Some highlights

- Thinks Desean Jackson was the best WR in the draft "in terms of catching the football"

- He plays rookies when he thinks they're ready to play, thinks he has three this year that can play. It seems he counts Booker as one of those guys.

- They talk about Andy's snap at the media for only talking about the negative. Angelo askes if Andy understands why the media is negative, he blames it on the lack of a championship for 48 years(something he repeated several times). He also says the media and the city are seeing a decline in the team and that's making them negative. Reid responded by saying he doesn't see this and that Angelo is paid to stir up controversy. He jokingly(maybe?) suggested that the team and the media are partners because they're doing the games. Reid then challenged the WIP morning show to come out to practice and actually see the team and that if they did they'd come out feeling so much more positive. The sidekick then chimed in with a joke about Howard Eskin, implying that by coming to practice they would butt kissers. Hard to figure that one out...

- Angelo claims that he doesn't need to go to practice or talk to players because they never "give me much." He says Andy holds a lot of press conferences and doesn't say much. He claims that watching practice won't show him much. He asks Andy why he is not more open. Andy responds that he tells the media what they need to know and is as honest as he can be. Andy said that talking about the poor play of specific players publicly doesn't help them win.

- Angelo says the #1 concern of the fans is wide recievers and he doesn't understand Andy's philsophy about WRs. Andy gives a kind of generic answer where he says he likes the guys he has, they've added a guy that can help(Jackson), and that they all do different things. Andy blames the lack of production in the red zone on the lack of TE play they had rather than WR play.

- Angelo says he questions Andy's personal urgency to win now. Andy interupts and says "Stop, we're not waiting a year. We're going to win right now." Angelo asks if that's the case then why trade his first round pick? Andy says look at the package they got and the value they got in terms of Jackson and Laws. Hugh Douglas says they should have drafted Rashard Mendenhall or Kenny Phillips the safety from Miami. Andy said that's where evaluation comes in.

- Andy says that he hears that people wonder why if they spend so much money on CBs, then why not spend that same money on WRs? He says its the wrong wya to look at it. He's invested in playmakers. The corners are there not just to cover WRs, they're there to make plays and create turnovers. Andy says he sees all 3 corners he has as starters and that it's a "great situation." He doesn't understand why the media spent so much time focusing on the Lito situation. They respond by saying it's not the medias' job to be the Eagles PR team and only focusing on the positive, Andy says he understands that but at some point it's enough.

Hear the interview for yourself after the jump

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Bob Grotz makes the argument that Kevin Curtis has the credentials of a #1 receiver

Curtis had a career-best 77 receptions worth 1,110 yards and six touchdowns last season.

All of the numbers ranked among the NFC leaders, and in some cases, the NFL leaders.

What makes them remarkable is it was Curtis’ first year in the West Coast offense, a scheme so ridiculously complicated it takes players years to learn. It also was a year in which McNabb, rebounding from major knee surgery, didn’t get his feet under him until the homestretch.

Curtis ranked eighth in the NFC in receiving yards, ahead of the celebrated Plaxico Burress (1,025 yards) of the New York Giants, Steve Smith (1,002) of the Carolina Panthers, Anquan Boldin (853) of the Arizona Cardinals and — why not? — Williams (836) of the Detroit Lions.

Though Curtis was 13th in the conference in touchdown receptions, behind Burress (12), Boldin (9) and Smith (7), the Eagles struggled mightily in the red zone.

Later in that article Curtis goes on to say he wasn't put off or insulted by the Eagles' pursuit of a big name WR this offseason and would welcome one if something did happen before the season...

I like Kevin Curtis and clearly he looks like one of the better free signings of the Andy Reid era, especially as far as expectations go, but I'd have a hard time labeling him as a marquee receiver. Let's see what happens in year two.

One of the guys that actually garnered a good bit of surprise praise at the mincamp was Darren Howard. Howard was pretty much left for dead after last year where he was relegated to no more than situational DT. We all remember when he was brought in for pretty good money to be solution at DE opposite Jevon Kearse... As it turned out , neither were a solution... but Howard could end up playing a role here anyway.

Only this wasn't the Howard of the past two seasons, the one signed to a six-year, $30.5 million deal and expected to wreak havoc opposite Kearse in the Eagles pass rush.

This wasn't the frustrated Howard, who never came close to fulfilling that contract, lost his starting job and eventually faded into the shadows of the NovaCare Complex.

This Howard had trimmed down by 10 pounds, expressed optimism about 2008 and had accepted his role on the team.

Hey, he still has one right now.

"My whole career, I've always been one of the guys, if not the guy, on the defensive line," Howard said after the minicamp, recalling double-digit sack seasons with New Orleans.

"I talked to [defensive line coach] Pete Jenkins before the camp and I talked about my role, and I understand that and I accept that. ... For the last two years, I didn't really understand what my role was going to be because it wasn't always clear. Now that I know where it is, I know where I fit with this team and I know where I can contribute."

The way I see it, there's a spot for a 4th DT open here and Howard has just as good a shot at that as anyone. With Trent Cole, 2nd year man Victor Abiamiri,  Juqua Parker, free agent Chris Clemons, and 3rd round pick Brian Smith all but assured of roster spots... the DE position is pretty crowded.

I honestly have never heard that this is how it works...

Even though agents and teams get around the rookie pool with contract escalators, post first-year option bonuses and one-time incentives, the rookie pool was created to somehow slot the signings of draft choices by the position they were selected. Each selection in the draft is given a value, which is a predetermined cap number. All rookies, including undrafted rookies, have to fit within the assigned rookie pool.

The Kansas City Cheifs were given the largest rookie pool and the Cleveland Browns got the lowest. The Eagles were right in the middle of the league with a rookie pool of $4,256,320. They have 10 picks to sign.

Ladainian Tomlinson,. who is the new Campbell's Chunky Soup guy and arguably the best RB in football, sat down with SI.com this week to answer a few questions... I think one was of particular interest to Eagles fans.

SI.com: Who is a guy in the NFL who does not get the national recognition he deserves?

Tomlinson: Brian Westbrook comes to mind. This guy is a heck of a player, one of the top players in the league. He definitely doesn't get the recognition that he should get. He plays on a team where he has carried them a lot of the time.

He certainly has carried this team...

The Eagles signed a QB yesterday , Casey Hansen(6'5 235) out of Norfolk State. I guess Andy Hall or Timmy Chang were too busy to spend a month in camp this summer...

Asked if he thought the Eagles should lighten his workload this year, Brian Westbrook said no. "I wouldn't mind it being the same. I think I've been very productive with the ball in my hands with that many touches. I think I can continue to do that."

Marvin Lewis doesn't sound like a guy willing to deal his disgruntled WR Chad Johnson... "We've made it clear what the stance is,'' Lewis said. "It's not going to change, today or in August, whenever. You cannot allow a player to get up on his high chair with four years left on his contract and demand to get out. If you do that, you set a terrible example for the rest of your team, and we won't do that.''

A day after Andy Reid snapped at the local media for "struggling to find a positive story" to write about the team, Mark Eckel unsurprisingly decided to snap back in a long sarcastic(and unprofessional) diatribe. But bloggers are the ones dragging the sports media down... That said, I have to level the same criticism at Reid. I get that he's frustrated, but sniping at the media never gets you anywhere...

via i26.tinypic.com

Luckily, I don't believe the Madden curse extends to all EA Sports titles... Congrats to Desean.

Gotta love this little exchange from day two of camp

The highlight of the afternoon practice came when cornerback Asante Samuel broke up a pass intended for DeSean Jackson. A.J. Feeley threw the pass, and Samuel jumped up and woofed some at Feeley after making the play. "Didn't you learn last year that you couldn't get a pass in on me?" said Samuel, bringing the whole team to laughter. Even head coach Andy Reid chuckled on that one.

Very nice Asante, very nice...

The Eagles coordinators took the stage on Sunday and didn't have a whole lot to say... As usual Jim Johnson was the most open and forthcoming interview in possibly the whole organization...

Marty Mornhinwheg on Westbrook's workload

Brian Westbrook, after the year when you look at all of the film, what a player that guy is. Brian Westbrook is a fabulous player. I'm just saying we needed to lean on him, we had to lean on him, and we were forced to lean on him just a little bit more last year because of several things. If we're healthy, we can spread it around a little bit more and be a little bit more dynamic. Now we were sixth on offense last year, I think the year before we were second. We were first in big plays two years ago, and then we went to sixth last year, I believe. So we went down just a touch in our scoring - there are a lot of factors in that one, though. We certainly could be more dynamic with everybody healthy."

All reports from mini camp talked about how many reps Lorenzo Booker took with the first team. It certainly looks like the plan is for him to be a significant part of the offense and that he'll be relied on to take some of the load off Westbrook. Marty also went on to say that the plan is to work in Booker and Westbrook together in some packages.

Jim Johnson  was immediately asked about the cornerback situation...

"I look forward to it every day. I'll tell you what; it's like having two Big Browns in the Kentucky Derby. You've got both those guys out there. I walk out there, I see (CB) Lito (Sheppard), I see (CB) Asante (Samuel), I see (CB) Sheldon (Brown). It's good. Those are good players."

On whether he's concerned about ego

I feel for all players. All players want to start. They are competitive. Lito is a good person. I'm glad he's here, I think he's handling it well. He's a good player. We brought another good player in; we brought in two good football players in the offseason. We don't know how that scenario is going to be, but of course he wants to play a lot and of course he wants to start. He's handling it pretty well. I know it's tough on him at times, but he doesn't show it in practice. That's the main thing."

On Sheldon Brown seeing some time at safety

A nickel cornerback has to be a physical-type cover guy. Even sometimes we have used Sheldon as a safety. We feel comfortable with that a little bit. It's not going to be every down, but it's going to be part of the package."

JJ also talked about how they play 3 corners at least 65% of the time(something Sheldon Brown repeated interestingly enough) and how that number could even go up... when you combine that with Sheldon playing safety in some packages it certainly seems like the pan is to get these 3 guys on the field as much as possible.

Rory Seagrest strongly implied that one way or another a rookie will be returning punts this season

 "(WR) Bill Sampy is back there, J.R. is still back there, (CB) Tanard Davis is a guy who we've put back and let him catch a few balls. We've got some pretty good backups. Right now we're trying to get DeSean and Quintin(Demps) as many reps as we can get those guys to get them comfortable back there, but we do have some down-the-line guys as well."

He also talked a bit about what made Desean Jackson so good in college.

"I think vision is a big part of it. DeSean is a guy who knows how to set up blocks. He has the acceleration to hit those creases once he identifies them. Again, he's a guy who, with his quickness, his speed, his vision, he's got the components to put together to be an effective returner for us."

Finally, how is our favorite Aussie progressing?

Sav has come a long way. We were out yesterday and he hit a bad ball and then turned right around and hit a 65-yard punt. I think the difference between last year and this year is that last year he was just feeling his way through. He didn't really trust in his techniques thoroughly. He didn't quite understand how to make those corrections. This year, he hit the bad ball, he turned around, he knew what he did wrong, and then he hit a good ball. I think that's the thing we're going to see this year. He knows how to make those corrections, and I think he'll get them made."

First, everyone wanted to know whether McNabb thought the Eagles got the "playmakers" he asked for.

“I said playmakers, I didn’t say receivers,” McNabb said. “I said guys that can come in and make plays for us. We brought in Asante, who led the league in interceptions two years ago, and last year had a lot of interceptions as well. That was a start.

But did he like the offseason?

“(The offseason) wasn’t about my liking, it was for the team,” McNabb said.

Could the Eagles have been any more aggressive in the offseason?

“I think they did a great job,” McNabb said with a smile.

Can they win the Super Bowl this year with the players they have?

“I think we can win the Super Bowl every year,” McNabb said, this time without the smile.

If McNabb is bluffing, he’s doing a great job of it. He seemed upbeat, joking in the locker room and laughing with teammates.

Brian Westbrook was a bit more frank when he was asked about playmakers

"We added some guys that can play," Westbrook said. "At this point I guess you have to go to war with the guys that you have ... unless they add someone else. Me being satisfied doesn't mean too much. I want to add the best players to our team and I think we have some very good players already that can get the job done."

But ...

"If we can get a big-time receiver, a big-time runner, or whatever we can get, that's what I want as a player," Westbrook continued. "Coach (Andy Reid) made a point that he was going to get some playmakers on this team. I think he tried to. A lot of those (potential) trades and acquisitions didn't really go his way."

Westbrook on his contract situation.

"I'm paid," said Westbrook, who led the NFL with 2,104 yards from scrimmage last season. "I signed a contract that was fair at that (time), so there's no sense in me crying about it now."

Westbrook continued to deliver the goods on the topic of player compensation and his personal dealings with the Eagles' front office.

"All players want more money," Westbrook said. "I think the team's job is to not pay all the money that the player wants. I think that's where the conflict comes into play. I think this organization is a very good organization and they try to do things the right way. That doesn't necessarily mean that it al ways ends up the right way all the time, either."

I must say, I really love hearing Westbrook speak. He doesn't try to be controversial or even all that diplomatic either. He just comes off as honest and business-like. What more can you ask for?

Lito on his contract situation?

I'm not talking, so I don't know why you are all hanging around," a good-natured Sheppard told the horde of reporters gathered around his locker. "I'll answer a couple of questions on Monday."

Asante Samuel did his best to stay out of it.

"That's got nothing to do with me," Samuel said. "I just do what my coach tells me to do. It doesn't matter what I am used to. Whatever my coach tells me to do, I'm going to do it."

Sheldon Brown chimed in with his thoughts on the Lito situation

"I don't really know how Lito's situation is being handled," Brown said. "Obviously, Lito and me are close, but he doesn't really share that. As far as I know everything is OK. He's straight. He hasn't come to me and said they're doing it wrong. So, I just worry about my business. If we can play together and stay together, I'm cool with it. Hopefully we can stay together and win the (Super Bowl) and then all of us will get what we deserve."

And would Sheldon mind playing with Lito and Asante on the field?

  ``To be honest with you, I love it. Because I get to move into the slot. I get to rush the quarterback (from the slot). I get to do all that stuff. I hate it outside. It's boring out there.''

Brian Dawkins continued his defense of Lito

'It's different,'' Dawkins said of seeing a displaced Sheppard working as the third cornerback.

''[Sheppard's] play speaks for itself. When he's healthy, it speaks for itself. You have exactly what you need in a cornerback when you have Lito on the field. And when he gets the ball in his hands, it's almost six points.''

But he also defended the addition of Asante

'We were 32nd in the league in turnovers, so it doesn't surprise me they got playmakers on our side of the ball,'' free safety Brian Dawkins said. ''If we just hold onto some of the [turnover opportunities], we're not an 8-8 team.''

From 6ABC

May 2, 2008 -- Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is under investigation in his hometown of Philadelphia in a shooting that took place late Tuesday afternoon, a source close to the investigation told Anthony Gargano of Philadelphia's WIP Radio.

The shooting reportedly occurred outside a North Philadelphia bar owned by Harrison.

Harrison has yet to be arrested or charged with the crime.

The source said the alleged victim came into the bar, Playmakers, around 5 p.m. and engaged in an argument with Harrison, who was at the bar. The victim then left the bar, heading to his car, with Harrison following. Gunfire broke out, the victim was hit in the hand, and a young girl was slightly injured by flying glass from a car that apparently was hit by a bullet.

If it's true, I say Marvin should be sentenced to 16 weeks community service as a wideout for the Eagles.