Crunch Time is a compilation of hits and a few misses from Eagles training camp.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- This was a day when live hitting with big collisions dominated the morning session, and feisty undrafted rookie corner Nick Graham was in the thick of the action.
Graham lowered the boom on Reggie Brown just as the third-year wideout got his hands on a short pass inside. Brown lost the ball for a second but brought it back in as he hit the ground. Later, Kevin Curtis broke loose up the left sideline after a short catch and stepped out of bounds, but still got blasted by Graham. Later, Curtis returned the favor, blocking for Tony Hunt on a red-zone running play, Curtis pinning Graham as Hunt zipped past.
Graham, from Tulsa, said afterward that a few of his hits came after he made mistakes that caused him to have to chase the action.
"A couple of 'em, I was doing something bad, but you've got to tackle. I try and be physical when I tackle," he said.
Graham said Curtis didn't say anything about the sideline hit. He said he wasn't aware they were out of bounds.
"It's fun to have live periods; it simulates real football," said Graham, who said he feels he's having a pretty good camp.
* Showing excellent hustle for a veteran in the dog days of training camp, Darren Howard dropped into coverage and tackled Kevin Curtis after a short gain.
* Quintin Mikell made a nice pick of an A.J. Feeley throw during 7-on-7 work.
* Pat McCoy really blew up Jerome McDougle during 1-on-1 line drills.
* Tony Hunt took a solid lick from Matt McCoy after catching a screen pass. This was just after Hunt and Omar Gaither met with extreme force at the line as Hunt tried to go up the middle.
* LaJuan Ramsey burst through the line and stacked up Thomas Tapeh just as Tapeh took a handoff.
The Time's Yours
Tuesday’s workouts are scheduled for 8:15 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., the latter an abbreviated “10-10-10” practice, in which each phase gets 10 plays. There is no scheduled autograph session.
Quote of Note
“I think the time is now. Not that we’re trying to say the window is closing, or anything ... (but) we’ve been through the Super Bowl, we’ve been through NFC championships, we’ve been in playoff play, it’s time now to seal the deal.” -- Donovan McNabb, who said he sees the Eagles as “a Super Bowl team.”
Rich Hofmann has been at the Daily News since 1980. He previously blogged the Eagles' postseason run in 2006. 
Ed Barkowitz was the first Philadelphia Newspaper journalist to write a blog, starting back in 2002.
Comments (2)
the defense looks slow and old trotter was done two years ago. spikes also appears 40. buckley is being coddled so he doesn't go in the tank.is this coach johnson's last year ?! cut trotter now and put in omar .same with mccoy.get that speed on the field. this defense needs a awakening!!
Posted by bill | August 6, 2007 5:17 PM
Not sure if Bill's IQ is that of a sand shrill or a plankton, because it doesn't seem as though he can put a proper sentence together. All the guys that he rips on are looking nasty and are gonna be prime time performers this year. People like Bill give Philly fans an ignorant name.
Posted by bill's stupid | August 6, 2007 10:40 PM