he wants now comes in the paycheck.

It's certainly valid to feel like Garcia should play out his contract.  But you have to at least mention that Garcia mostly seems pissed because he got screwed out of a $1 million performance bonus last season that he clearly earned:

Because of the Bucs' decision to rest him for the final two weeks of the regular season, [Garcia] fell just short of participating in 70 percent of their offensive snaps, preventing him from earning a seven-figure bonus.

Coach Jon Gruden did not allow Garcia to play the second half of the Bucs' 21-19 loss at San Francisco on Dec. 23. Garcia also was benched for the regular-season finale at home against the Panthers on Dec. 30. As a result, Garcia did not get at least $1-million in bonus money.

That's a totally Banner move right there.  When a guy plays so well that you can afford to rest him for your playoff run, you should take care of him by adjusting the contract so that he gets that money.  I'd be annoyed at the organization right now, too.

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I'd suggest taking a look at this New York Times story that ran Sunday about the man who can no longer walk because of that Vegas incident involving Pacman Jones.  Something to keep in mind every time we hear Jones or the other Cowboys talk about "mistakes in the past" or "youthful immaturity." 

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Finally, Jason catches an interesting Delco Times story on the current cornerback muddle.

Fluffiest Fluff In All Of Fluffland

I respect the job Dave Spadaro does and recognize the constraints within which he operates, but man he laid on it thick this weekend.  It's those kinds of columns that really send some people over the edge.

There's being positive, and then there's this:

1. Most of the spring's focus has been on the surrounding cast, one that McNabb has repeatedly talked in lavish tones about.
2. He has a good group around him, for sure, with a strong offensive line, a good array of playmakers, some youth sprinkled in among the veterans of the Eagles scheme.
3. McNabb reported to spring practices in tremendous physical condition...
4. Second-year man Kevin Kolb has demonstrated a readiness to take control of the offense, if called upon. 
5. With a big, live arm, with good mobility and with the cool exterior you like to see in the position, Kolb is off to a good, nurturing start to his career.
6. Feeley has the team-first mentality in everything he does, so should he end up as No. 2 or No. 3 behind McNabb, so be it.
7. Casey Hanson is a spring long shot, a tall and long-armed kid who is in the category of "prospect" for the Eagles' coaching staff.

It must be said:

1. Not that lavish:  "I think that for the guys that we have on the offensive side, the ones that we are working with, we make do with what we have and try and make the best of what it is."
2. Array means more than one, doesn't it?
3. Except for that shoulder.
4. In June?
5. "Hey DeSean, put down that playbook for a moment and let's talk about how you're feeling."
6. "Although it's obvious that Feeley has been getting fewer repetitions at these minicamps, he's not ready to concede the backup job.  'I don't get the feeling either way,' Feeley said. 'I just get the feeling we're practicing and playing. It's kind of beyond the whole numbers game for me. I think they know upstairs what I'm capable of doing.'"
7. At least he has long arms.  Better than Todd Herremans.

Great Lead

As little as the Eagles tend to use their fullback, you would think they'd be less picky...
Les Bowen, Daily News