Eagles football blog

Westbrook watches camp

Brian Westbrook probably still is a couple of weeks away from putting on pads and practicing with his teammates. But he still managed to serve a valuable purpose yesterday as the Eagles conducted their first full-gear workout of training camp.

Westbrook watched the practice from the sideline and spent a lot of time offering advice to rookie running back LeSean McCoy between reps. McCoy listened intently to everything the veteran told him.

Coach Andy Reid said earlier this week that he was hopeful Westbrook would be cleared to practice by mid-August. That still seems a likely return timetable. Continue

L.J. Smith looking to stand out

When the coaches called for the first-team offense during Eagles' practice yesterday at Lehigh University, L.J. Smith jogged out to his position at tight end after not working out with the team since Tuesday because of a calf strain.

"He looked good, and it was good to get him back out there," said Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who was forced to cancel yesterday's morning practice because of a water-main break outside the team's locker room. "He had an MRI and the MRI said he was ready to go. I look forward to seeing him with the pads on [today]." Continue

Eagles' Thomas and Runyan: Old kids on the block

For eight seasons, they've been Donovan McNabb's wingmen, protecting him from vicious, pass-rushing thugs determined to do unspeakable harm to the Eagles quarterback. For eight seasons, they have been there for him. For eight seasons, they have been the tough, durable bookends of an offensive line that has helped the Eagles earn six playoff invites and advance to four NFC title games and one Super Bowl.

Tra Thomas on the left side. Jon Runyan on the right. No offensive-tackle tandem in the league has been together longer. "It's been a great situation," Thomas said. "We've been blessed to be together as long as we've been. We're just trying to keep it going." Continue

Time to sing along at Eagles training camp

The calendar has spun around again, the heat index is over 100 degrees, and that must mean it is training camp time for the Eagles. Time for the players to sauté in their juices at Lehigh University. Time for the fans to stand for hours in the heat for no apparent reason. Time for two-a-days with pads, contrived battles for positions that have been decided and the always amusing sight of large-screen televisions being carted into the dorm rooms, as if being depixilated for three weeks is a burden too heavy to endure.

Welcome to another summer of Throwback Football, in which Andy Reid and the Eagles cling to the bygone days when training camp really was like camping out. In the black-and-white film that plays in Reid's head, there is still a value to bunking together and short-sheeting the beds and having water balloon fights and whatever else Reid imagines is going on when the guys are actually just chilling by themselves on the video with Carjack VI and texting around the country. Continue

Birds' 'D' showing its depth

The Eagles' defense put in an excellent practice day, looking tough, aggressive and sharp; the "D" has been impressive so far in training camp. The thing is, a year ago, the defense also looked very good at Lehigh. Veteran players were being asked if they'd ever played on a more talented unit. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson was excited. Continue

Will Eagles run with Hunt?

If the Eagles really are determined to run the football more than at any time during the Andy Reid era, then there is a list of things they're going to need. A big, dominating offensive line? Check. A defense that can shut down the opposition, especially early in games? We'll see.

Depth at the running back position? Thanks to the arrival of rookie Tony Hunt, it sure appears as if the Eagles have more depth at the position than since 2003, when the trio of Brian Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter and Duce Staley became known as the three-headed monster. Continue

Kolb a quick understudy

The Kevin Kolb Era is not upon us. Let's be extremely clear about that. In fact, as Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg noted yesterday, so far in training camp, Donovan McNabb has looked about as good as a man fewer than 9 months removed from right ACL surgery could possibly look.

But the rookie looks pretty darned solid, as well. He never seems bewildered or flustered. He isn't throwing the ball all over the place, to receivers who aren't there.The first game of the preseason, in Baltimore a week from tonight, was going to be a bigger deal than usual, right from the moment the Eagles made Kolb their first selection in the 2007 entry draft, surprising McNabb and just about everyone else outside the NovaCare bunker. Maybe if Kolb had come in and looked lost, some of that extra juice would have drained away. But he hasn't and, well, here's part of what McNabb himself had to say yesterday: Continue

Hit was just a brief scare for a healthy Buckhalter

Correll Buckhalter is entering his seventh NFL season, yet the Eagles running back never played back-to-back seasons. That's why there could have been cause for concern after Buckhalter had an impressive run around the right tackle in yesterday's morning practice but came up slow and limping.

As it turned out, the injury was nothing serious. Buckhalter was hit in the crotch. After a quick meeting with trainer Rick Burkholder, Buckhalter was back in practice the next time his reps came around. But after missing as many seasons as he has played - three - Buckhalter can only hope that's the worst injury he experiences in training camp. "I haven't been this healthy since 2003," Buckhalter said. Continue

Happy to be man in the middle

He wasn't the Eagles' center of attention 17 months ago. That label belonged to LeCharles Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowler who the Eagles decided would be the perfect replacement for Hank Fraley. It was no secret the Eagles wanted to replace Fraley, a five-year starter at center who had undergone shoulder surgery and missed the final eight games of the 2005 season. Continue

Ready to Catch Fire

When Reggie Brown was a rookie, he answered questions about playing with Terrell Owens. When Brown entered his second training camp, the questions were about playing without Owens. Now in his third season, Brown is facing another T.O. question: Whether he can become the only Eagles receiver besides Owens to surpass the 1,000-yard benchmark in the Andy Reid era.

If there was ever a candidate and ever a time, it is Brown this season. The NFL has a noticeable trend of receivers taking three years to develop into 1,000-yard players. Forty-seven active NFL receivers have registered 1,000-yard seasons; 12 of those receivers, or 25.5 percent, recorded their first 1,000-yard season in their third year in the NFL. The next highest is a players' fourth year, when nine players reached the mark for the first time. Continue