Taking Stock of Eagles Training Camp: Aug. 5th

This morning's practice marked the first installment of Andy Reid's "30-and-Over Club," wherein players over the age of 30 are excused from practice. This gave some of the younger players chances to shine. Here is a brief rundown of who's stock is on the rise and who's stock is falling.

Stock on the Rise:

Dimitri Patterson- With Ellis Hobbs still sidelined and Sheldon Brown enjoying the perks of being over 30, Patterson started at RCB and ran with the first team defense all morning. He displayed good coverage skills, playing as part of a defense that only allowed one completion on 11-on-11. Later in the day, he got in a great jam on Jeremy Maclin at the line of scrimmage.

Jason Babin- Babin practiced with second team defense today, getting his reps in as a LDE. He displayed a good burst off the line of scrimmage and a great spin move to get to the quarterback. He was also able to repeatedly beat offensive lineman Chris Patrick off the snap. With Victor Abiamiri nursing an injury and Juqua Parker in legal trouble, now could be Babin's time to make a bid for a staring job.

Moise Fokou- Fokou roamed all over the field this afternoon, displaying a developing awareness. On one spectacular play, he sniffed out a swing pass to Lorenzo Booker and stuffed the running back for a 5-yard loss.

DeSean Jackson- Jackson dialed up his speed today, burning Asante Samuel for a huge gain down the right sideline. He looked simply impossible to catch, and let Samuel know it with some good-natured jabs.

Brian Westbrook- Our wounded hero was back on the field after practice today, running through conditioning drills with head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder. He looked like he was progressing quite well from his injuries, making sharp cuts and fluidly progressing through the drills. The prognosis for his early return remains good.

Stock Falling:

Chris Patrick- After being repeatedly pummeled in practice by newcomer Jason Babin, Patrick resorted to his fists instead of his blocking techniques, causing a large scuffle until Asante Samuel and Brodrick Bunkley were able to break it up.

Juqua Parker- As it has been reported my multiple sources by now, Parker was arrested around 12:30 last night outside of the training camp facilities for possession of marijuana. He was pulled over with fellow teammate Todd Herremans for making an illegal left turn without headlights on. While Parker was still at practice today, the worrisome factor is his extreme level of stupidity. Why on earth any NFL player would jeopardize his fragile hold on a starting position just to smoke a joint or two is beyond me. It doesn't matter what the players do in the privacy of their own homes (to an extent), but when that behavior leaks over into the professional environment, it demonstrates a complete lack of judgment. It also doesn't help that Parker is 31 and should know better by now. Way to set an example for the rookies, Juqua.

On a sidenote, Herremans blew a 0.05 while driving, skirting the legal limit of 0.08. Watch it, Todd.