Eagles News: Andy Reid shares message to Brian Dawkins ahead of Hall of Fame ceremony

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Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Dallas Goedert looks unstoppable in the red zone - BGN
Red zone day might as well be called Dallas Goedert day. The rookie tight end simply dominates down there. Goedert’s first reception in 11-on-11 came when he was lined out wide against Sidney Jones. Nate Sudfeld threw his way and the tight end made an effortless one-hand grab. Then Sudfeld hit him again for a touchdown in the middle of the end zone. Unguardable. Later in practice, Goedert got some work with the first team. Nick Foles found him on a curl despite the fact Jordan Hicks was there to contest the play. Goedert’s just too big. During 3-on-2, Goedert ran a corner route to shake off Jeremy Reaves and make a catch. Reaves really must be starving because Goedert has eaten his lunch all day long. Goedert did have one drop during 3-on-2. That’s probably like his first or second drop all offseason.

Wednesday’s Practice Notes Roundup - Iggles Blitz
BLG had praise for Ronald Darby, pointing out that he was the only guy to have success covering Goedert. Darby had a good day overall and has impressed everyone. He could be poised to have a big year.

Eagles Mailbag: Ronald Darby to the Chargers? - PhillyVoice
So why Darby as opposed to one of the other Eagles corners? Darby is in the final year of his contract, while the rest of the Eagles’ corners have at least two years remaining on their deals. He is going to be very difficult for the team to afford next offseason. Rather than let Darby walk next offseason for nothing more than the possibility of a 2020 comp pick, if the Eagles can siphon off a second round pick from a desperate team, I think they’d be tempted to pull the trigger. It’s perhaps also worth noting quickly that Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn was the assistant head coach of the Bills when Buffalo drafted Darby in 2015.

Bold predictions out of all 32 NFL training camps - ESPN
Quarterback Carson Wentz will be cleared for takeoff. He’s doing just about everything on the practice field, including 11-on-11 drill work. All that’s left for Wentz in his climb back from a torn ACL and LCL is to be cleared for contact. Once that happens, there’s not much standing between him and game action. The team wants to be cautious with their franchise player, but he has made considerable progress. And with six weeks worth of runway between now and the start of the regular season, he’s going to make a push.

Ice-In-Veins Jake Elliott Preps For Year 2 - PE.com
It may have been the most unlikely and humorous pairing in the history of NFL offseason. Jake Elliott, Mr. Nerves of Steel, squaring off against actress/rapper/producer Queen Latifah in a promotional lip-sync battle. Elliott, wearing an appropriate mullet wig, lip-synced to Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” in one of the memorable moments of the post-Super Bowl offseason. “It was definitely different and a lot of fun,” said Elliott, who absolutely killed in his performance. “It was just one of those opportunities that came up and I thought, ‘Why not?’ You kind of pick and choose what you’re doing and that one was one I’m going to remember.”

In his final final season, Darren Sproles is going out on his terms - The Athletic
Sproles’ work ethic is something of a legend. In an Eagles locker room where the go-to interview compliment for fellow players is that they work hard, the gushing over Sproles’ dedication is both over-the-top and entirely sincere. They talk about how he’s one of the strongest players on the team in the weight room. They call him “ageless,” or laugh about how he took people aback by practicing hard at the Pro Bowl. The offensive linemen say they’ve never worked with a running back who cares more about understanding blocking schemes. And everyone talks about how he runs every single rep at 100 percent speed, even during walkthroughs.

Why Terrell Owens got snubbed by the Hall of Fame twice, and why he’s in this year - Daily News
Having covered the ’05 Eagles, I saw Owens at his team-wrecking worst. But I also saw him come back in seven weeks from a broken leg and torn ligaments in his ankle the year before and catch nine passes for 122 yards against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. Was he often a pain in the ass for his coaches and teammates to deal with? Absolutely. But he also was one of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history. And if he was such a locker room cancer, how do you explain the fact that his teams had a .566 winning percentage and made the playoffs in eight of his 15 NFL seasons? Randy Moss was every bit the pain in the ass Owens was, yet was voted into the Hall of Fame this year in his first year of eligibility. Playing in just one less game than Owens, Moss had 96 fewer receptions, 651 fewer receiving yards and only three more touchdown passes than Owens. His teams had a .543 winning percentage and made the playoffs six times in 13 seasons.

Without Jim Johnson, there is no Hall of Fame for Brian Dawkins - NBCSP
When Brian Dawkins enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, Jim Johnson will be right there with him. Johnson and Dawkins were quite a team during their decade together. In fact, until he met up with Dawkins, Johnson was a highly regarded defensive coach but not well-known nationally and certainly not yet a legend. And until he met up with Johnson, Dawk was a very good safety but hadn’t made a Pro Bowl in his first three seasons. Together? They were unstoppable.

Fun First Week of Camp for Champs - Zach Ertz’s blog
But Zach cautions not to forget about running back Darren Sproles, who had been one of the most highly productive Eagles over the last few years before he saw his season ended abruptly due to a knee injury in Week 3 last season. And as the Champs get set to defend their title against all comers, they’re looking forward to having the veteran running back in the fold. In fact, Zach says the 35-year-old Sproles looks so good in camp, it seems like he’s aging in reverse.

Patriots do not release Jordan Matthews, place him on injured reserve instead - Pats Pulpit
According to the Patriots’ official release, Matthews has not been placed on injured reserve but in fact released. This is weird.

DeAngelo Hall: “I’m officially retiring today” - Hogs Haven
“Yes guys, so you probably have heard, I’m sure you heard months ago, but after fourteen seasons of professional football, I will be officially retiring today. I was joking around a little bit and so I told someone, a statement, that I was doing an interview with Sports Illustrated and I said I was always taught, even as a young kid, I came into this league at 20 years old and I had a room full of veteran guys and no one was intimidated, no one was scared, prideful, of me coming in and taking their spot. It was open arms. I was taught every bit of knowledge that I was able to keep passing down along the lines and I’ve always said, ‘When I retire, it’s going to be because I felt like I’ve taught the guys behind me… I’m getting a little choked up. …Enough to succeed and ultimately take my spot.”

Jack Mewhort to retire - Stampede Blue
After suffering a knee injury, Mewhort was diagnosed with a chondral defect in his left knee, and spent most of his 3rd and 4th seasons in the NFL struggling with knee issues that impacted his play as well as his availability. Despite this, Mewhort was viewed as a guy who was on his way to a return and be able to work as valuable depth on a Colts offensive line that general manager Chris Ballard has been retooling and rebuilding. [BLG Note: Eagles play the Colts in Week 3.]

Paying big money for an NFL QB – is it worth it? - PFF
However, in today’s NFL, with the rookie wage scale, there is tremendous value in having a quarterback who is playing under his first deal. With that in mind, is there a point where you lose value and actually hurt your team by signing your quarterback to a long-term, big-money extension? In the 2017 NFL playoffs, eight of the 12 teams featured had quarterbacks who finished the 2017 season among the 10 highest-graded players at the position. Another four teams who made the postseason did so with quarterbacks playing under their rookie deals. Of those four, only Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles was a top-10 graded quarterback, and he wound up missing the playoffs through injury.

Joe Flacco and the Inevitability of Lamar Jackson Hype - The Ringer
The Ravens’ veteran passer may try to ignore it, but Baltimore drafted Jackson for a reason—and if the rookie plays well in Thursday’s preseason opener, the calls for a quarterback change will only grow louder.

The Lions’ playoff hopes depend on fixing a running game that hasn’t worked in a decade - SB Nation
General manager Bob Quinn is alert. He has drafted offensive linemen in the first round in two of his three drafts with the Lions (left tackle Taylor Decker in 2016 and center Frank Ragnow this year). He has added this season rookie running back Kerryon Johnson from Auburn and big, physical veteran running back LeGarrette Blount. Blount won consecutive Super Bowls with New England and with Philadelphia. He is hoping to bring a third-consecutive Super Bowl charm for the Lions.

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