Eagles Patriots Day 1 Practice Recap

The Eagles and Patriots had a joint practice today at the Nova Care Complex and it showed a lot of things about the Eagles football team, some good things and some, well not so much. One thing we concluded is that #12 on New England is pretty darn good. Lets talk about the offense where the Eagles receivers looked really good including Damaris Johnson who caught almost everything in 1 on 1s, Johnson's speed and crisp route running is a reason he will be a huge factor in the offense this season. If he does what he did to the Patriots secondary in the preseason game like he did today then he is going to move up the depth chart...that is written in sand of course. Chip Kelly released his first depth chart yesterday by the way and has the QB position as Vick/Foles but honestly it looks like Vick is pulling away since the pads went on. His release has been really fast but I am interested to see if during the preseason game, he can run the offense quickly and execute how Kelly wants it run because Nick Foles  is doing a terrific job with it. Corner back Carry Williams pulled off some stuff he is known for today when he and rookie Patriots receiver Aaron Dobson got into a fight and Kelly sent Williams off the field for the rest of practice. I personally love this because Williams has that grit that the defense really needs. Fellow Corner Bradley Fletcher looked good at the start when he picked off Tom Brady with nice coverage but after that he struggled throughout practice, Fletcher is struggling with man on man coverage which is a major concern. If he can look solid during preseason then he should be a starter but second year corner Brandon Boykin is knocking on the door to be the opposite starting outside corner if neither Fletcher or Williams steps up. Again all of the play during training camp is analyzable (If that is a word) but the real break down of each player's performance will be decided during the preseason. Tom Brady picked apart the defense in 11 on 11's which is right fully so since the new defense had its first taste of new offensive schemes. Vinny Curry looked good stuffing up the middle of the line without any runs getting through. Just to see how the starting d-line might shape up, Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thorton were the two DE and Issac Sopoaga was the starting NT. During 11 on 11's both Michael Vick and Nick Foles were great, Vick was stellar moving around in the pocket using his legs to extend plays. He has worked very well with the Tight Ends, he connected with James Casey for two touchdowns in 11 on 11's and hit Zach Ertz on a big 30 yard reception. NFL analyst are saying as of right now that Vick has separated himself from Foles in the race but today, Foles almost looked better. He ran the offense smoothly and he showed some of his deep play ability hitting Desean Jackson for 2 huge touchdown bombs. Rookie receiver Ifeanyi Momah had a terrible day in 1 on 1's, he repeatedly stumbled when running routes and could not separate himself from the corner. Of the three reps he had he missed all three and in the last one he got dropped by a corner much smaller than himself. If he doesn't produce during preseason then he might not even make the practice squad. Other rookie receiver Russell Sheppard looked good and is now to me ahead of Momah for that last WR spot but again all comes down to preseason production. Barkley and Tebow didn't get many reps as it was normally first and second team on the field but when Barkley was out there, he threw a terrible interception. Clearly the Patriots are a step ahead of the Eagles as of right now but I saw some good things from the offense and defense. They go at it again tomorrow at 12 30 and will be interesting to see if the defense can bounce back from a un stellar performance.

Eagle Eye Focus Sportstalk Podcast Preseason Preview with Igglesblitz.com's Tommy Lawlor

Training Camp Report 8/2/13

The Eagles hit the field today at the Nova Care Complex with some pieces back on the field. Corner Carry Williams returned to the field and looked pretty good on 3 on 2 drills. Arrellious Benn still is injured and has not practiced in 5 practices. BJ Cunningham was waived as he couldn't get on the field due to a right foot injury. Michael Vick looked very good today with some big anticipation throws to James Casey, and a big connection to Desean Jackson. Vick and Jackson have looked good together at camp which is good if Vick wins the job, that duo can be deadly. Nick Foles had a solid day as well making some very accurate throws in tight coverage and seems to have a handle on the fast paced offense, he gets the offense up quickly and has a fast delivery but what I can't get passed is that Vick is still looked at as the leader, just look at the Cooper situation, Vick was the one making the first statement not Foles. I just believe Vick is still looked at in the locker room as a leader and is why I think there is no way he is off the team. This does not help the case of quarterback Dennis Dixon to make the team with Foles and Barkley also probably going to make the team. What Dixon needs to do is continue to be a consistent passer in camp which he has been, and go out and earn your spot in the preseason with great play passing and running. Russell Sheppard and Ifeanyi Momah continue to progress at camp and both can earn a spot in the preseason but to me, it comes down to only one of them making the team if either. Momah had a nice comeback touchdown catch today when he curled back and ran up to get a pass by Nick Foles for the TD. He ran some crisp short routes in 3 on 2 with Barkley and Dixon but I want to see what he can do in the red zone during the preseason and also how he does against the Patriots corners when they come into town to practice with the Eagles. Defensively Mychal Kendricks has looked great, he is a perfect fit for Billy Davis's system with his great coverage on tight ends. Kendricks is also faster than most of the tight ends in the NFL so keeping up with some of the big guns will be no problem. He and Ryans are doing very well in coverage but I want to see them hit which we must wait until preseason to do so. For injuries today it was a easier practice than most with only Bradley Fletcher injured with a groin injury, it shouldn't be too serious he will be on the field if not next practice then Sunday. One final thing from practice I noticed is Chip Kelly has been running some 2 back sets where Lesean McCoy lines up as a wide out and Bryce Brown is the running back, this just shows how many formations the Eagles can choose from with their tight ends and running backs that are crazy deep as of now. I just can't see us running as many 3 receiver sets as we did last year with our other skilled positions being better than wide receiver.

Eagle Eye Focus - Training Camp Update

Eagles could be deadly at Tight End

The Eagles are 5 days into training camp and are showing some really interesting sets on offense with the tight ends. There is so much diversity and versatility with the players, there will almost never be any 3 WR sets. Brent Celek is the starter...for now but has shown over the years he can be a big piece in blocking and also a solid pass catcher but nothing more really than solid. He has posted 2 years over 800 receiving yards and two seasons with at least 4 touchdowns. He as of late hasn't been much of a factor with Vick at the helm which might be the reason they brought in James Casey and drafted Zach Ertz in the second round. James Casey is the guy that can line up at TE, WR, FB,RB you name it this guy can do it. Zach Ertz is the guy that I am most excited for. He has rare size and speed like a Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham, he is going to be the most productive Tight End this season and probably over seat Celek as the starter. Picture this because honestly they have already been doing this but Brent Celek can line up as the line of scrimmage tight end, put James Casey and Ertz in the slot with Desean Jackson and either Cooper or Avant on the outside. That could be one heck of a offense with of course Lesean McCoy at RB. Clay Harbor will add good depth, he had a pretty good year last season with 25 catches and 3 touchdowns and will be a good special teams player as well. Here are my predicted stats for each tight end this coming season.


Brent Celek- 55 Receptions 675 receiving yards 4 receiving touchdowns

James Casey- 48 Receptions 550 receiving yards 5 total touchdowns

Zach Ertz- 53 Receptions 730 yards 7 touchdowns

*Yes clearly these stats are generous in a offense with many weapons but it is just to show you what these players are capable of with their potential, Casey and Ertz are breakout potential players that can become huge and even Celek is young and has more seasons to improve on his receiving.

                            

Riley Cooper makes racial comments, Apologizes to Team

Riley Cooper made some racial slurs at a concert and went viral today. Cooper said he is disgusted with his comments and apologized to his teammates who said they forgave him including Kurt Coleman and Michael Vick. Riley Cooper is going to be a big piece of the offense this year so he needs to get his act together which he clearly knows. Jeffery Lurie made a statement saying how Cooper has taken actions for his words and will be fined.

Eagles retire best QB in Eagles history #5 Donovan Mcnabb

A special week in Philadelphia, not only because of training camp under way but the Eagles are celebrating the retirement of a local legend, number 5 Donovan Mcnabb who will have his jersey retired by the Eagles against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, Week 3 of the regular season. Donovan had a very emotional speech at his press conference thanking his family of course and his teammates and what I love about what Brian Westbrook said about #5 is that no matter how hurt he was, he wasn't going to let you know and play to the best of his ability and that was what he was all about. I had the pleasure of watching Donovan growing up as a Eagle fan, although I came in to the Eagles community when Donovan was near the end of his reign in Philly, I would like to say on behalf of all the Eagles fans thank you for everything you did for the organization. Mcnabb holds every statistical record for the QB position on the Eagles and without a doubt, I believe he is the best Eagle QB of all time and a hall of famer. Its sad to see him go out without the big one but the winning he brought to Philly will always be appreciated, no matter how much the fans boo you, you know they appreciated everything.