By Bob Brookover
Inquirer Staff Writer
There’s always a surprise in the bunch. There’s always an anonymous player or two who steps up and survives the final cut to make the Eagles’ 53-man roster.
One year it was safety Clinton Hart, running back Reno Mahe and defensive tackle Sam Rayburn. Another year it was tight end Stephen Spach and safety Jeremy Thornburg. Last year, it was offensive tackle Pat McCoy and cornerback Joselio Hanson.
They were all undrafted guys, which meant the odds were against them.
It’s too early to tell who will emerge as the most unlikely player to make the final roster cut this summer, but safety Erick Harris didn’t hurt his case during this morning’s practice at Lehigh University.
“Number 33 is getting in on everything,” middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said as he observed the work of the third-team defense.
Thirty-three is Harris’ number and while he wasn’t in on everything, he did show up quite a bit during the morning practice in the sweltering heat. His first appearance of the morning came after quarterback Kevin Kolb dumped a pass to fullback Jeremy Cain, who ran for 13 yards before Harris stopped him with one of the biggest hits of the day.
The next time the “threes” took the field, Harris stepped up and stopped Tony Hunt for a 1-yard gain on a second-and-two play. A few plays later, the second-year safety tackled running back Ryan Moats for a loss on a screen play.
“I made some plays, but I’m still trying to get adjusted to the defense,” Harris said
That’s understandable. He didn’t have much of a chance to learn Jim Johnson’s defense last year after being signed to the practice squad during the playoffs and while class was in session during the Eagles’ minicamps this spring, Harris was over in Amsterdam playing in the now defunct NFL Europa.
“I’ve been studying every night until 1:30 in the morning,” Harris said. “All the guys in the rookie camp knew the basics, but I’ve had to come in and really learn on the fly.”
After playing at Liberty University, Harris, 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, said he felt fortunate to land a job in the Arena Football League 2 for two seasons.
"A lot of guys coming out of college don’t even get a look, but I had a chance to continue my career and now I’m here today,” Harris said.
The Eagles’ camp isn’t a bad place to be. The team is looking for a fourth safety to play behind the trio of Brian Dawkins, Sean Considine and Quintin Mikell. C.J. Gaddis, a fifth-round pick from Clemson, and undrafted rookie free agents Marcus Paschal and Chris Smith are also in the mix for that job.
“Like the secondary coach (John Harbaugh) said, you can’t count numbers,” Harris said. “You just have to go in there and make plays and get noticed by the coaches. I love the game … so I don’t care where I play. I would like to get to the NFL. That’s the ultimate goal, but Arena, CFL … I love the game of football. My heart is very much in it.”
Johnson noticed Harris, but he’ll have to see a lot more before formulating any concrete opinion.
“I like his size,” the defensive coordinator said. “I like his attitude. He plays hard, but it’s going to take a little while.”
HIT OF THE DAY. The result was a first down for the offense because cornerback Joselio Hanson was flagged for pass interference, but that call came only after safety Sean Considine stepped up and drilled wide receiver Michael Gasperson on a deep pass down the right sideline.
CATCH OF THE DAY. It wasn’t during the live scrimmage, but Kevin Curtis got behind cornerback Joselio Hanson during a 1-on-1 drill and pulled in a perfectly thrown pass from Donovan McNabb on a deep pass down the right sideline.
RUN OF THE DAY. Brian Westbrook continued to look good, but the run that drew the most attention and applause was a scramble out of the pocket by quarterback Donovan McNabb, proving once again that Philadelphia loves its running quarterbacks.
INJURIES. Safety Brian Dawkins and cornerback Lito Sheppard were the most notable absences during the morning practice. Dawkins has Achilles’ tendonitis and Sheppard has an strained oblique muscle. Also missing: wide receiver Bill Sampy (quad contusion); linebacker Dedrick Roper (sprained foot); defensive tackles Montae Reagor (knee swelling) and Ian Scott (knee inflammation); and offensive guard Stefan Rodgers (sore knee). Defensive tackle Jeremy Clark left because of dehydration and safety Chris Smith left with a sore ankle.
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