It's always odd when you check the morning papers and nearly every local Eagles writer has penned the same story... Today, Winston Justice is the soup du jour.
Les Bowen, Daily News - "Offensive Tackle Justice has something to prove for Eagles"
Bowen asks Justice about all the critical remarks Hugh Douglas has made about him this offseason.
Asked yesterday if this was the first time anyone ever questioned his competitiveness, his heart, Justice said: "He's the first one that did it out loud.''
"It does bother me,'' Justice continued. "But it would be stupid to talk back to him. Talk is nothing. The only thing I can do is prove it. I think that's the best thing to do.''
Bob Grotz, Delco Times - Looking for Justice after a slow start
Give Winston Justice a hand for going outside the box to try and get better.
Embarrassed by his performance against Osi Umenyiora and the New York Giants last season, the Eagles offensive tackle enrolled in the strength and conditioning program at Velocity Sports Performance in Naples, Fla.
When Justice wasn’t building upper body muscle, he was firing out of his three-point stance each and every time his trainer clapped, which was about 50 times each day.
"My first couple of days, I was really slow," Justice said. "But by months two and three, I was a lot quicker. I think that’s going to translate a lot into (success) in camp and the season. It’s something that I really needed to work on."
There's some encouraging stuff. It's been good to see guys like Justice and Jamal Jackson make the effort to seek outside help on their own time this offseason.
Geoff Mosher, News Journal - Eagles' Justice works to improve
Mosher had some more info about the program Justice was put through.
Using a hand clap to simulate the snap, Touchette had Justice crouch into position and react at the sound of his clap. Sometimes, Touchette would clap immediately. Other times, he would pause before the clap.
The varying clap rhythm forced Justice to react on instinct instead of anticipation. They would repeat these drills nearly 50 times a day.
Nick Fierro, The Express-Times - Justice out to answer his critics
Confidence, Justice insisted, was never a problem last season. Only technique.
So the satisfactory job he did filling in for injured right tackle Jon Runyan in the season finale three months later didn't make him feel any better about what happened against Umenyiora, the Giants' defensive end who tallied six sacks at Justice's expense during a desultory 16-3 defeat for the Eagles on Sept. 30.
"I knew what I was doing wrong," Justice said, "so I felt bad after. I knew I was capable of playing a good game and I'm capable of being a good player. I just need to prove that next season."
So there you go... all you could have ever wanted know about what Winston Justice has been up to and where his head is right now...