Bleeding Green Nation: Front Page Posts

Eagles v Pats - Brady probably out, Andrews probably in

JasonB — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:15:59 -0000

Preseason game #3 for the Eagles is set to kick off in Foxborough, Mass Friday night and one team will see the return of a regular pro bowler while the other will likely have to wait.

Tom Brady said yesterday he's not certain whether he'll be sufficiently recovered from a right foot injury to participate in the Patriots' third exhibition game, which is Friday at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm trying to get treatment this week and I'm feeling better every day," Brady said on radio station WEEI. "It's going to end up being up to coach [Bill Belichick] and what he wants to do, but I think he's been coaching long enough to understand that the first game in September is what's going to be important for us."

Brady hasn't taken a snap in the preason and his backups have been subpar to say the least. Downright bad would maybe be a better description... Frankly, given that it's preseason I'd love to see Brady back. Beating up on the likes of Matt Cassel doesn't really tell us much about our defense.

Good news for the Eagles is that pro bowler Shawn Andrews will see his first action of the year.

Andrews, who missed the last week of spring minicamp and the first 17 days of training camp while battling what he's called clinical depression, will start at right guard tomorrow, when the Eagles face the Patriots in a preseason game in Foxboro, Mass.

"Shawn is going to give it a go, and we'll just see how he does," Reid said. "We're going to try to keep good communication with him during the game and give him an opportunity to play."

"It means that coach Reid has a lot of trust and respect in me to put me back in there because it wasn't even a big deal to me because I know Max has worked hard this training camp and Max is a good player," Andrews said. "If Max keeps working hard, he's going to be a great player."

Gene Upshaw dies at 63

JasonB — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:33:27 -0000

Sad and surprising news today as NFL hall of famer and director of the player's union Gene Upshaw has died. Upshaw was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer just over the weekend.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell

"Gene Upshaw did everything with great dignity, pride, and conviction, "He was the rare individual who earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame both for his accomplishments on the field and for his leadership of the players off the field. He fought hard for the players and always kept his focus on what was best for the game. His leadership played a crucial role in taking the NFL and its players to new heights."

I know many people had their issues with Upshaw as it related to NFL labor agreements... but he was a great player and had a huge influence on the game as we know it.

Thanks to YoPhillyBro for the tip

NFC East Roundtable - Dallas Cowboys

JasonB — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:00:08 -0000

The other NFC East bloggers in the SBNation network and myself got together this offseason for a little chat about the upcoming season, our teams, players to watch, and of course the dreaded predictions... We all answered the same 10 questions.

We finish up after the jump with the hated Dallas Cowboys represented by Blogging the Boys.

1. The NFC East is brutal in terms of the depth and quality of its teams. Can you think of another division that is even close in terms of talent and competitiveness?

I think the AFC South would be only other one that has the quality of teams at the top of the division and depth throughout. The NFC East has returned to its former glory as a division that produces Super Bowl winners and everybody in the division is considered a dangerous team for any opponent. The intra-division wars are about as good as it gets in the NFL right now. I like the AFC South, there are some real quality teams over there, but I'm sticking with the NFC East as the best.

2. Was the Giants Super Bowl victory a fluke?

Fluke is probably not the right word. I still don't think they were the best team in football last year, but they did what many surprise winners have done – get hot come playoff time and ride that momentum to a championship. There's nothing wrong with that, it doesn't make you any less of a champion. In the NFL, you actually have to beat you're opponents on the field to advance and the Giants did that. Surprsing? Maybe. Fluke? no.

3. What new player on any of the teams -- draft pick, free agent or trade acquisition -- will make the biggest impact within the division this season?

Zach Thomas will really help the Cowboys in the middle against the run. He looked great in camp and preseason so far. Assante Samuel in Philly could be another guy. I'll also keep an eye on Jason Taylor to see if he, like his partner Zach Thomas, is still capable if dominating.

4. Your team will win the division, and possibly the Super Bowl, if ...

Tony Romo stays healthy, Adam Jones gets reinstated and plays up to his potential and Wade Phillips/Tony Romo finally figure out what's holding them back in the postseason.

5. Your team will finish last in the division if ...

Injuries decimate this team or somehow the team chemistry starts to unravel. We got a lot of high-profile, out-sized egos in our locker room and some of them come with shady pasts. So far, everything has blended very smoothly but if that chemistry turns explosive, we could have trouble.

6. What team in the NFC has the best shot at keeping an NFC East team out of the Super Bowl?

I think Seattle's chance might have past them by and the Vikings would be the obvious pick if they had good QB/WR play. Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay leaves them as a question mark. How about New Orleans? They fell apart last year but there is still a lot of talent on that club.

7. Give me one player on your team everyone else might not know about, but who could wind up making a name for himself this season.

Miles Austin, a three-year UDFA who has been hanging around at WR and looks like he might finally be getting it. He has all the physical tools you need to be a great WR; fast, big, ability to get open, but he's had problems with consistently catching the football. Over training camp and the first preseason game, he's looked very sharp and Dallas is searching for deep threat opposite T.O. which neither Patrick Crayton nor Sam Hurd can provide. It's kind of a longshot, but keep your eye open for Austin.

8. Rank the starting quarterbacks within the division.

Tony Romo – Still has to win in the postseason, but if I had to pick a QB from these four for my team going forward, I'd take Romo.

Donovan McNabb - I think time and injuries have taken a little luster off of McNabb, but he's still a very good QB.

Eli Manning – Great job in the playoff/Super Bowl run, but he's had some rough years with the Giants. If he does something great again this year, he's moves up rapidly.

Jason Campbell – Looks like he has a ton of potential, but he's still behind the other guys in the division right now.

9. Rank the coaches within the division.

Andy Reid – Has been so consistently good with the Eagles. I don't like his offense but he gets it to work and usually has a good defense.

Tom Coughlin – He moves up to second by virtue of the playoff run and Super Bowl win. He's had some success in the past but he was on the verge of being run out of New York for losing the team. But whatever he did last year, it was the right move and he won big.

Wade Phillips – The only flaw on Wade as a coach is he can't win in the postseason, and that didn't change last year. He's got to get it done this year in the postseason or he'll always be remembered as a good coach who failed when it mattered most.

Jim Zorn – We just don't know about him so he has to serve his time at the bottom.

10. Finally, what is your predicted order of finish in the NFC East? Why?

Cowboys – Without being too much of a homer, I really do believe on paper the Cowboys have the best roster in the division and in the conference. They won the division last year; the regular season isn't their problem, it's what comes after.

Eagles – I think they'll rebound and have a pretty good year if McNabb stays healthy.

Giants – They get the post-Super Bowl blues. I know the Giants fans hate when people say this, but I'm not convinced they can do it again. Yes, I'm convinced they whipped the Cowboys in the playoffs last year, but I need to seem them put together a consistent year, not an uneven run followed by a brilliant playoff run.

Redskins – New coach and a QB who is still learning, and now must learn a new system gives me doubts. I think they'll be a quality team, they are just stuck in a brutal division.

Eagles message board melts down

JasonB — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:17:32 -0000

After hearing the news of any significant event or rumor related to the Eagles, it's always an adventure to see the action on the Eagles official message board. The news that Kevin Curtis was lost for at least the next several weeks is a tough blow and I just had to see how the board was reacting, and they certainly didn't let me down. Check out a few of my favorite thread titles after the jump...

I can't emotionally deal with this! We are reaching out, please do something for us

Usain Bolt An Eagle? He covers 40 yards in 4.27

Anyone Think Jax could get Rice to come out of Retirement?

Again we will enter the season with no WR"S

Eagles Front Office Sad State of Affairs, Inexcusable Failure

Drew Rosenhaus on my plane to philly siging Anquan Boldin

eagles are done this year, yes sky is falling

We Suck Again

Reid is the reason Curtis is hurt

Yes, it's a meltdown...

Kevin Curtis out with sports hernia

JasonB — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:46:22 -0000

That dreaded sports hernia has struck again... this time it hit Kevin Curtis. Andy Reid announced today that Curtis will have surgery tomorrow and will be back this year, but there is no timetable. Andy Reid would only say he'd be out "for a while." In all likelihood, we're probably looking at least 5-6 weeks before Curtis could maybe be back.

Looking at the schedule and projecting where he might come back, week 8 at home against Atlanta jumps out at me as a possible return date. It's after a bye and allows him an extra week or week two to heal. Either way, it's certain that we'll face tough games with Dallas, Pittsburgh, at Chicago, and Washington without the guy who was our best WR last year.

When you combine Curtis' injury with the nagging hamstring strain Reggie Brown has been sidelined with... the WR corps is looking very thin. At the moment, your starting WRs this Friday will likely be rookie Desean Jackson and Greg Lewis. Andy said at his press conference he plans on going into the season with the WR corps he has now, although you have to think that behind the scenes they are assessing their options.

Desean Jackson to start vs Pats

JasonB — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:00:09 -0000

Well, after downplaying Desean Jackson's performance against Carolina Andy Reid and the Eagles have decided to start the kid in the always important 3rd preseason game against New England.

The Eagles starting units will see plenty of action Friday night in New England as Andy Reid is slated to play his starters into the 3rd quarter. One starter that will definitely not play is WR Reggie Brown, who will be sidelined with a hamstring strain. Rookie WR DeSean Jackson will take his place in the starting lineup. As far as Shawn Andrews' status, Coach Reid has been pleased and encouraged by his week of practice but no determination has yet been made on whether he will see action on Friday night.

You could say that the Eagles just want to get him work... but you could say the same thing about Hank Baskett or Jason Avant who could use the work as well. So can we take anything else from this other than that Jackson has overtaken those guys on the delpth chart? The 3rd preseason game is as close you'll get to a real game before Sept 7th, so the fact that Reid is starting Jackson in this situation speaks alot about how the organization feels about this kid.

Remember, Jackson started the preseason #6 on the depth chart.

NFC East Roundtable - New York Giants

JasonB — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:06 -0000

Up next after the jump are the New York Giants represented by Big Blue View.

The NFC East is brutal in terms of the depth and quality of its teams. Can you think of another conference that is even close in terms of talent and competitiveness?

BBV: No. The NFC East has four legitimate playoff caliber teams. In my mind, no other conference comes close to that kind of depth.

Was the Giants Super Bowl victory a fluke?

BBV: Absolutely not. It certainly was unexpected, but it wasn't a fluke. The Giants played incredibly, and they earned each victory. There weren't any crazy, fluke plays -- no 'Tuck Rule' plays or any of that nonsense. To me, the Giants are a talented team that had actually under-achieved for a long time. They finally had a stretch where they played up to their ability, and it came at the perfect time. That said, do I expect them to repeat? No. I expect them to be very good, but I'm not foolish enough to think they will win it all again.

What new player on any of the teams -- draft pick, free agent or trade acquisition -- will make the biggest impact within the division this season?

BBV: Adam Jones. He's a tremendous talent, but also potentially a tremendous trouble-maker. He could help the Cowboys reach the Super Bowl. Or, he could help them implode and miss the playoffs entirely.

Your team will win the division, and possibly the Super Bowl, if ...

BBV: First and foremost, Eli Manning stays healthy. I have no faith that the Giants can win games without him. Defensively, the Giants will need Mathias Kiwanuka healthy all season to make up for the retirement of Michael Strahan. Also, the development of young players like Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Michael Johnson and No. 1 pick Kenny Phillips in the secondary could take this defense to another level.

Your team will finish last in the division if ...

BBV: Eli Manning can't stay healthy. Also, if those young players in the secondary don't develop the Giants will have difficulty covering people. Oh, and if they can't win some games at home this season. The Giants went 7-1 on the road in the regular season, but only 3-5 at home. They can't count on being so efficient on the road, so they have to win more often in the Meadowlands.

What team in the NFC has the best shot at keeping an NFC East team out of the Super Bowl?

BBV: The popular answer to that question these days is the Minnesota Vikings. But, I'm not buying that with Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback. With Brett Favre, maybe, but not with Jackson. I don't believe in Gree Bay with Aaron Rodgers, either. I guess that leaves Seattle.

Give me one player on your team everyone else might not know about, but who could wind up making a name for himself this season.

BBV: Watch out for No. 1 pick Kenny Phillips. This guy is a heavy-hitting, play-making safety and if he isn't starting Week 1 he will force his way into the lineup shortly thereafter.

Rank the starting quarterbacks within the division.

BBV: Tony Romo
Eli Manning
Donovan McNabb
Jason Campbell

Giants fans will be mad at me for taking Romo here, so I need to qualify this answer. I don't think you can argue with the numbers that say Romo has been better game-in and game-out. As a Giants fan, though, would I trade Eli straight up to get Romo? Not a chance. Eli has proven that he is a winner. Romo has nice numbers and a celebrity girlfriend, but he hasn't proven that he can come up big when it matters most. Eli has, and I'll take that every time.

Rank the coaches within the division.

BBV: Tom Coughlin. I think there is little doubt he is, right now, top dog among coaches in the division. That's pretty amazing, but I think really hard to argue with.
Andy Reid.
Wade Phillips
Jim Zorn

Finally, what is your predicted order of finish in the NFC East? Why?

BBV: Giants
Cowboys
Redskins
Eagles
The Giants are defending Super Bowl champions. I say they are the favorites until someone knocks them off. I still think it's 50-50 on the Cowboys. They could win the whole enchilada, but they could also completely implode with that volatile roster and a lame-duck head coach and miss the playoffs entirely. I almost picked Dallas for last in this division, because I think an implosion of some sort in inevitable, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The Redskins have talent, but they have a question mark at head coach. The Eagles are tough to figure. I just don't know about Andy Reid anymore, and McNabb's health is always a question.

SI names The Top 10 Rookies That Will Impact the NFL This Season

JasonB — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:08:47 -0000

SI names The Top 10 Rookies That Will Impact the NFL This Season

#10 - Desean Jackson. He almost got in coach Andy Reid's doghouse by sitting out too long with a tweaked hamstring. He has the instincts to be a playmaker and should also have the motivation after slipping out of the first round of the draft to the 49th pick.

Downplaying Desean

JasonB — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:07:32 -0000

While us fans spent the days following Desean Jackson's second straight strong preseason showing getting worked up into a frenzy over the potential of the rookie... Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb were feeding a nice spoonful of reality.

"I don't think it's fair for people to look at it and say all of a sudden that he is going to be the next Steve Smith and compare him to some of the greats," McNabb said. "You kind of have to give people an opportunity to get adjusted to this league."

"I think he has done a great job. (But) I have been here a while, so I've seen when rookies come in and catch a couple balls and everyone gets excited," McNabb said. "All of a sudden, the question goes out — "What happened and why isn't he still playing or making a lot of plays?'

And Coach Reid's assement of his performance against Carolina?

"He did some good things," Reid said. "I thought he caught the ball OK. He had a couple of drops in there."

Andy is right. Jackson did drop a few balls he should have had.

McNabb is right. We all saw Hank Baskett catch everything in sight 2 preseasons ago and inflate his expectations sky high.

So while I can hardly argue with their assement of the player, don't you get the feeling that there is a concerted effort to to put a little bit of a wet blanket on the building Desean Jackson mania? Could they be trying to keep Jackson's infamous ego in check? Does the team simply want to protect the kid from being labelled a dissapointment when he doesn't catch a hundred passes and make the pro bowl this year? Whatever the motivation, I find this to be a curious development and one worth keeping an eye on.

For what it's worth, Jackson seems to be staying grounded.

"The opportunity is there," said Jackson. "Marty and Coach (Andy) Reid have a lot of confidence in me and I just feel like I've been given a good opportunity to help this team. I have a lot of confidence in myself with what I've been through in my life so far and I'm just happy to be here and have guys backing me."

ESPN names Reggie White as Eagles best ever player

JasonB — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:55:53 -0000

ESPN names Reggie White as Eagles best ever player

Duh.

NFC East Roundtable - Washington Redskins

JasonB — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:02:39 -0000

We start with the Washington Redskins represented by Hogs Haven after the jump.

Q: The NFC East is brutal in terms of the depth and quality of its teams. Can you think of another division that is even close in terms of talent and competitiveness?

HH: I absolutely think the NFC East is the toughest division in the NFC, and in the conversation for toughest in all of Football. However, if I had to pick another division in the sport that could legitimately claim that title, it would be the AFC South. They likewise produced 3 playoff teams in 2007 and were the only other division without a losing team. As a division, they also had one more win than the NFC East last year and their non-Conference record (13-3) was superior to ours (11-5) -- although their opponent, the NFC South, was probably inferior to ours, the AFC North. In any event, Indy has pretty clearly established itself as a perennial challenger for the AFC title, the Titans are allegedly having a strong training camp, or at least Vince Young is, the Jaguars have a really tough defense, and Houston is on the brink of, shocking, being a good team. Does that push them above the NFC East? Maybe not, at least not in this partisan's opinion, but they are in the convo.

Q: Was the Giants Super Bowl victory a fluke?

HH: If by "fluke" you mean the better team lost, yea I'd call it a fluke. But the Giants found the greatest equalizer in football; an incredible front four pass rush. I think it's an impossible case to claim that, from top to bottom, the Giants were better than the Patriots over the course of the entire season and postseason. But what matters most in the NFL is how one plays in the last game of your postseason, and the Giants absolutely outplayed the Pats. It really is a huge credit to New England that they only lost by 3 given the Giants' incredible, miraculous drive in the final minutes of the game. They converted a 4th and 1, a 3rd and 5, and a 3rd and 11 against one of the better defenses in the league.

Fluke? Naw, when you load up on talent on the defensive line, you're going to have a good chance to win any every game you play.

Q: What new player on any of the teams -- draft pick, free agent or trade acquisition -- will make the biggest impact within the division this season?

HH: I'm reluctant to pick anyone on the Cowboys simply because their 2007 was such a success that it's hard to imagine any single player having that big of an impact on their season. I don't think they're going to win 16 games, or 14 for that matter, in 2008, so I can't exactly attribute much additional predictive success to Adam Jones for the Cowboys' next year since I think they'll be largely what they were in '07; the best team in the NFC. My gut tells me that Jason Taylor is the pick, but I'll go with Asante Samuel, because I think the Eagles have the most potential for improvement, given their .500 finish last year. They are the team that benefits the most from an additional win or two as that would be the difference between a postseason or an early exit, and Asante Samuel may very well represent that one or two win at some point this coming season. His 16 picks the last two seasons are extremely strong. If they're a top 5 defense in the regular season a) it will be in large part because of Samuel and b) they will make the playoffs.

Q: Your team will win the division, and possibly the Super Bowl, if ...

HH: Jason Campbell takes the next step as a quarterback. The defense is going to be fine; Greg Blache has history with these players and the personnel is competitively proven. The real question is how Jim Zorn's new West Coast Offense will play out, and that begins and ends at quarterback. If Jason Campbell can finish games -- he wasn't last year -- we should be at least capable of winning virtually any game we play.

Q: Your team will finish last in the division if ...

HH: Injuries would be the culprit. Like most teams, the Redskins are unsteady depth-wise at a few positions. 2006 was a great example of how a really top notch defense can turn into a total disaster just from a few injuries. While I have more confident in the defense (right now) than the offense, I think the defense is more susceptible to collapse from a few key losses in personnel. If we lose linebackers or any more defensive linemen, this could end up being a looooooong season for the Redskins. And when your opponents are the Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants, small missteps can be magnified dramatically over the course of the year. The margin between a playoff spot and none is paper thin every year. When 8-8 lands you at the bottom of the division, it's really not that difficult to finish last.

Q: What team in the NFC has the best shot at keeping an NFC East team out of the Super Bowl?

HH: Mancrush alert: I'm going with Drew Brees' Saints. Their offense has hummed with him and shows no signs of slowing down. Their defense was so horrid last year that I think they almost have to improve, if only due to a regression towards the mean. They had to play that incredibly tough AFC South last year (this year it's the AFC West I believe) and still managed 7 wins. I see them taking the music chairs NFC South division next year. I'd pick the Seahawks, but they are obviously a much weaker team without the greatest coach in the NFL: Jim Zorn. Yeehaw.

Q: Give me one player on your team everyone else might not know about, but who could wind up making a name for himself this season.

HH: It's a tough question with this roster, as I think most players have been pretty steady over the past few years. Reed Doughty is probably going to win that starting spot at safety and I'm not sure a lot of people know about him, but he was the starter for much of last year. I'll go with defensive end Chris Wilson. He went crazy at the end of last season, picking up two sacks in our last regular season win (against the Cowboys) and then another against Seattle in the postseason. With Phillip Daniels out, and even with Jason Taylor now on the roster, Chris Wilson will be leaned on as a rotation pass rusher. He was third on the team in sacks last year (2nd among linemen) and did that on limited reps. Guy has a niche.

Q: Rank the starting quarterbacks within the division.

HH: I do not think I will answer this question.

Q: Rank the coaches within the division.

HH: Andy Reid
Tom Coughlin
Wade Phillips
Jim Zorn

I love Zorn so far but he is unproven so I don't think there is anything unfair about putting him last. Andy Reid has been the best coach in the division for a lot longer than any of the others and so I think he deserves the nod at at the top. Tom Coughlin is perennially on the "hot seat" which fascinates me since all he has done is... won. The past three seasons he's snuck into the playoffs in a very, very competitive division and just put the feather in his cap with the Super Bowl victory. The fact that he's ever on the hot seat says far more about the New York media than it does or has about his performance as a coach.

Wade Phillips won a lot of games last year but I feel like he did it with someone else's groceries, to steal a phrase from Bill Parcells. If he puts together a comparable 2008, and I have no reason to think he won't, his name could move up that list.

Q: Finally, what is your predicted order of finish in the NFC East? Why?

HH: Cowboys
Giants
Redskins
Eagles

With the caveat that I think margins are razor thin in this division, and that I don't think the best team is really dramatically better than the worst team (in the way that Miami was inferior to the Patriots last year, for example). Cowboys are number one because they're the defending division champions by three games, which is a huge margin in the East and more than separated the 2nd from the 4th team last year. I believe they win at least 11 games in '08 and probably 12. Giants get the second spot not because I'm really all that convinced they finish 2nd, but rather because I think you have to give credit to a defending Super Bowl champion. They haven't finished at the bottom of the East in years.

I put the Redskins over the Eagles because I have to, as a partisan, believe that the Redskins are not the odd-man-out that misses the postseason. Someone has to fill the bottom and I'm uncomfortable listing either the Cowboys and Giants for the reasons above, and the Redskins for other unstated obvious reasons. Sorry Eagles fans (but really I'm not).

BGN out and about

JasonB — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:00:13 -0000

Just a few housekeeping notes here about some things I've been up to in recent weeks. If you aren't already sick of everything I have to say here... you can catch my thoughts at some of these other media outlets!

- I was quoted in a Tennesee newspaper called the Nashville Scene in an article about Jevon Kearse. Check it out online here, "The Once and Future Freak"

- I was guest, along with Derek of Iggles Blog, on the Pigskin Podcast to talk all things Eagles ahead of the season. Hear the interview here.

Also just as a reminder season 2 of the BGN Live podcast should kick off this week. I'm working on nailing down a guest to talk about some preseason action that I think everyone will enjoy. Speaking of returning podcasts the boys over at Eagles fancast kicked off their second season as well.

Tony Hunt gets first team reps at full back

JasonB — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:30:09 -0000

It seems as though Tony Hunt's impressive performance against Carolina has opened some eyes among the Eagles coaching staff... but the problem is with Westbrook/Booker/Buckhalter all but guaranteed roster spots, where is there room for Tony Hunt?

How about fullback?

The Eagles will have a new fullback taking some of the reps with the first team offense today at practice. His name is Tony Hunt, the team's third round draft pick in 2007. Hunt has impressed head coach Andy Reid with his play on offense and, more importantly, on special teams in recent weeks.

Interesting development...

Eagles rosterwatch - Quintin Demps & Jed Collins moving up?

JasonB — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:08:45 -0000

Lorenzo Booker's 3 muffed kicks in the last games seems to be enough to drop him from the top slot in the race for the first choice kick returner job. Andy Reid stated that Quintin Demps will be fielding kicks with the first team this week against New England.

Head coach Andy Reid said Demps, the Eagles' rookie defensive back from UTEP, will get a chance to return kickoffs with the first unit when they face the New England Patriots in Foxboro, Mass., in the third of four preseason games.

"It's going to be a good opportunity for me," said Demps, a fourth-round pick. "Any time you're out there with the first team, you've got to pick your game up and do your best. I'm going to take the opportunity and just try to run with it."

The article also mentions that Demps may get a few looks at punt returner as well. For a guy that's also working at safety and corner this offseason, the Eagles sure are putting a lot on the 4th round pick's plate.

As for Booker, I must say that I'm happy to see the Eagles experimenting with personnel and changing things around on special teams in the preseason... as opposed to the say... the first game of the year against Green Bay! While Booker has been a dissapointment on special teams, let's not forget he's never done it before.

"The most important thing on offense is to secure the ball first, whether it be a handoff, catching a pass, or fielding a punt," he said. "As far as special teams, I've never done it. I want to go out and prove to myself that I can do it."

Elsewhere on the roster Jed Collins got his chance to start at FB against the Panthers and impressed.

Collins got a chance to make two plays early on Thursday night, long before either team's first-stringers thought about coming out of the game.

On the opening kickoff, he got downfield and made the coverage tackle. Then, on the Eagles' first possession, he picked up a first down, bulling his way for 3 yards on third-and-1.

"I never intended to go in and get the rock," he said. "But I think I got the job done, so I hope next time on third-and-short they'll look to me again."

By the way, I totally missed this during the game but did anyone see that Jason Avant was the holder on Richmod McGee's 40 FG late against Carolina?

Preseason Game Highlights - Eagles vs Panthers (whole team highlights)

danzig — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:22:46 -0000

Preseason Game Highlights - Eagles vs Panthers (whole team highlights)

Reading blogs stressed Shawn Andrews

JasonB — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:29:46 -0000

From PE.com

In the past few weeks, Andrews, finally, admitted he didn't know exactly where he was, or where he wanted himself to go. "On the edge," he said. He said he didn't care what people thought, but he found reading message boards and blogs contributed to his stress. He contemplated quitting football, but found working out an exceptional outlet for his pent-up aggression. And, though they never got to suicide, his thoughts were "unrealistic."

To be fair, reading message boards stresses me out too... especially the Eagles'.

I wonder if from now on I should start every post with the words "If you are Shawn Andrews, stop reading?"

Either way, I felt like I had to do some investigating after reading this... Was it part my fault that Andrews went AWOL?

On August 4th I think I was pretty nice to him.

I feel bad for Shawn, but at the same time he could have avoided a lot of the ill will and frustration on the part of fans and the team if he had simply let us all know what was going on in the first place.

Not bad,

On July 29th I attempted to reach out to him through the language of text since that was how he was communicating with everyone...

Shawn, since it seems to be the only way you communicate these days... here's my text to you.

OMG! Y RU not in camp? CMON 2 LeHi. MUSM

Hit me back Shawn.

Silly? Yes. Stressing? I don't think so...

Only July 25th, I may have come off as somewhat unsympathetic...

This story better be real strange and we better find out what is was real quick... Either that or he needs to get into camp and cut this nonsense. If it is really something serious, then I feel bad for the guy... but most reports suggest that whatever is going was not bad enough in the Eagles mind to warrant him missing camp

At least I included the caveat there at the end right?

I guess I'll never know if Shawn Andrews is a BGN reader, but if you google "Eagles blog" guess which site comes up first?

Either way, I'm sorry if I upset you Shawn. We're all really gld to have you back. Srsly.

The Big Kid is Back

JasonB — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:56:58 -0000

This morning on the Eagles Live! show on PhiladelphiaEagles.com Dave Spadaro reported that Shawn Andrews has indeed returned to practiced for the first time today. Presumably Andrews will meet the media later this afternoon.

Andy Reid said after the preseason game against the Panthers that he hoped to see Andrews and the other starters on the O-line play in the 3rd preseason game against the Patriots

"You'd like that to happen," Reid said. "If it doesn't, I think we'll be OK since they have played together in years past. If I had my choice, I'd much rather have them do that."

Considering that the starters rarely play in the final preseason game, this next game will pretty much be the last chance for the offensive line to be together before the Eagles take on the Rams on September 7th to open the season.

Eagles Preseason Game #2 Stock up/Stock down

JasonB — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:45:59 -0000

The Eagles pick up their first win of the preseason with a 24-13 come from behind win that saw the Eagles score all 24 of their points in the 4th quarter. This was kind of a weird game to evaluate with the 58 minute lightning delay in the middle of the first quarter. Both first team offenses looked pretty out of sorts when they came back from the delay. The Eagles first team was held scoreless and Carolina's first offense managed just 3 points. I was encouraged by the play of our reserves, who I thought got outplayed last week in Pittsburgh. They made the difference tonight.

Stock Up

Sav Rocca - Although he was the guy who shoveled that pass straight into the Carolina player's arms on that comically bad fake FG try... I thought Sav had a nice night. With a wet ball on a soggy field he put two punts inside the 10 and pinned the Panthers back deep. Another punt he booted 58 yards. Rocca ended up putting 5 of his 7 punts inside the 20.

Brian Dawkins - Laid a masive hit on Muhsin Muhammad in the end zone to knock loose a pass that would have been an easy TD. Vintage Dawkins.

Desean Jackson - If not for his play, his stock goes up just for the sheer amount of work he put in tonight. Jackson played the whole game! He had a few drops in the first half but his game leading 7 catches for 71 yards made up for those early drops. Once again he got open with ease, made catches all over the field, and showed an uncanny ability to read zones and find space in the middle of the field. Desean even did a nice job blocking downfield for Tony Hunt on that great TD run at the end of the game. He also had one really nice 27 yard punt return where he flashed some impressive moves... but unfortunately fumbled at the end.

Tony Hunt - The kid from Penn State looked good out there tonight. His spectacular 51 yard run at the end proved to be the winning score. He showed, vision, some moves, and did a nice job breaking a tackle on that a run. It was a big play for Tony and he certainly made a strong case that he deserves a roster spot. Before the big run he had a few nice, tough runs as well. He ended up with 5 rushes for 79 yards and caught one pass for 9 yards.

Kevin Kolb - Really bounced back from an up and down effort last week. Kolb's passes looked very nice, he looked composed, and his best throw of the night might have been ne where he hung in and took a big hit so he could make a beautiful pass down the middle of the field that could have been a TD had it not hit Hank Baskett in the head as he had trouble finding the ball. Kolb's 30 yard TD pass that hit Greg Lewis in stride in the corner of the end zone was a thing of beauty. He also did an impressive job running the no huddle offense on the last drive that was capped by the big Tony Hunt run. Kolb was the victim of a few bad drops from recievers but ended up 14 of 27 on the night for 155 yards, a TD and an INT.

Michael Phelps - 2 more golds. The guy is a freak.

Stock down

Max Jean Gilles - Did a great job filling in for Andrews in the first game, but he had a real rough night tonight. Four penalties on the night for Max. That's just unnacceptable.

Lorenzo Booker the KR - He fields two kickoffs and drops both. Combine his struggles tonight with his muffed kick in the Pitt game and Booker may just have lost himself the KR job. I know it was a rainy night and I'm sure th ball was slick, but I guarantee we'll play plenty of games this year where it's slippery and the ball is wet. Lorenzo Booker the RB had a nice night with 6 rushes for 25 yards.

Donovan McNabb - First, I have to say that the recievers were pretty poor in the first half tonight. I counted at least 5 or 6 clear drops, with a couple coming from Kevin Curtis. Overall though, McNabb was way off target tonight, especially after the delay. He was throwing balls high, low everywhere. Like I said, it was a wierd first half and the hour delay makes it hard to really evaluate... but it was clearly not a great night for McNabb. He finished 11 of 24 for just 98 yards.

Anyone related to special teams - The players, the coach... all of them. Really poor night especially in the first half. There was the silly fake FG that led to a TD. A couple penalties, poor blocking, several fumbles/bobbles, a missed 40+ yard FG by moustacheless Akers... It was just an all around bad night for the special teams.

Rookie Watch

Actually a pretty damn good night for the rookies. Desean Jackson as we said had a fantastic game. Quintin Demps' blitz and pass tip are what set up the big INT retirn at the end of the game. Speaking of that INT, kudos to rookie UDFA Justin Roland for picking that off taking 71 yards to the house. Roland also recovered a fumble, so it really was a nice night for him. Speaking of that fumble, it was none other than Andy Studebaker who forced that fumble and had another solid game. Bryan Smith looked very quick off the snap and made one particularly good tackle on special teams were he flew down the field and made an ankle tackle that held the return to no yards.

Poll

Who was your player of the game for preseason game #2?

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles Open Thread

JasonB — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:30:07 -0000

Bleeding Green Nation

Thursday, Aug 14, 2008, 8:00 PM EDT

Location - Lincoln Financial Field

TV - FOX national game

Radio - 94.1 WYSP, 610 WIP

Time to take a break from the Olympics for a few hours and take in some Eagles football. The Birds take on the Carolina Panthers in their preseason home opener for the 2nd straight year in a row. The starters should play for about a half so we'll be getting out first real good look at the team this year. It should also be interesting to watch the play of Kevin Kolb who Andy Reid hinted may play the entire second half.

Remember also that the Eagles hold the Panthers' first round pick next year as a result of a draft day trade Carolina made for OT Jeff Otah. Otah should square off against Trent Cole so it will be interesting to see how he looks and really how the Panthers as a team look.

Leave your comments and thoughts on who looks good and who doesn't! We'll be talking football all night, come join us!

Panthers at Eagles team news

JasonB — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:47:02 -0000

Asante Samuel makes his Eagles debut tonight, unfortunately his competition may be limited with 3 of the Panthers 4 top WRs all expected to be out of the lineup. Brian Westbrook and Reggie Brown will both return to the Eagles lineup after missing last week's opener due to a coaches decision and achilles injury respectively. Earlier this week Andy said he anticipated his starters to play a full half tonight.

For the Panthers, standout 2nd year LB Jon Beason returns after missing the Panther's first preseason game with an ankle injury. Rookie RB Jonathon Stewart also did not play last week and is questionable to make his NFL debut tonight. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme, like Donovan McNabb, played just two series last week but expects more time this week. Coach Jon Fox plans to play his starters into the second quarter but with Delhomme splitting the first team snaps with QB Matt Moore. Last week Delhomme referred to the Eagles as "a salty bunch." Thanks, I think?

Eagles Injuries

Not expected to play

WRs Jason Avant & Jamal Jones, OL Tra Thomas, Shawn Andrews, DT Montae Reagor, DE Chris Clemons & Victor Abiamiri

Panthers injuries

Not expected to play

TEs Dante Rosario & Gary Barnidge, CBs Ken Lucas & Chris Gamble, DT Ian Scott (Ian Scott injured? What a shock!), S Chris Harris, WRs Steve Smith, Dwayne Jarret, and DJ Hackett are also not expected to play