Eagles News: Miles Austin is still a good player

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Eagles minicamp practice notes, June 17, 2015: Tebow, Huff and Agholor - PhillyVoice
24-year-old wideout Quron Pratt was nearly decapitated during 11-on-11 drills when Matt Barkley led him a little too far in the back of the end zone. Pratt, a Rutgers grad from Palmyra, N.J., slammed into the padding on the goalpost, was spun around, and landed on the ground. It caused a collective gasp from the pool of reporters looking on, but that was it. He hopped back up and didn't seem to miss a play.

Quarterback and Location-adjusted Catch Rates | Pro Football Focus
Yes, he’s on the wrong side of 30, but Miles Austin is still a good player. In 2014, his first with Cleveland, Austin sat 43rd among wide receivers in receptions prior to a season-ending kidney injury. Used primarily in the short-to-mid range, Austin’s expected catch rate sat at 64 percent. Of course, once we add in the awful quarterback play of Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel, that number dips to 58 percent. Austin managed to catch 70 percent of his looks, which was exceptional considering the circumstances. Now in Philadelphia, Austin should be considered a real contender for the team’s No. 2 gig opposite Jordan Matthews.

Running Diary: Eagles Practice Observations - Birds 24/7
I have joked before about being the lone passenger on the Marcus Smith bandwagon, but I swear that watching him move in practice, he looks like an NFL player. He’s long, athletic, and effort doesn’t seem to be an issue. Maybe after being ping-ponged from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, it was the mental part that tripped him up last season. We'll see if that's the case once the pads come on.

Eagles Practice Observations: Agholor, Cooper, Ertz Shine; JaCorey Shepherd active; Bradford status quo - Inquirer
Speaking of receivers, or in this case a receiver disguised as a tight end, Zach Ertz has consistently brought it to every practice I’ve attended this spring. He made several impressive catches on Wednesday (yes, against defenders that can’t tackle or do much of anything), but Ertz is destined (again) for a breakout season. Will it finally happen? He skied above two defenders for a ball from Sanchez and not long after caught another in a tight spot and emerged with the reception.

Eagles' Josh Huff will be 'night and day' from last season, says Jordan Matthews - NJ.com
"First of all, he's not hurt," Matthews told NJ Advance Media of Huff following Tuesday's practice at the Novacare Complex. "I don't think people understand just how much getting injured during your first year can really not just hurt physically, but also mentally.

Agholor Making Strong Strides At WR - PE.com
There is no sense that wide receiver Nelson Agholor "has arrived" after 10 Organized Team Activity sessions and two mini-camp training periods in the NFL. But you certainly see why the Eagles selected him 20th overall in the draft, and what he could mean very soon for this offense.

Eagles love Allen Barbre, but can he replace Evan Mathis? - CSN Philly
Chip Kelly hasn't been shy this offseason about heaping praise on offensive lineman Allen Barbre. He mentioned Barbre often when asked about Evan Mathis in the first days of OTAs, and Barbre's name was the first Kelly uttered when asked Wednesday about his confidence in the O-line with Mathis gone. "I've seen Allen play in games and I think be very, very productive in games," Kelly said. "We're very confident in him."

Chip Kelly's NFL experiment is fascinating to watch | Sports On Earth
No one knows whether Chip Kelly's Eagles master plan will work, but that he's running this real-life football experiment at the NFL level is exciting. Can a coach have success by getting rid of every malcontent on the roster, no matter their talent level?

La Canfora's ideal 53-man roster: Watt, Suh, Poe front unstoppable D - CBSSports.com
Jason La Canfora creates a real NFL roster of 53 players using real salary cap figures. (It includes Mychal Kendricks & Chris Maragos)

Jason Campbell will retire an afterthought, and that's not his fault - SB Nation
Jason Campbell is leaving football as one of the best journeyman quarterbacks to play the game.

Pre-order the Eagles Almanac 2015! - BGN
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