The Eagles have finally practiced.
The Eagles had their first full-squad practice this afternoon. The team was in shorts and shells, so no hitting. The hitting starts tomorrow. However, today's practice was more physical than any of the five practices before the veterans arrived.
Practice consisted of individual drills, a team period, 7-on-7s and special teams.
Starting tight end L.J. Smith was out there after suffering a sports hernia during the off-season training activities.
Here are some observations and tidbits:
The big news is Smith's return to the field. He wore a red mesh tank top over his jersey, which is like a stop sign or a red light. No one can touch him, just like the quarterbacks who wear the red jersey.
Smith was running and catching without any apparent problem. After one catch, head coach Andy Reid checked in on Smith. Smith apparently felt fine, because he continued in the lineup and ran with the first team.
In 7-on-7s, Jevon Kearse came rushing around the left side unblocked, leaped in the air and knocked down a pass by Donovan McNabb. Kearse's recovery will be interesting development for the Eagles. The reports on his weight are true -- he's light. Kearse had support on his left knee in today's practice.
The Eagles pulled out a trick play, although it was unsuccessful. They ran a flea flicker in the 7-on-7s. The defense fell for the fake and the ball was thrown to Reggie Brown, who was wide open. The ball was out of Brown's grasp.
The three players returning punts today were Jeremy Bloom, J.J. Outlaw and Rashad Barksdale. Barksdale was an interesting player to have back there, simply because speed was the buzzword after he was drafted. None of them has ever returned a punt in the NFL. The Eagles are hoping Jeremy Bloom develops into a dynamic player, although those are high aspirations for someone who hasn't done it in a long time. Pay attention to the return game during practice, because it was weak last season and the questions will linger this season until someone distinguishes himself.
The punters themselves were interesting to watch. Sav Rocca, the Australian import, had a poor practice. He's a big punter with a big leg, although he had some duds. When he gets his foot on the ball, it sails. The question is whether he can kick consistently when a punt block is coming. The battle between Rocca and incumbent Dirk Johnson will be interesting to watch throughout training camp.
Trent Cole was lining up with the first-team defensive line. Cole was on the right end. The Eagles rotate their ends, but they signed Darren Howard to a big deal last off-season. That's quite an investment for a backup end.
The Eagles have professed their hopes in Matt McCoy since he was a second-round pick in 2005, but all you need to know is this: At this time last season, McCoy was lining up as a starting linebacker. This year, he isn't. McCoy was lining up with the second team today, which is no surprise because of the addition of Takeo Spikes. But he also looks different than most the other linebackers, a position that is clearly trending on the bigger side for the Eagles.
Spikes is simply bigger than the weakside linebackers the Eagles have utilized in the past. Chris Gocong, who is lining up as the first-team SAM, is bigger than last year's starter, Dhani Jones. Another player who played well, Tank Daniels, is a big linebacker.
Injury update
Linebacker Dedrick Roper has a foot strain.
Wide receiver Bill Sampy has a quad bruise.
Montae Reagor still has a sore knee from off-season surgery.
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