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Eagles News: Nick Foles takes high road when asked about being snubbed by Tom Brady

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 8/16/18.

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NFL: Super Bowl LII Opening Night Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Nick Foles not sweating Tom Brady handshake snub, respects Pats QB - ESPN
“It will happen when it happens. We practiced with the Patriots several years ago, and I got to stand there and talk to Tom for quite a bit. He’s a great guy. I have all the respect in the world for him,” Foles said. ”I think everyone’s making a really big deal out of this and it’s not a big deal at all. I’ve already talked to him before; he’s a guy I’ve always looked up to. You’ve got to admire someone who is probably the greatest ever and still going strong. I mean, even at his age (41) he seems to get better and better. I’ve already had a conversation with him before when we practiced, so if we have one in the future, we’ll have one and it will be cool.”

Jordan Mailata is just laughing it off - BGN
Our giant—big and friendly—chuckles through his words as he finishes telling the story of the two offsides penalties he drew: “That’s what Coach Stout [Jeff Stoutland] calls it: ‘Ooga-booga-booga!’ So as soon as I saw him up jump, I was like, ‘Ooga-booga-booga!’” He giggles again—high-pitched and musical. “So, in Stout we trust.” Jordan Mailata entertains a crowd of reporters in the Eagles locker room following his first career start for the...well, for any football team. I wish I could say he looked like he belonged out there, but he didn’t: at 6’7 and 346 pounds, he dwarfed every lineman that followed in his wake as he jogged out to the huddle.

Five players who impressed at Eagles training camp, five who didn’t - PhillyVoice
1) QB Carson Wentz: Wentz’s quick recovery from ACL and LCL tears was the early story of camp, which gave way to the Eagles’ decision to hold him back once he got going. Still, even though Wentz was held out of 11-on-11 drills, it is clear to see that he is delivering the football with velocity and accuracy, and there’s little reason to believe that he won’t be very, very good again this season, assuming he stays healthy.

Eagles at Pats – PS #2 Preview - Iggles Blitz
We’ll get another week of LB tape to study. Nate Gerry seems to be leading, but Kamu Grugier-Hill isn’t giving up without a fight. He had a good showing in the opener. Corey Nelson is very much on the hot seat and needs to get his butt in gear. He needs to really stand out. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Joe Walker.

WR A Position To Watch At New England - PE.com
Signed late in the player-acquisition timeline this summer, Kamar Aiken has done a really nice job making himself noticed. He’s a bigger, thicker-bodied receiver who has strong hands and he’s tenacious fighting for the football. Aiken knows how it works in these preseason games. You must take advantage of every opportunity knowing that 31 other teams are looking at the tape, too. Will Aiken make this 53-man roster? That’s up for debate. That’s why this preseason game is so important. Aiken should get some throws his way and he’s got to maximize the chances he gets.

Dose: Alshon Ailing - Rotoworld
Jeffery is a household name and certainly the most talented pass-catcher in the Eagles’ receiving corps (apologies to Mike Wallace and Nelson Agholor) but it’s been four years since his last 1,000-yard season and five since he made his first, and so far only, Pro Bowl appearance. During his breakout 2013 season, Jeffery topped 100 yards receiving on five occasions including a pair of 200-yard games against Detroit and Minnesota. Including the postseason, Jeffery’s high-water mark last year was 92 yards in Week 2. His efficiency was also lacking—even with MVP candidate Carson Wentz throwing to him for most of the year, Jeffery caught fewer than half (47.5 percent, to be exact) of his team-high 120 targets. Maybe it’s time to give up the ghost and accept that Jeffery, despite his immense physical gifts and past achievements, has entered the decline phase of his career.

The method, or madness, behind Eagle Lane Johnson’s outspokenness - Inquirer
Lane Johnson’s chair in his stall faces out. While most Eagles have theirs tucked inward, away from reporters during open locker room, Johnson prefers to turn his chair around when he walks in after practice. The 6-foot-6 tackle will plop down, stretch his legs out, and begin the process of undressing until a media member invariably approaches him. In other words, he’s open for business and what often comes out of his mouth will fill notebooks and make headlines. “I’m the guy with no filter,” Johnson said. “But a lot of what I say is how people feel on the inside.”

PFF Press Pass – NFL previews for every matchup during preseason Week 2 - PFF
After finishing last season as the highest-graded offensive line, Lane Johnson and company are once again one of the highest-graded units after the first week of the preseason with a pass-blocking grade of 79.9, good for first in the NFL. Offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai finished the game with a pass-blocking grade of 87.1, which was third-highest among offensive linemen with at least 30 snaps last week. Chance Warmack finished the game with an overall grade of 66.2 through 27 snaps. If Warmack’s play betters that of returning starter Stefen Wisniewski, who finished the contest with a grade of 50.4, throughout the preseason, head coach Doug Pederson may have a tough decision ahead of him. – Lee Sifford

Malcolm Jenkins, reluctant face of a movement, remains stoic in fight - NBCSP
There are a lot of people watching Malcolm Jenkins. There are a lot of people counting on Malcolm Jenkins. There are a lot of people inspired by Malcolm Jenkins. There are a lot of people who hate Malcolm Jenkins. Jenkins feels the hate; he knows it exists. He hears the naysayers. He hears the folks who call him unpatriotic or much, much worse. In 2018, in this internet age, it sort of comes with the territory. Anonymity only fuels the negativity he faces. “Anything can be frustrating,” Jenkins said to NBC Sports Philadelphia this week. “Therein lies the power of those who oppose you. If they can get under your skin, they win. So I never allow that to block my judgment or even come off in my interviews.”

The RPO Takeover Isn’t Complete Just Yet - The Ringer
The RPO defined the NFL last season. Those three letters dominated football conversations through Super Bowl LII and beyond, in large part because of the run-pass option’s prevalence in the Eagles offense. From broadcast booths to coaching interviews, RPO became the buzzworthy phrase around professional football.

Patriots vs Eagles: 5 questions and answers for week 2 of the preseason - Pats Pulpit
I’m gonna say it’s a high-scoring affair with a lot of bad defense. I’ll go with the Eagles winning by a score of 41 to 33.

Ex-Jets QB Christian Hackenberg gets chance to resurrect career with Super Bowl champion Eagles - Newsday
Hackenberg went to work in the off-season with quarterbacks coach Jeff Christensen, a former NFL backup in the 1980s, and worked on his mechanics. “Since the end of January, we’ve put in 86 two-a-days,” Hackenberg said. The biggest change: footwork. Cleaning up my footwork eliminated inefficiencies with my motion up top, tightening things up and compacting things,” he said. “It’s helped a lot, and it’s starting to finally become muscle memory.”

Scramble: 2018 East Over/Unders - Football Outsiders
The Eagles’ run last year was very, very special. I am truly delighted for them. From the coach who took an unorthodox approach and willingly ran with it; to the general manager who was almost forced out of town by the previous head coach; to the quarterback who was discarded by telephone from a previous employer, almost retired, signed on as a backup and ended up Super Bowl MVP; it was one of the greatest success stories in the history of this sport. Now, however, everybody’s back to 0-0 and it’s time to go again. The Eagles aren’t the underdogs anymore. They are, however, still loaded with talented players. In fact, with their quarterback hopefully about to return, their left tackle hopefully healthy again, and a very highly touted cornerback now ready to play after an Achilles injury cost him most of his rookie season, their roster might even be stronger than it was during that improbable triumph.

NFL preseason Panic Index 2018: How worried should we be about Saquon Barkley’s injury? - SB Nation
So it’s understandable why Giants fans would freak out about the thought of losing Barkley to a leg injury before he ever took a meaningful snap. Fortunately for New York, the leg wrap came off shortly thereafter and the team called the injury a “mild” hamstring strain. He sat out practice on Tuesday, but Pat Shurmur said Barkley was “day to day.”

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