By Zach Berman
Practice lasted around two hours again, although for the first time in 10 days, the Eagles were out of pads in the morning.
At this point of training camp, very little is new. What we saw today is simply re-affirming what we've already seen. The next step is the preseason games, where the roster will start to separate.
Nonetheless, we've been blogging each practice and we won't stop now. Here are some observations, notes and tidbits from the final morning practice (tomorrow's mock game is a walk-through, not a practice):
Players who missed practice: Shawn Andrews, Brian Dawkins, Dustin Fox, Dedrick Roper, Dustin Fox, Bill Sampy, Lito Sheppard, L.J. Smith.
William Thomas left practice early with knee soreness.
Scott Young was back out at practice, which was important to see. He sprained his knee injury, although that injury seems minor considering he was out there.
Two rookies who caught my eye today: Tony Hunt and Kevin Kolb. I mention this because Kolb looked to slow down later in the week, although he had a decent practice today. He threw effectively on the run and was putting the ball in spots he was missing the past few days.
I mention Hunt because his hands have been very suspect this camp. The coaches say the right things about how he's working at it, but the point is he has struggled catching out of the backfield. Not today. And perhaps more importantly, his footwork improved to the point that he was able to catch the ball without a hitch in his step.
Last week, a Cowboys fan was heckled. Today, it was a Giants fan. The Eagles crowd barked down a Giants fan with the "Giants (Stink)!" chants. I don't know if William James heard, although he might have agreed.
Juqua Thomas had a solid morning. He knows the path to the quarterback and he made it past Pat McCoy for what would have been a sack. The Eagles gave Thomas money over the off-season, although I thought he could have gone to a 3-4 team and been effective as an outside linebacker. He's back with the Eagles, where he gives them depth at that end position.
Jerome McDougle and Matt McCoy will be two names to watch during the preseason. The Eagles spent high picks on both players (first-round pick on McDougle, a second-round pick on McCoy), and neither has lived up to expectations so far. There is competition on both of them and it will come to numbers.
McCoy had a solid camp. McDougle actually had a very good camp. But there are roster battles at both spot and the Eagles haven't been consistent with the numbers they keep in different positions. Pay attention to those two teams.
Jason Avant beat Quentin Mikell on an out pattern on individual drills. Avant isn't very fast, but he simply knows how to run routes. Mikell stayed with him until Avant's cut, which was sharp. Avant will be a factor for the Eagles this year. How that effects Greg Lewis remains to be seen. Assuming Jeremy Bloom is the returner, the Eagles would have to keep six receivers (Bloom included) to keep Lewis. If they keep five with Bloom as one of them, Lewis is likely a long shot.
Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said Stewart Bradley will split time 50-50 between the SAM and the MIKE. He seems to be more of a SAM, although the Eagles have moved linebackers around in the past. Bradley can push Chris Gocong for time at the SAM if Gocong struggles, although that is all speculative at this point. But Bradley will be an important player to watch during the preseason because of his versatility.
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That's it for now. We'll see what's going on in the afternoon practice, but if anyone has any final training camp questions they'd like an answer to, send them to zberman@phillynews.com.
Comments (1)
I realize the pre-season is the time for woners to make money, but I don't understand the NFL scheduling the Eages for a scrimmaage and a preseason game. It makes me believe they don't care about the gladiators but need to feed the lions (owners) appetite. Too little thinking by the management for me.
Thanks, Larry
Posted by Larry Clark | August 12, 2007 10:55 AM
Posted on August 12, 2007 10:55