Eye on the Eagles

So it seems like almost every year, when the President gives his State of the Union address, he comes up with some new superlative to add on to the phrase "The state of our Union is..."

Jeffrey Lurie didn't do that today, but he was pretty optimistic about the state of things. And he should be. Off the field, he's got the fastest-growing brand in professional sports, and the raw number brand value of (give me your best Dr. Evil voice) 90 meeeeeellliiiiooon dollars is nothing to sneeze at either.

On the field, he once again has a team that -- despite its sloppiness this morning -- still has way more cohesion in the locker room than its division rivals, in a sport where that actually counts for something.

So there was good reason for Lurie to be content when he addressed reporters this morning, and by and large, he was. He even thinks this team is better than the 2004 edition, and we all know where that bunch ended up.

But there's one thing that's really annoying him, and it's not whatever insect was buzzing around his head as he spoke: last year's playoff loss to New Orleans.

"The pain of a playoff loss like that just kills you for months, and months, and months."

Watch that, his thoughts on Jeff Garcia, and John Smallwood's take on it all by clicking on the photo below.

So there I was, standing behind the video camera, and then Andy Reid says this:

"Westbrook I let go for personal reasons, and it's not due to injury."

A few seconds later there was this exchange between a reporter (I forget who) and Reid:

Reporter: Did Westbrook go, leave Lehigh?

Reid: Yes.

Reporter: Will he be back?

Reid: No.

Big pause.

As an old friend of mine likes to say, guh-wha? Here I was getting ready to do a video about a very good day for Donovan McNabb (though let it be said that none of the sideline cameras filmed his 60-yard touchdown bomb to Kevin Curtis), and Reid decides to take matters into his own hands.

So Westbrook was the first thing I asked Inquirer Eagles beat writer Bob Brookover about in today's video report. I also asked about McNabb and the latest news on Shawn Andrews' ankle injury.

Oh, and it was really hot out. If not for the breeze, I might have lost enough weight in sweat to make up for dinner at Waffle House last night. The TV cameras put a thermometer on the ground and you can see below what it registered.

The quote of the day, though, goes to the fan who called out the TV cameramen for the lack of journalistic value in filming a thermometer that may or may not have been fixed for theatrical purposes. One of the cameramen replied that they weren't going to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Again, that's the TV cameramen. Not yours truly.

I didn't do anything until they moved away.

Click on the photo below to watch today's video.

So I wrote a post yesterday titled "Brian Westbrook out for the rest of camp" in which I quoted a reporter as asking Andy Reid whether Brian Westbrook would be back before the end of training camp.

A number of reporters were confused this morning as to exactly what was said, and it became clear that the actual question asked was not "Will he be back?" but "Do you know when he'll be back?" It is that question to which Reid answered, "No."

The two questions are very different, of course, and this morning Philly.com made a correction to the text that accompanied the video, and also corrected the title of the blog post. We don't want to be reporting false information, and we definitely don't want to stir up Eagles fans when it's not necessary.

Apologies.

Credit Zach with a hustle play this afternoon, reporting on L.J. Smith's injury and then updating the story with news of Brian Westbrook's return to camp.

Being the old-school reporters that we are, Zach actually called me earlier today with the Westbrook news so I could get it up in a hurry. Which I didn't do because I was still cutting video, but it's the thought that counts, right? Even if the phones were cell phone and mine's a BlackBerry?

Hey, we try.

Anyway, today I present you with not one but TWO videos. First up, Rich Hofmann discusses the impact of Smith's injury and the other injured Eagles, including Tony Hunt; then he responds to Donovan McNabb's statement that he'd "love to play" in the pre-season opener at Baltimore on Monday night.

The second video is a Philly.com exclusive: a one-on-one interview with legendary Eagles radio broadcaster Merrill Reese. Believe it or not, I had never met Reese before today. In addition to having a great voice, he's a really nice guy.

We really are spoiled around here with our broadcasters, aren't we? We have Merrill Reese, Harry Kalas and Dan Baker (who does Drexel basketball in addition to his public address work), as well as Scott Graham, who does college hoops on TV. Now if only we could get Big Al Meltzer back behind the mic...

Anyway, you care about football. So click on the left photo to watch Rich Hofmann and Donovan McNabb, and on the right photo to watch Merrill Reese.

That's what Inquirer columnist Ashley Fox says about whether Donovan McNabb should play in the Eagles' preseason opener. Today's training camp video report features the latest news on McNabb, L.J. Smith and the punting duel between Saverio Rocca and Dirk Johnson.

Oh, and it also features Zach's Philly.com video debut. Click on the photo below to watch.

That's what Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown said after the last full day of training camp at Lehigh. Brown, Jeremiah Trotter and the Daily News' Les Bowen wrap things up in today's video report. Click on the photo of Trotter below to watch.

So I'm back in Philadelphia now, and I've just finished putting together the last video report from Lehigh. This morning, Andy Reid announced who will and won't play at Baltimore tomorrow night, and I talked with the Inquirer's Bob Brookover about his reflections on this year's time at Lehigh.

Click on the photo below to watch.