Eagles football blog

Expect more roster moves from Eagles

For all the anticipation that came with yesterday's announcement of the Eagles' 53-man roster, there was also the large asterisk that hung over the cutdown list like a harvest moon.

It's a long way to Jan. 3 and the end of the regular season, and, from a player's standpoint, that's really the roster upon which they want to place their names high on the depth chart.

For the Eagles, apparently, it's also a long way to next Sunday and the season opener at Carolina. The roster announced yesterday was like an off-the-rack suit, loose in some spots, tight in others, and destined to undergo alterations sooner rather than later.

"We'll have to see what happens in . . . whatever, the next few weeks," general manager Tom Heckert said. Continue

Vick starts out slowly with Eagles

With a few protesters outside the gates of the NovaCare Complex yesterday, all eyes and cameras inside remained focused on Michael Vick even though he did little more than watch a good portion of his first practice with the Eagles.

Vick participated in individual drills and made a brief appearance in a seven-on-seven drill, but when the Eagles ran their noncontact team scrimmages, Vick remained a spectator until coach Andy Reid finally allowed the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback to run the third-team offense for the final four plays of the two-hour practice. Continue

R.I.P. Jim Johnson

Former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has died from cancer. He was 68.

 “For ten years, Jim Johnson was an exceptional coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, but more importantly, he was an outstanding human being,” Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. “As an integral part of the Eagles family, Jim epitomized the traits of what a great coach should be – a teacher, a leader, and a winner. He positively touched the lives of so many people in and out of the Eagles organization. It was easy to feel close to him. Our hearts go out to his wife, Vicky and his wonderful family. We will miss him greatly.”

Johnson, who overcame melanoma in 2001, experienced back problems late last season and went for tests that revealed the metastasized tumor on his spine, just after the Birds' second-round playoff victory at the Giants. The MRI results were confirmed just after the 32-25 loss to Arizona in the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles announced Johnson had cancer during Super Bowl week.

Johnson returned for some of the Eagles' spring minicamps and was riding a motorized scooter on the practice field.

The Eagles announced May 18 that Johnson would take a leave of absence and did not announce a return date. The team named Sean McDermott the defensive coordinator on Saturday. Continue

McDermott replacing Jim Johnson

 The Eagles officially passed the title of defensive coordinator from Jim Johnson to Sean McDermott yesterday.

With Johnson still battling the metastatic melanoma that was discovered by doctors during the Eagles' playoff run in January, the decision was mutually agreed upon that it was time for McDermott to take control of the defense. McDermott, a 35-year-old graduate of La Salle High School and a member of the Eagles' organization since 1998, will speak about his new role for the first time today at a 1 p.m. news conference. Continue

DB acquitted

Eagles cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu has been acquitted of burglary charges in Illinois.

A DeKalb County judge acquitted Ikegwuonu yesterday of residential burglary and criminal trespassing.

"I'm happy for our client Jack Ikegwuonu, who was acquitted of all charges filed against him," said Drew Rosenhaus, Ikegwuonu's agent, in statement via Twitter. "Justice prevailed as Jack was found not guilty."

Ikegwuonu and his twin brother, Bill, were arrested in November 2006. They were accused of trying to steal a video game system from an apartment in the city of DeKalb. Continue

Reid connections no guarantee for ex-Harriton player

 On Monday evening, Eugene Bright walked into his former high school as a Philadelphia Eagle.

There were high-fives and back slaps for the one-time Harriton Ram. Bright was being inducted into the Lower Merion school's Hall of Fame, but the praise had more to do with his suiting up for the local football team than it did for that night's honor.

"Gene had all these people coming up to him and congratulating him on making it this far," said Hal Smith, Bright's high school coach. "But he's too humble for that. And he's not the type of guy that's going to get ahead of himself. He knows he has a lot of work left." Continue

Eagles open camp July 26th

Eagles rookies and some veterans are scheduled to report for training camp at Lehigh University on July 26, with the rest of the squad due in July 29. The Eagles will break camp at Lehigh on Aug. 12.

The Eagles' first exhibition game will be Aug. 13 against New England at Lincoln Financial Field. The game time has changed. The contest will start at 7:30 p.m., not 7 p.m. as originally announced.

The Eagles will begin the regular season Sept. 13 at Carolina.

Johnson still captain of Eagles D

It's still Jim Johnson's defense.

That was the message sent by Eagles coach Andy Reid at the NFL owners' meetings five weeks ago and confirmed by Johnson at this weekend's post-draft camp.

Johnson, the only defensive coordinator to ever work for Reid, is simultaneously fighting the melanoma skin cancer that has attacked his back and devising plans for the 2009 Eagles defense.

One of those plans is to replace the legendary Brian Dawkins with Quintin Demps at free safety, a somewhat surprising decision given that the Eagles signed free agent Sean Jones, an experienced starter at safety with the Cleveland Browns. Continue

Reid standing behind defensive chief

Jim Johnson is still first on the Eagles' depth chart at defensive coordinator.

That's what head coach Andy Reid said yesterday in his first extensive comments about Johnson, whose cancer was diagnosed earlier this year after a tumor was discovered in a bone in his back.

"His emotional makeup is very similar to his emotional makeup on the field," Reid said when asked about Johnson's health. "He doesn't want to talk about it. He just wants to get it done with. He's attacking it and trying to get it right."

Reid said Johnson, 67, was spending this week on vacation in Spain. Continue

Hard to say good bye

Brian Dawkins was given the opportunity to tear apart the Eagles today in the same manner he flattened so many opposing wide receivers during his 13 seasons in Philadelphia.

He declined, refusing to talk about how the Eagles came up short in their offer to keep him in green for the remainder of his career.

"I'm not going to get into a hissing match," the seven-time Pro Bowl safety said by cell phone one day after signing a five-year, $17 million deal with the Denver Broncos that guarantees him at least $7.5 million. Continue