August 5, 20232 yr 4 hours ago, EazyEaglez said: Yeah. Maddox can’t run. "No problem.” If Dean goes down with a real injury. "It’s all good.” Nothing matters right because you mediocre love squad will win everything needed just like Minshew did last year right? You mean the team is being cautious with a player returning from surgery. That's terrible news. Maddox has been a limited participant. So it's not like he's getting no work. https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/video/avonte-maddox-cam-jurgens-press-conferences-august-1-2023 Also, as I said, it's a good opportunity for McPhearson who for the past 2 seasons was the 1st outside CB to come in off the bench for the starters. Now he's learning the slot. Last year J. Scott filled in for Maddox and he had some ups and downs, but overall was a pretty good backup. He was forced to play because of the Maddox injury, but he's a young player still growing, learning and improving himself. It looks like Scott is on the bubble this year --- more because the overall talent on this team than because he isn't deserving. If we don't have an open spot for him on the final 53, another team will give him a shot. So if you want to be Chicken Little, don't let me stop you. Last year a lot of people, including me, talked about how it would be a positive that Hurts was beginning a 2nd consecutive season with the same offensive coordinator and that the continuity would benefit him. So this year, we have a new defensive coordinator with new terminology and likely some differences in approach compared to Gannon. The players are adjusting / adapting. Now take the guy that is getting that play from the coach and communicating it on the field to teammates ... and somehow, I'm supposed to expect this defense to be right where they left off at last season? Last year was TJ Edwards' 4th season (3rd as the starter) and 2nd season under Gannon. He had his best season as a pro by far. He was able to keep Dean off the field because he was clearly more experienced and comfortable. Now it's Dean's turn. But it is extremely silly to sit here and say after 1 week of camp, with a new DC, new defense, new MLB and new WLB, that "well last year after 1 week the LBs made more splash plays than we are seeing this year." This year fans are no different than any other year. People that want to express doubt early and hold their fingers over the panic button will do what they always do. Meanwhile the team will continue to prepare for the regular season for the next 5 weeks. It's a shame that after just over one week, we aren't ready for the season ... What's wrong with this team!!!11!
August 5, 20232 yr "The next off-ball linebacker to make a play will be the first. Josh Jobe being the first man up at outside CB while Zech McPhearson sees reps in the slot. Marcus Mariota is unofficially averaging one (1) good pass a practice and more than one (>1) bad pass a practice. Greedy Williams is in the running for first guy cut. Nicholas Morrow might not be far behind him.“ Overall it doesn’t feel like many of the Eagles free agent signings have made much of an impact so far. In reality this off-season was way more about the draft and resigning their own players to begin with, but some of these guys will be expected to go out there and make plays. A few are even considered starters, but it just doesn’t sound like things are going as well as planned. At this point I would be concerned (if I were one of these guys on the Eagles) if they were playing a lot of preseason minutes, because we all know the Eagles do not value preseason more than they do joint practices. The Eagles also do not like to expose valuable players in meaningless games. We will know a lot more about what the Eagles really think about some of these Howie free agent (Not the RFA guys) depending on how much they play in these preseason games.
August 6, 20232 yr 5 hours ago, EazyEaglez said: Overall it doesn’t feel like many of the Eagles free agent signings have made much of an impact so far. In reality this off-season was way more about the draft and resigning their own players to begin with, but some of these guys will be expected to go out there and make plays. A few are even considered starters, but it just doesn’t sound like things are going as well as planned. At this point I would be concerned (if I were one of these guys on the Eagles) if they were playing a lot of preseason minutes, because we all know the Eagles do not value preseason more than they do joint practices. The Eagles also do not like to expose valuable players in meaningless games. We will know a lot more about what the Eagles really think about some of these Howie free agent (Not the RFA guys) depending on how much they play in these preseason games. For the most part I agree. Some of those guys were brought in to compete for roster openings created by free agent departures. It doesn't really matter if they win the starting spot or push other players to win the spot. That's what competition is supposed to do. I'm not worried about Greedy Williams' fate. IMO, he'd have to really stand out to make the final 53 and that's something he hasn't really done in the NFL aside from accumulating penalties his rookie year. We traded a 3rd rd pick (next year) for Ringo, knowing he needs time to develop. He's a lock. Slay, Bradberry, Maddox and McPhearson are locks. Jobe is very likely to make the team. We won't keep more than 6 CBs. Williams, like you say, should see a lot of preseason action. When it comes to LBs, I'm not too worried. I can't imagine anybody on our roster being worse than Gerry was for us a few seasons ago. Morrow was not highly graded by PFF last season with a lackluster overall grade of 54. Kyzir White's overall grade last season was 65 and that was on a much better defense on a much better team. I think Morrow can at the very least get a similar grade (as White last season) if we have to start him. But it would be nice for a guy like Elliss to beat him for the starting gig before the season. That would mean the team sees more upside in developing him. I think Bradley has been a good backup. He needs to stay healthy, but in the past when he has come on to the field to play defense, he showed up. So he's a good STer and can play MLB if Dean gets hurt. There aren't a lot of off ball LBs on our extended roster right now, so a few of these guys will see a lot of preseason time simply because there isn't someone else. We'll probably know who all the starters will be by the end of the next two weeks. Then it's just a matter of watching the rest of these guys showcase what they can do.
August 6, 20232 yr Author Eagles 2023 training camp practice notes, Day 6: Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni get feisty After the Eagles' sixth training camp practice, Jimmy Kempski shares his practice notes. BY JIMMY KEMPSKI PhillyVoice Staff VINCENT CARCHIETTA/USA TODAY SPORTS Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni Day 6 of Philadelphia Eagles training camp is in the books, and it was the longest practice so far, coming in at a little under two hours. There's a lot to get to, so, you know, let's get to it. • Getting some first-team reps at linebacker today... (drumroll)... Nolan Smith. He got reps there yesterday as well. Safety Terrell Edmunds also got some reps at linebacker. Prior to practice Sean Desai explained why: My take on the real reason why: The Eagles have bad depth at linebacker. It feels like a lock that the Eagles will add another linebacker at some point before the start of the season. I mean, that's nothing new. We've been saying that for months. But whatever percentage the likelihood was a month ago, it's higher now. • Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni had some words today. The offense ran a third-down play where Hurts tried to run for a first down with the clock winding down at the end of the half (or the game) but was short (purposefully in this case for the sake of the drill). They then quickly ran the field goal unit onto the field and kicked under the duress of the ticking clock. Sirianni shouted at Hurts because he did not hand the ball back to the officials fast enough after he was "tackled." Josh Tolentino of the Inquirer probably had the best view of it. Hurts had some words in return for Sirianni, but after quiet reflection for a minute or two, he did some pushups on his own as a penance. • We declared Cam Jurgens the winner of the starting RG competition this morning, but his competitor, Tyler Steen, had a really good day, mostly at LT. Early in practice he pancaked Kentavius Street. Soon after, Josh Sweat jumped offsides, and Steen touched him to lock in the neutral zone infraction. (He had gotten chewed out earlier in camp by Nick Sirianni for not taking advantage in that situation.) In a red zone period, he had a good, physical block on Jalen Carter while playing RG. Steen might be the best backup LT option on the team, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's the first guy off the bench should Jordan Mailata go down. One more quick note on the offensive line alignment: Jurgens played some center today, with Steen next to him and Jack Driscoll out at RT while Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce got some "old guy" breaks. • There were three highlight reel catches today: Quez Watkins out-jumped Avonte Maddox for a contested catch TD on a post-corner route during red zone 1-on-1's. DeVonta Smith was on the run toward the sideline in the end zone and when he ran out of real estate he planted his feet inbounds and made the catch while falling to the ground. Dallas Goedert reached back with his right arm on an off-target pass behind him and made a one-handed catch. A.J. Brown didn't have any highlights today, but he made around a half dozen catches. The trio of Brown, Smith and Goedert have been collectively outstanding. • We haven't often mentioned Britain Covey in our notes, but it feels like whenever he has made catches he has had a lot of separation. He dusted Josiah Scott for what should have been a touchdown, but Marcus Mariota overthrew him. • We got to see Rashaad Penny turn on the jets today. The Eagles ran a fake handoff to the left side of the formation (I couldn't see if it was some sort of jet motion action in that direction or what), and then they flipped it out to Penny to the right, where Penny found open spaces. He put it into fourth gear and looked fast. • Kelee Ringo lost a bunch of reps today. Goedert high-pointed a ball over him for a red zone TD. Joseph Ngata made a nice hands catch on a slant for a TD. Ringo tried to knock the ball out of Ngata's hands after the play was over, and Ngata held on. He was flagged for pass interference while covering Tyrie Cleveland. So did Greedy Williams. He got dusted deep by Greg Ward in 11-on-11's and by Cleveland in 1-on-1's. Williams has had a bad camp. • In positive cornerback news, Darius Slay made a great play in zone. He was sitting in the flat and had eyes on Goedert, who was a little further down the field near the sideline. When Hurts committed to Goedert, Slay broke on the throw and was all over it, making the INT. That was Hurts' first INT of 2023 training camp, and he got baited into it by Slay. • I have two guys you probably never heard of who have looked good at times. OL Julian Good-Jones had a bunch of good reps in 1-on-1's earlier in camp, and he is now getting a look at center. Undrafted rookie TE Brady Russell has consistently drawn praise from tight ends coach Jason Michael. He had a good block in pass pro against Nolan Smith today. Those two guys are still probably longshots to make the team, but we'll see if they can continue to play well. • James Bradberry and Nakobe Dean both went to the medical tent yesterday. They did not practice today. Patrick Johnson went down during practice and was in a lot of pain, grabbing at his left knee. Per Jeff McLane, it is not considered serious. • Jake Elliott was 7/7 on his field goal attempts, from distances of 33, 42, 45, 28, 40, 42, and 42. He's now 10/10 throughout camp. https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-2023-training-camp-practice-notes-day-6-jalen-hurts-nick-sirianni-get-feisty/
August 7, 20232 yr The Eagles adding linebackers to me is a clear sign that they aren’t loving what they’re getting from that group. You don’t add veteran players if you love what you have in the room and just for some "competition.” We are a little bit low at that position as far as the amount of guys," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Sunday night. "We really feel good about the (linebacker) room. We just want to bring in some extra competition to let things shake out." https://www.yahoo.com/sports/eagles-add-veteran-lbs-myles-220039846.html
August 8, 20232 yr Author Eagles training camp observations: A.J. Brown wows crowd at Linc with TD catch The Eagles held their only public practice of the summer on Sunday night and A.J. Brown stole the show with one play By Dave Zangaro • Published August 6, 2023 The Eagles had a huge turnout for their one and only public practice of the summer. The padded practice lasted for 1 hour and 38 minutes under the lights at the Linc. The Eagles say there were over 50,000 fans in attendance. It’s a shame fans don’t get more opportunities to see their team during training camp. It’s been reduced to one public practice but at least a lot of people go to watch the Eagles on Sunday night. Let’s get to the observations: 1. As always, housekeeping: • Nakobe Dean (ankle), James Bradberry (groin), Deon Cain (ankle) and Patrick Johnson (ankle) missed practice. Before Sunday’s session, head coach Nick Sirianni said Dean was getting "close” to returning. The injury to Johnson is not believed to be serious, which is good news after what looked like a potentially scary injury on Friday. • The newest Eagles — LB Myles Jack, LB Zach Cunningham and OL Josh Andrews — were all in attendance but did not participate. Jack is wearing No. 47, Cunningham 46 and Andrews 61. • After being reinstated from the Commissioner Exempt List, Josh Sills returned to practice for the first time since February. He was acquitted on charges of rape and kidnapping in Ohio on Friday. • Rookie defensive tackle Moro Ojomo left practice after it looked like he got poked in the eye during 1-on-1 drills. Ojomo was checked out on the sideline before eventually heading inside. 2. A few depth chart notes: • With just four healthy and dressed off-ball linebackers, the Eagles really rotated at that spot. Even UDFA Ben VanSumeren got some first-team reps. • Haason Reddick, who entered training camp with some groin soreness, got his first 11-on-11 reps of the summer. The injury was never considered serious but it’s always nice to get one of your best players back to near full strength. • Cam Jurgens remained the first-team right guard but the Eagles gave breathers to Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson about halfway through some periods. When that happened, Jurgens moved to center, Tyler Steen took over at right guard and Jack Driscoll took Johnson’s spot at right tackle. • The Eagles continued to rotate the other safety spot next to Reed Blankenship with the first team. Terrell Edmunds and K’Von Wallace basically split those reps. Rookie Sydney Brown is getting more and more work with the second team. • Without Bradberry, Josh Jobe continues to run with the first team. Greedy Williams and Kelee Ringo were the second-team outside cornerbacks. • It’s probably notable that Kenny Gainwell was the running back when the Eagles were in 2-minute situations on Sunday. That was his role last season and it’s clear Nick Sirianni trusts him. 3. The biggest highlight play of the day came during situational drill when A.J. Brown rose over Jobe and Moss’d the young DB on a 50-50 ball from Jalen Hurts in the red zone. Jobe had decent positioning but Brown made a play. It looked like those signature "late hands” from Brown but I’m not even sure he knew the ball was in the air. Still, he adjusted and went up to make a play. The situation for that drill was offense down 8 with 46 seconds left to go and one timeout from the plus-25 yard-line. Hurts scrambled for a first-down on 4th-and-4 to set up the touchdown throw to Brown. On the 2-point conversion, Hurts scrambled right and got into the end zone. Blankenship met him at the goal line but I’ll give the nod to Hurts if contact was allowed. 4. When the second teams competed in that same drill, Mariota began with a 23-yard scramble and then after an incompletion, hit Joseph Ngata for a touchdown in the end zone. But the 2-point conversion failed pretty quickly when Tarron Jackson was in the backfield in the blink of an eye. It was another overall rough day for Mariota, who sailed several passes. While he’s been shaky as a passer, Mariota can still run. The fans cheered loudly whenever he took off. 5. Even without Patrick Johnson on Sunday, the Eagles’ depth edge rushers showed out on Sunday. When the third teams went with a "live” tackle-to-the-ground period, Kyron Johnson was immediately in the backfield for a "sack” on Ian Book. While he obviously didn’t hit the QB in the red jersey, it was a no-doubter for Johnson, who had another sack working with the second team against Jack Driscoll later. And even Jackson got into the mix, getting in the backfield a couple times. There might not be a roster spot for either guy but they’re playing well. 6. The Eagles signed a couple linebackers on Sunday but Christian Elliss doesn’t want you to forget about him. He had a couple tackles for loss on Sunday, one against D’Andre Swift and another against Boston Scott. Elliss did have a rough assignment on one play when he ended up in coverage against DeVonta Smith on a crosser. That went about as you’d expect. 7. Saw a great rep from Jalen Carter with the second-team defense. He sliced through the line and beat Sua Opeta for a pressure that was a near sack. His former Georgia teammate Nolan Smith continues to pop and had a great rep against backup left tackle Dennis Kelly around the edge. 8. Here are some 1-on-1 notes from OL-DL drills: • The best rep of the period came from Marlon Tuipulotu, who put Julian Good-Jones on the seat of his pants. Sure, it’s not like he did that to Landon Dickerson but it was a strong rep from Tuipulotu, who continues to have a solid summer. • Reddick worked a spin move against Johnson that was super quick. Curious to see if he implements more of that. • Cam Jurgens has done a pretty nice job against Fletcher Cox and did it again on Sunday. Jurgens is stronger than he looks and understands leverage. • Kelce didn’t do 1-on-1s so poor Brett Toth had to try to stop Jordan Davis and that didn’t happen. Davis moved him off his spot very easily. 9. Great pass breakup from Avonte Maddox in coverage on Smith in that final situational period. Maddox had tight coverage and pulled off an athletic PBU on Smith on the pass from Hurts. Great rep from Maddox, whom the Eagles need to stay healthy in 2023. 10. The Eagles have had some "live” periods in camp with their third teams, which is the only time there’s tackling to the ground. Running back Kennedy Brooks has gotten the bulk of that work. On defense, rookie Sydney Brown was out there for that period and you can tell he’s looking forward to game action when he can deliver a big hit. He had rookie receiver Joseph Ngata in his sights coming downhill but wisely held up after Ian Book’s pass was dropped. Brown is explosive running downhill. Stupid Observation of the Day: I noticed plenty of fans doing the double dip, going to the Phillies game in the afternoon and the Eagles practice at night. What a day in South Philly. Of course, there had to be one Cowboys fan in attendance trying to get some attention: https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/eagles-training-camp-observations-a-j-brown-wows-crowd-at-linc-with-td-catch/531445/
August 8, 20232 yr Author Eagles 2023 training camp practice notes, Day 7: Sloppy night in front of the fans BY JIMMY KEMPSKI PhillyVoice Staff COLLEEN CLAGGETT/FOR PHILLYVOICE Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts warms up at the team's 2023 open practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Day 7 of Philadelphia Eagles training camp is in the books, and it was open to the public at Lincoln Financial Field. It was not crisp. Let's just get right to the notes. • The offense was sloppy all night. There were pre-snap penalties, drops, missed throws, and bad snaps. The defense made its share of plays, but the offense just had far too many unforced errors. This was the team's worst practice of training camp so far, in my opinion. • Let's start with the good. Dallas Goedert made a lot of catches, and was consistently getting open, as he has done all throughout camp. Jalen Hurts was fine, but not great. He mostly made good decisions, but the ball was often slow to come out. The highlight of practice was a 50-50 ball from Hurts to A.J. Brown in the end zone. Brown was able to out-jump Josh Jobe for the TD. • The player who probably received the most cheers from the crowd was Marcus Mariota, whenever he scrambled. There was one particular scramble that was fun to watch. He got out of the pocket and ran to the right side of the field with Boston Scott running alongside him with only one defender in between him and a lot of wide open space. Mariota faked a little flip to Scott and got the defender to move that way just enough to run by him to the open field. Nice awareness. He also made a nice play in the red zone during which he was able to move around in the pocket, elude a couple of pass rushers, keep his eyes down the field and eventually find Olamide Zaccheaus for a score. But man, the throwing accuracy... 😬. There was a stretch of three consecutive plays in which Mariota badly missed his intended target: He misfired high on a sideline throw over the head of Zaccheaus out of bounds. He then threw another pass over the head of tight end Jack Stoll, again, out of bounds. And finally, he sailed a third pass over the head of Joseph Ngata in the middle of the field. If there had been a safety trailing that play it would have been an easy INT. That sequence actually drew a few grumbles from the crowd, which is hard to do in an "all love" type of open practice setting. If Mariota has to play this season, I think you can expect to see a quarterback who will make his share of plays — particularly with his legs — as long as the Eagles are able to keep him on schedule. But if you're looking for him to mount a comeback with throws to the intermediate and deeper areas of the field, it's probably not going to happen. • The safeties were an active bunch. K'Von Wallace continues to get a lot of first-team reps. I don't have an official count or anything, but at this point I would estimate that he has gotten more first-team reps at safety than Terrell Edmunds. On Sunday night, Wallace was around the ball a lot on running plays, and he had a nice little pop (without going too far) on Grant Calcaterra after a short completion. Edmunds had a nice pass breakup while covering DeVonta Smith. It's worth noting that while I would guess that Wallace has gotten more first-team reps at safety, Edmunds has also gotten some reps at linebacker. Reed Blankenship had close coverage on A.J. Brown that helped lead to an incompletion. I had Brown down for two drops, by the way. It's fun to watch Sydney Brown fly around the field. When he triggers toward a ball carrier, he gets there fast. I should note here that free agent signing Justin Evans has not often stood out through the team's first seven practices. • We've mentioned Brett Toth's struggles with snapping in shotgun on the second-team offense. On the third-team offense, Julian Good-Jones has been the center recently. He too has struggled snapping. He had a snap that hit Ian Book in the lower leg, after which Book lost his balance and fell down. The visual of it made it look like the snap knocked him over, lol. • On the QB3 front, Tanner McKee has done a few nice things, but I can't recall him airing one yet in team drills yet. He has the arm strength. Let's see it. • On a day that the Eagles signed a pair of veteran linebackers, I thought that both Christian Elliss and Nicholas Morrow were active, as they were both able to get into the backfield for tackles for loss. Nakobe Dean sat out his second straight practice. • The rest of the injuries (all non-participants): CB James Bradberry (groin) LB Nakobe Dean (ankle) Edge Patrick Johnson (ankle) WR Deon Cain (ankle) Johnson was carted off on Friday. At the time it looked like he might be out for a while, but that injury is not believed to be serious, per a team spokesperson. • Some OL-DL 1-on-1 highlights: The rep of the day went to Marlon Tuipulotu, who put Julian Good-Jones on his backside. I thought Good-Jones was having a decent camp, but his night on Sunday probably ended any realistic hope of him making the initial 53. Jordan Davis overpowered Toth. Cam Jurgens has done a really nice job so far on Fletcher Cox in 1-on-1's throughout camp. He won his rep against Cox Sunday night. Jalen Carter hasn't really stood out in 1-on-1's aside from a great power rush against Toth a practice or two ago. On Sunday, he lost his rep to Sua Opeta. • Oh baby, we got punting notes! Arryn Siposs and undrafted rookie Ty Zentner had an "open field" (AKA going for distance and hangtime) punting session and they each had a directional punt. First, the open field session: Punt Siposs (hang time, distance) Zentner (hang time, distance) 1 4.31, 45 yards 4.31, 53 yards 2 4.71, 47 yards 4.00, 40 yards 3 4.45, 43 yards 4.00, 46 yards The only punt above that could even be considered average was Siposs' 47-yard punt with 4.71 hangtime. Otherwise, all of those punts above were (a) short punts in the context of open field punting and (b) returnable due to inadequate hangtime. As a reminder, a good hangtime is something closer to five seconds. Each punter also had a punt with the line of scrimmage at the Eagles 40 in which they were trying to hit directional low liners toward the sideline. Siposs' directional punt found the ground and rolled out of bounds at the 16. Meh. Zentner's was fielded at the 25 and returned. Yuck. If we're awarding this practice to one punter or another, I guess it's Siposs, but only because Zentner hasn't been able to capitalize on an opportunity to win the job. https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-2023-training-camp-practice-notes-day-7-sloppy-night-front-fans/
August 8, 20232 yr Author Eagles training camp notebook, Day 7: Jalen Hurts impresses 50,000 fans at Lincoln Financial Field Hurts gave the 50,000 fans at the only open Eagles practice a sight to behold Sunday night By Jeff Kerr Getty Images PHILADELPHIA -- Having Super Bowl hype certainly resonates around the city of Philadelphia, none more evident than what was displayed at the only open practice at Philadelphia Eagles training camp Sunday night. An estimated 50,000 fans entered Lincoln Financial Field to cheer on the Eagles, who are coming off a NFC championship and have one of the game's best quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts. The expectations around this team were on full display Sunday night, as fans got to watch their team take the field in their home stadium for the first time since the Eagles won the NFC Championship Game back in January. Just imagine how crowded training camp would be if the practices were still at Lehigh! Whether fans were just coming to get their hands on the new "Kelly Green" alternate jerseys or watching Jalen Hurts throw touchdowns to A.J. Brown, they certainly got what they came for Sunday. Some observations from the open practice: Jalen Hurts Hurts has been great throughout this camp, but the fans haven't gotten to see that first hand. Hurts and the first-team offense weren't on the field much Sunday night, yet they impressed in the limited reps. The play of the night was during the hurry-up drills (the situation was that the Eagles were down eight) and Hurts threw a perfect pass to Brown in the back left of the end zone for the touchdown. Brown was able to get both feet in on blanket coverage by Josh Jobe (who is having a very good camp, by the way). The touchdown was Hurts' lone touchdown pass of the night, and it was another practice where Hurts didn't throw an interception (he only has one in seven practices). As the crowd chanted M-V-P upon his entrance, Hurts delivered for them. Nolan Smith Smith has been impressive throughout training camp, and that continues in the open practice. He beat Tyler Steen for a sack and collapsed the pocket, while also showcasing his ability to generate pressure on both sides. Smith has been doing 1-on-1s against Lane Johnson and that has certainly helped his game. The Eagles may not experiment with him as an off-ball linebacker as much, so he can get back to learning on the edge. His speed will significantly help the pass rush. Sydney Brown Watch out for the rookie come the preseason games. Even though Brown is on the second and third team at safety, he's ready to hit someone at all times. His closing speed down the field stood out in the lone live session of practice (the Eagles aren't hitting much in other practices). Kennedy Brooks felt the aftershock of Brown's hit in the live period, as the rookie is waiting to showcase what he can do when he actually does get to make a play. Brown almost clobbered Joseph Ngata in the live period too, but he held up before contact. Brown is going to get a lot of looks this preseason as he wants to continue moving up the depth chart. Good safety play There are some question marks regarding the safety position, but Reed Blankenship continues to be a lock on the first team. Blankenship took all the first-team reps at safety again as he forced an incompletion on A.J. Brown. Terrell Edmunds also got into the mix, having a pass breakup on a Hurts pass intended for DeVonta Smith on a crossing route. Since Smith typically has the edge on that play, Edmunds knocking the ball away showcased when he can do when he's lined up as a hybrid safety/linebacker in a big nickel package. With Blankenship seemingly a first-team lock, Edmunds and K'Von Wallace are the two top contenders for the other spot, with Sydney Brown moving up the depth chart. Christian Elliss Even with the new linebacker additions of Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham, Elliss is still in the mix to start at off-ball linebacker next to Dean. He had two tackles for loss on Sunday, one when D'Andre Swift was carrying the ball. Elliss continues to find the football and be in the right spot. Elliss is on this roster, but where he fits in the grand scheme of things is uncertain. At the worst, he provides excellent depth at off-ball linebacker. Depth chart notes The Eagles had just four healthy off-ball linebackers, so everyone got a shot at first-team reps. Christian Elliss and Shaun Bradley opened on the first team, with Nicholas Morrow following. Even undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren took some reps on the first team. New Eagles Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham were on the sidelines Sunday night, with Cunningham wearing No. 46 and Jack wearing No. 47. They will be in the mix for the first team reps next to Nakobe Dean. Haason Reddick was back on the first team in 11-on-11s. The first team defensive line was Reddick, Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, and Josh Sweat. Josh Jobe got first-team reps at cornerback with James Bradberry out. Kelee Ringo was with the second team and opposite him was Greedy Williams. Cam Jurgens got some first-team reps at center and Tyler Steen got them at right guard. The Eagles did the same thing last practice to give their veterans a rest. Injury report The Eagles have four players who did not participate in practice: Nakobe Dean (ankle), Patrick Johnson (ankle), Deon Cain (ankle), and James Bradberry (groin). The Johnson injury is not believed to be considered serious, which is tremendous news for the Eagles. Johnson was taken out on a cart and it initially was thought to be season-ending. Rookie defensive tackle Moro Ojomo was poked in the eye and headed to the sideline. He want into the locker room and did not return. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Dean is "close" to coming back. Dean has the green dot and is the play caller on the defense. He's missed the last few practices. 50,000 strong Keep in mind this was a light training camp practice with pads on. Eagles fans showed up in droves. This is the result of having one of the best teams in the NFL and being a Super Bowl contender. The 2023 season may be the most hyped season for the Eagles since the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb heyday from 2002 through 2004. So far, the Eagles are living up to that hype. The fans see it too. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/eagles-training-camp-notebook-day-7-jalen-hurts-impresses-50000-fans-at-lincoln-financial-field/
August 8, 20232 yr Author 1 hour ago, rrfierce said: Mariota is becoming a worry. throwing accuracy seems pretty bad at the moment. Hopefully he never has to see the field.
August 8, 20232 yr 7 hours ago, time2rock said: Eagles training camp notebook, Day 7: Jalen Hurts impresses 50,000 fans at Lincoln Financial Field Hurts gave the 50,000 fans at the only open Eagles practice a sight to behold Sunday night By Jeff Kerr Getty Images PHILADELPHIA -- Having Super Bowl hype certainly resonates around the city of Philadelphia, none more evident than what was displayed at the only open practice at Philadelphia Eagles training camp Sunday night. An estimated 50,000 fans entered Lincoln Financial Field to cheer on the Eagles, who are coming off a NFC championship and have one of the game's best quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts. The expectations around this team were on full display Sunday night, as fans got to watch their team take the field in their home stadium for the first time since the Eagles won the NFC Championship Game back in January. Just imagine how crowded training camp would be if the practices were still at Lehigh! Whether fans were just coming to get their hands on the new "Kelly Green" alternate jerseys or watching Jalen Hurts throw touchdowns to A.J. Brown, they certainly got what they came for Sunday. Some observations from the open practice: Jalen Hurts Hurts has been great throughout this camp, but the fans haven't gotten to see that first hand. Hurts and the first-team offense weren't on the field much Sunday night, yet they impressed in the limited reps. The play of the night was during the hurry-up drills (the situation was that the Eagles were down eight) and Hurts threw a perfect pass to Brown in the back left of the end zone for the touchdown. Brown was able to get both feet in on blanket coverage by Josh Jobe (who is having a very good camp, by the way). The touchdown was Hurts' lone touchdown pass of the night, and it was another practice where Hurts didn't throw an interception (he only has one in seven practices). As the crowd chanted M-V-P upon his entrance, Hurts delivered for them. Nolan Smith Smith has been impressive throughout training camp, and that continues in the open practice. He beat Tyler Steen for a sack and collapsed the pocket, while also showcasing his ability to generate pressure on both sides. Smith has been doing 1-on-1s against Lane Johnson and that has certainly helped his game. The Eagles may not experiment with him as an off-ball linebacker as much, so he can get back to learning on the edge. His speed will significantly help the pass rush. Sydney Brown Watch out for the rookie come the preseason games. Even though Brown is on the second and third team at safety, he's ready to hit someone at all times. His closing speed down the field stood out in the lone live session of practice (the Eagles aren't hitting much in other practices). Kennedy Brooks felt the aftershock of Brown's hit in the live period, as the rookie is waiting to showcase what he can do when he actually does get to make a play. Brown almost clobbered Joseph Ngata in the live period too, but he held up before contact. Brown is going to get a lot of looks this preseason as he wants to continue moving up the depth chart. Good safety play There are some question marks regarding the safety position, but Reed Blankenship continues to be a lock on the first team. Blankenship took all the first-team reps at safety again as he forced an incompletion on A.J. Brown. Terrell Edmunds also got into the mix, having a pass breakup on a Hurts pass intended for DeVonta Smith on a crossing route. Since Smith typically has the edge on that play, Edmunds knocking the ball away showcased when he can do when he's lined up as a hybrid safety/linebacker in a big nickel package. With Blankenship seemingly a first-team lock, Edmunds and K'Von Wallace are the two top contenders for the other spot, with Sydney Brown moving up the depth chart. Christian Elliss Even with the new linebacker additions of Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham, Elliss is still in the mix to start at off-ball linebacker next to Dean. He had two tackles for loss on Sunday, one when D'Andre Swift was carrying the ball. Elliss continues to find the football and be in the right spot. Elliss is on this roster, but where he fits in the grand scheme of things is uncertain. At the worst, he provides excellent depth at off-ball linebacker. Depth chart notes The Eagles had just four healthy off-ball linebackers, so everyone got a shot at first-team reps. Christian Elliss and Shaun Bradley opened on the first team, with Nicholas Morrow following. Even undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren took some reps on the first team. New Eagles Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham were on the sidelines Sunday night, with Cunningham wearing No. 46 and Jack wearing No. 47. They will be in the mix for the first team reps next to Nakobe Dean. Haason Reddick was back on the first team in 11-on-11s. The first team defensive line was Reddick, Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, and Josh Sweat. Josh Jobe got first-team reps at cornerback with James Bradberry out. Kelee Ringo was with the second team and opposite him was Greedy Williams. Cam Jurgens got some first-team reps at center and Tyler Steen got them at right guard. The Eagles did the same thing last practice to give their veterans a rest. Injury report The Eagles have four players who did not participate in practice: Nakobe Dean (ankle), Patrick Johnson (ankle), Deon Cain (ankle), and James Bradberry (groin). The Johnson injury is not believed to be considered serious, which is tremendous news for the Eagles. Johnson was taken out on a cart and it initially was thought to be season-ending. Rookie defensive tackle Moro Ojomo was poked in the eye and headed to the sideline. He want into the locker room and did not return. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Dean is "close" to coming back. Dean has the green dot and is the play caller on the defense. He's missed the last few practices. 50,000 strong Keep in mind this was a light training camp practice with pads on. Eagles fans showed up in droves. This is the result of having one of the best teams in the NFL and being a Super Bowl contender. The 2023 season may be the most hyped season for the Eagles since the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb heyday from 2002 through 2004. So far, the Eagles are living up to that hype. The fans see it too. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/eagles-training-camp-notebook-day-7-jalen-hurts-impresses-50000-fans-at-lincoln-financial-field/ The national media's negative spin on Philadelphia fans is dead. This and the standing ovation for a struggling Philly player spits in their faces.
August 8, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, rrfierce said: Mariota is becoming a worry. throwing accuracy seems pretty bad at the moment. he’s garbage and i cannot believe they went after him in the first damn place. smh
August 9, 20232 yr 6 hours ago, time2rock said: Hopefully he never has to see the field. I'm hoping he sees plenty of 4th quarter garbage time while we milk large leads.
August 9, 20232 yr 26 minutes ago, brkmsn said: I'm hoping he sees plenty of 4th quarter garbage time while we milk large leads. Guess he should work on his handoffs/kneel downs
August 9, 20232 yr Author Eagles training camp observations: Throwing new linebackers into the fire The Eagles were back at practice on Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex. Here are some observations from practice By Dave Zangaro • Published August 8, 202 After an off day on Monday the Eagles were back on the practice field at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday in pads. This was the first of three straight practice sessions. They’ll hold a private practice at the Linc on Wednesday. It’s game week, by the way. The Eagles face the Ravens in Baltimore on Saturday night. But for now, here are some observations from the latest session: 1. As always, we’ll start with housekeeping: • The Eagles made some roster moves before practice began, activating Devon Allen off active/NFI, signing WR Johnny King and releasing OT Chim Okorafor and OT Trevor Reid. • Rookie defensive tackle Moro Ojomo was back at practice on Tuesday. That’s notable because he got poked in the eye Sunday at the Linc. He wasn’t listed on the injury report. • Numbers for a few new guys: Myles Jack 47, Zach Cunningham 52, Johnny King 43, Josh Andrews 74 • Here is the injury report from the start of practice: Will not practice: Nakobe Dean (ankle), Patrick Johnson (ankle), Deon Cain (ankle) Limited: James Bradberry (groin), Devon Allen (calf) Bradberry missed two practices with the groin injury. He returned on Tuesday but didn’t participate in any team drills. Dean is still out but was working with a trainer on a side field so he could be back soon. Johnson was a spectator at practice. 2. The Eagles didn’t wait very long to get their new linebackers on the field. Both Jack and Cunningham watched practice on Sunday night at the Linc but they were in pads participating on Tuesday. In fact, Jack even got a lot of first-team reps. While there was some mixing and matching, he and Nicholas Morrow began the day as the first-team linebackers and eventually Christian Elliss mixed in with that first group. Cunningham began his day working with the second team. Jack had at least one run stop. But it’s also worth mentioning that without Dean (ankle), it’s hard to really see the depth chart. Still, it’s notable that Jack got as many first-team reps as he did on Tuesday. Both linebackers also got some work in the developmental 7-on-7 drill at the end of of practice. They just need reps right now but look pretty good considering they just arrived. 3. Some other depth chart notes: • Without Bradberry in team drills, second-year cornerback Josh Jobe continues to get first-team reps opposite Darius Slay. • The Eagles continue to mix-and-match at safety but the constant has been Reed Blankenship with the starters. More on him in in a moment. Terrell Edmunds and K’Von Wallace split those other first-team reps. Rookie Sydney Brown is getting a ton of second-team reps as he works his way up the depth chart. • While the Eagles obviously rotate on their defensive line, it’s worth nothing that Jalen Carter got some first-team action. Like most rookies, he has to earn his way up the depth chart and it looks like he’s doing that. • Saw UDFA cornerback Mekhi Garner getting some second-team reps opposite Kelee Ringo. Garner has been way more active than fellow UDFA corner Eli Ricks this summer. • Some big changes to the second-team offensive line. The Eagles had newcomers Josh Andrews at center and Josh Sills at left guard. The second-team offensive line looked like this (from left to right): Tyler Steen, Sills, Andrews, Sua Opeta, Jack Driscoll. The third team: Fred Johnson, Brett Toth, Julian Good-Jones, Cameron Tom, Dennis Kelly. Toth really struggled with his snaps all training camp and it was clear the Eagles had to make a switch from him being the second-team center. At least Andrews can help the second-team offense by getting the ball cleanly to Marcus Mariota. 4. Blankenship had the play of the day in coverage on Quez Watkins. It wasn’t a good toss from Jalen Hurts, who underthrew the pass by a good bit. But Blankenship covered a lot of ground to make a diving catch near the sideline and was ruled inbounds. Blankenship has looked good all summer, just like he did in his rookie training camp. He’s a starting safety for this team. There was another play from Hurts that some might have ruled an interception but I’m not. It was in a situational period and he basically had to throw the ball; there was no reason to hold it in an end-of-game situation with the offense trailing. Janarius Robinson was in his face and it would have been a sack well before he threw up a ball that was caught by safety Justin Evans. 5. Hurts’ best pass of the day came on a deep ball to Olamide Zaccheaus down the sideline during 7-on-7s. It was about a 40-yarder to the Eagles free agent pickup who got behind Slay. Zaccheaus had a chance at a deep ball from Mariota in team drills but he couldn’t haul it in. It hit off his outstretched hand. Overall, it wasn’t the best day from Hurts — some ups and downs — but he had a few highlights like that pass to Zaccheus. He also hit Watkins on a deep crosser and connected with DeVonta Smith a few times. But he missed several throws too. 6. A few notes from OL-DL 1-on-1: • We sometimes take for granted how good Lane Johnson is. He engulfed Haason Reddick to start the drill off. A bit later, Reddick ripped around the right tackle and I was shocked because I thought he beat Johnson. Nope. That rep came against Driscoll. • For the most part, Cam Jurgens has done a really nice job against Fletcher Cox in these 1-on-1s but I thought Cox got the best of him today in their matchup. • Great rep for Landon Dickerson against Milton Williams, who couldn’t get anything going. Likewise, Jordan Mailata shut Derek Barnett down. • Finally saw some strong flashes from Carter in 1-on-1s. He beat Toth inside on his first rep and later in the period had a strong power rush against Sills that sent him to the ground. He also made a play in team drills and got some first-team reps. • Nolan Smith vs. Fred Johnson is not fair to Johnson. Smith flashed speed on the edge and then cut back inside for a clear path to the QB. • Ojomo overpowered Cameron Tom and it looked like Tom held him. Tom ended up on the ground. 7. Joseph Ngata is the depth receiver who has impressed me the most this summer. He continues to catch a ton of balls in practice. Mariota hit him for his first completion of the day. Thought it was a cleaner day of practice for the backup QB too. 8. Early in practice, the group of Eagles’ kick returners were Boston Scott, Rashaad Penny, Allen, Kenny Gainwell and A.J. Brown. Later in the day, they worked on fielding some squib kicks, which might be more commonplace with the new rule that allows fair catches on kickoffs to set up offenses at the 25-yard line. 9. After a quiet start to camp, I’m starting to see more from Penny, especially on stretch runs. He had one on Tuesday to the left side of the field that allowed him to show his burst. 10. Hurts simply missed D’Andre Swift on a screen Tuesday, which is something we haven’t seen much of this summer. While the screen game might be used more this season, it’s important to remember that Swift can catch more than screens. We’ve seen him run wheel routes, Texas routes, line up in the slot and on Tuesday, we even saw him line up outside a couple times. Stupid Observation of the Day: Brown has been wearing the loudest cleats in the history of football: https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/eagles-training-camp-observations-throwing-new-linebackers-into-the-fire/531732/
August 9, 20232 yr Author 9 hours ago, brkmsn said: I'm hoping he sees plenty of 4th quarter garbage time while we milk large leads. Yes good point. I was thinking strictly along the lines of Hurts staying healthy, but yes that would obviously be huge. Or toward end of the season with (**knock on wood**) the #1 seed locked up so can rest starters a bit.
August 10, 20232 yr Author Eagles 2023 training camp practice notes, Day 9: Almost a fight, and, guess who A recap of everything important from Eagles training camp Wedneday. BY JIMMY KEMPSKI PhillyVoice Staff COLLEEN CLAGGETT/FOR PHILLYVOICE Derek Barnett #96 of the Philadelphia Eagles takes the field during practice at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. on August 6, 2023. Day 9 of Philadelphia Eagles training camp was at Lincoln Financial Field, but this time with limited fans in attendance. The team mostly worked on two-minute scenarios, as well as situations where the offense was backed up against the shadow of its own end zone. • The two plays of the day were made by Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota, who each dropped gorgeous bombs down the left sideline for completions. Britain Covey was on the other end of the Mariota deep ball, while (big surprise) A.J. Brown hauled in the throw from Hurts. Covey beat Zech McPhearson, while Brown beat Kelee Ringo. In our Day 8 practice notes, we pointed out that Mariota looked better, perhaps partly as a result of a change at second-team center from Brett Toth to Josh Andrews. Toth couldn't snap in shotgun. Andrews can. Hurts' deep ball came on a "backed up against their own end zone" session. Nick Sirianni likes calling shot plays when his offense is backed up, with the most noteworthy example being the 91-yard completion to Quez Watkins during the 2021 season. I think that's a smart idea. Opposing defenses tend to get a little over-aggressive in those situations, expecting the offense to play conservatively, and they can leave themselves vulnerable for a shot play down the field. On the downside, Hurts made a bad decision on a throw to a running back in the flat that maybe should have been pick-sixed by Justin Evans, who was in good position to make a play on the ball but couldn't finish. It was a "just OK" day overall for Hurts. • DeVonta Smith missed today's practice due to personal reasons. The first-team receivers were Brown, Watkins, and Olamide Zaccheaus. Second-team was Covey, Greg Ward, and Joseph Ngata. In addition to the deep ball he hauled in, Covey was also active in the middle of the field. • Nakobe Dean was a limited participant in practice after missing each of the last three practices. He did not participate in 11-on-11's. I thought it was a good day for the linebackers. Newcomer Zach Cunningham had a nice pass breakup, when he dove from a trail position in front of a slant route by Grant Calcaterra for a pass breakup. I also thought Christian Elliss and Nick Morrow filled holes aggressively against the run for tackles for loss. The linebackers have largely not stood out throughout camp, but today was a good day. • We almost had out first fight of training camp. Derek Barnett threw Landon Dickerson to the ground well after the whistle on one play, and then tried to fight him, but was pulled away. Barnett was flagged for a personal foul, which, uh, doesn't happen often in practice. Barnett missed the first few practices of camp while recovering from his torn ACL, so he's probably not 100 percent. That said, this personal foul penalty is the most notable thing he has done this camp. If I were choosing to award a roster spot between him and, saaayyy, Janarius Robinson, for example, it would be a pretty easy decision for me to keep Robinson. If I'm Howie Roseman, I'm kindly asking Sean Desai to make sure Barnett gets plenty of opportunities to make plays during the preseason games to sucker some team into trading for him. • One of the players whose stock is very clearly up relative to pre-camp expectations is K'Von Wallace. However, Wallace had play today on an RPO in which he bit hard on a fake to the running back. Hurts kept it, and had wide open spaces on Wallace's side of the field. Wallace is a good tackler. He only had two missed tackles the last two seasons vs. 43 tackles, per ProFootballReference.com. However, he has not shown that he can be reliable in coverage in previous seasons, and there have been times that he has been out of position against the run. I think he has been better in coverage this camp than he has in any other camp, but his awareness against the run is maybe still a work in progress. • One of the common matchups we have seen since Tyler Steen has started getting more reps at LT has been Steen against Nolan Smith. Smith has had a good camp as a rookie, but Steen has mostly won those matchups pretty easily. Steen can play. He's already better than Jack Driscoll both at guard and tackle, in my opinion, • Tanner McKee can throw a slant. Today he hit newly signed Johnny King on a quick slant for a score. It came out on time and with some zip. But again, McKee's next pass over 20 yards will be his first, I think. In other QB3 competition news, Ian Book is vying to become the most sacked quarterback per practice rep in Eagles training camp history. • We have punting updates! I missed Arryn Siposs' first two punts. Sorry, I have failed you all. I did see Ty Zentner's. He had hangtimes of 4.82 and 4.90 (perfectly acceptable), and while I couldn't get an exact distance on those punts from my vantage point, they looked decent enough. Siposs later had a great punt of close to 60 yards that rested inside the 5-yard line. Big improvement from both punters from their most recent punting sessions on Sunday night. https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-2023-training-camp-practice-notes-day-9-almost-fight-derek-barnett/
August 11, 20232 yr Author Eagles training camp notes: Nolan Smith earns praise, DeVonta's quick feet and more In the latest training camp notes, nuggets on Nolan Smith, DeVonta Smith's feet, Sirianni's coaching and more By Dave Zangaro • Published August 9, 2023 It’s a busy time in the Eagles’ summer. They’re smack-dab in the middle of back-to-back-to-back training camp practices for the first time all training camp and the first preseason game is just a few days away. So before any of this gets lost, it’s time to clean out the notebook with a few great nuggets: Nolan Smith earns high praise It probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise that rookie first-round pick Nolan Smith has flashed so far in training camp. And it seems likely that he’s going to become quite a fan favorite in Philadelphia. Smith already seems to be earning some attention and praise from his new teammates, including the Eagles’ All-Pro right tackle. "I’m not comparing him to this guy, but you see Micah Parsons,” Lane Johnson said, "a guy that has tremendous speed, was undersized, was at linebacker and then they put him on the line of scrimmage and you see what he’s doing now. A guy with that type of quickness, that type of burst is a threat every time he’s on the ball because he can get a tackle turned. And once he does that, he can kind of have his way. You can never have enough explosive guys on the edge. Everybody has their uniqueness. “[Smith] as a young guy, as he develops and gets stronger and he can have a good power game and set up everything off of that, it’s going to be tough to stop him. What I like about Nolan is he’s a sponge, man. He’s always asking questions, he’s always a positive kid too. He reminds me a lot of [Brandon Graham] with just the positivity everyday and what he brings. I think the sky’s the limit for him. He’s just scratching the surface with what he’s going to be.” It’s worth noting that Smith has beaten several offensive linemen this camp but Johnson has handled him pretty routinely when they’ve faced off. The good news for Smith is that he won’t have to see Johnson on Sundays. Is DeVonta even human? When the Eagles released a video of DeVonta Smith destroying a ladder drill last week, it went viral because it looked like someone sped up the tape. Just take a look: "For me, ladders … that’s the way to get loose and things like that,” Smith said on Sunday. "Get your feet going and things. As a receiver, that’s what it’s all about, the hands and the feet. Myself being a smaller guy, it’s more of my feet than my hands. Gotta make sure that I have my feet well intact to go out there and do the things I need to do.” Smith has had the reputation as a master route runner dating back to his days at Alabama and so much of his game begins with his quick feet. That viral video isn’t a one-off. We see this from Smith every day at practice. It’s worth noting that he takes every drill seriously. "You kind of just do the drills and that’s that and as you go, you get better and better,” Smith said. "If you’re not getting better doing the drill, then maybe you need to stop doing it and find another way to get better at doing footwork, things like that. Not all footwork drills are easy. There’s some that I can do, there’s some that I can’t do. The ones that I can’t do, I just stay away from them and find another way to work on my footwork.” Typically, the best players go first during individual drills. For instance, A.J. Brown is the line-leader for the Eagles’ receivers. But Smith always goes last. When asked about this earlier this week, Smith said he likes that position because he gets to see what everyone else does right and wrong so he can get the best rep possible. Sirianni’s philosophy on tough coaching Last Friday, the headline coming out of Eagles practice wasn’t about a play or a quote. It was seeing head coach Nick Sirianni screaming at Jalen Hurts after the star quarterback screwed up time management in a 2-minute drill. A few minutes later, Hurts punished himself with pushups on the sideline. Sirianni was asked about this sequence a few days later. "Shoot, when you can coach your best player the hardest, that's good for everybody,” he said. "All that's important is that you continue to get better at every different spot. So Jalen, you know, it's evident by who he is as a person. He craves and wants to be better at all times. I remember when I first got here, he was like, ‘Man, just coach me hard.’” And Sirianni has certainly done that in their time together. But Sirianni also wanted to point out that it’s just as important when he praises his players for doing something well. "My favorite type of accountability is when you're like, ‘That's exactly the way it's supposed to look,’” he said. "Then you're confirming exactly what you want. Our job as coaches is to make sure the job description is very clear, and there is no better form of accountability than, ‘Hey, great job. What a play.’ I have sure been doing a lot of that with Jalen this training camp.” Put him on offense? About halfway through offensive coordinator Brian Johnson’s press conference on Tuesday, veteran cornerback Darius Slay sneaked into the media tent and politely interrupted. Slay asked Johnson to put him on offense and the way Johnson shrugged it off, you could tell it wasn’t the first time. "Put you at receiver? Come on, let’s go,” Johnson said with a smile, before quickly turning his attention back to the presser. Back in 2021, Slay successfully lobbied to play on offense and earned a grand total of two snaps. Slay didn’t play at all on offense last year, but the Eagles did have a designed QB sneak with Fletcher Cox on the field, although it never ran in a game. Anyone else who lobbies for touches? "There's always Slay, there's always Fletch,” Johnson said. "Defensively, I don't know. We've got some of these young guys, Jordan Davis, and I know Jalen Carter played some fullback at Georgia, too, so we'll see. There are always some chances of some creativity.” On Sunday, the Eagles signed linebacker Myles Jack, who also played running back early in his career at UCLA. In fact, Jack was the Pac-12 Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2013. So maybe it won’t take long for Jack to start bugging Johnson too Although, for now, Jack does have a new defensive scheme to learn. https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/eagles-training-camp-notes-nolan-smith-earns-praise-devontas-quick-feet-and-more/531809/
August 11, 20232 yr Author Eagles 2023 training camp practice notes, Day 10: Dallas Goedert catches everything that comes his way In his latest Eagles training camp practice notes, Jimmy Kempski highlights Dallas Goedert's stellar play and more. BY JIMMY KEMPSKI PhillyVoice Staff COLLEEN CLAGGETT/FOR PHILLYVOICE Air Goedert Day 10 of Philadelphia Eagles training camp is in the books, and it was (I think?) the shortest practice of training camp to date, at around 50-55 minutes. So, you know, our notes will be a little shorter than normal. • Dallas Goedert catches everything that comes his way. Early in practice, Terrell Edmunds had good positioning on Goedert (a rarity for any defensive player this camp when trying to cover Goedert), but it didn't matter. Goedert reached in front of Edmunds and made the catch. Later, he beat Christian Elliss, which is nothing new. Linebackers simply haven't had a chance against him. I've seen reports out of Giants camp marveling at how Darren Waller has been uncoverable, and I think that Goedert hasn't gotten that same level of attention in Philly (a) because the Eagles have two star receivers also regularly making plays, while the Giants don't, and (b) Goedert isn't new here. In other words, saying that Goedert is good isn't exactly breaking news. But just to be clear, Goedert has had an outstanding camp. • Josh Jobe has had a good summer after making the team as an undrafted rookie free agent a year ago. On Thursday he stuck with Joseph Ngata after a double move and caused an incomplete pass, and he had a nice pass breakup while working against Tyrie Cleveland. Jobe has had some good battles so far with A.J. Brown as well. In my view he is the team's fourth corner right now, comfortably ahead of guys like Zech McPhearson, Kelee Ringo, Greedy Williams, or anyone else not named Darius Slay, James Bradberry, or Avonte Maddox. • I've been trying to specifically watch Sydney Brown a little more lately. In practices, he has neither made big plays yet nor has he been responsible for negative big plays. I don't know how either is possible with the way that he runs around like his hair is on fire. There was one play where the defense was in a 2-deep look, and Brown spotted a post route by Britain Covey coming his way from the opposite side of the field. Brown broke hard on it toward the middle of the field, and was correct that Marcus Mariota was going to Covey. However, Mariota held onto the ball for an extra beat and lofted the ball to the area of the field that Brown had just vacated. Brown was able to somehow hustle back to where the throw was headed and would have had a chance to break it up if it weren't off-target. He is an athletic beast, but there may be some early growing pains with his aggressiveness. • Mariota missed the throw noted above but he made several other nice ones. I thought his best throw of the practice was a window throw to the back of the end zone that should have been TD, but it was dropped by Grant Calcaterra. Mariota has been much better the last three practices after an alarming start to camp. • I liked what I saw from Olamide Zaccheaus today. He had a diving catch near the sideline in 7-on-7's, and was able to keep his feet in bounds. He also had a long TD on a busted coverage. Zaccheaus is pretty clearly behind Quez Watkins for starting slot receiver job, but there's still time. He'll be the No. 4 receiver, at worst. • Jalen Carter got one of his big paws on a football at the line of scrimmage today, giving Darius Slay a chance to pick it off. Carter had three batted passes in 2022, so that's part of his game. • D'Andre Swift ran a nice angle route today, and Mariota hit him in stride. Watch the 2:00 mark against the Dolphins and the 3:12 mark against the Packers in the video below. Watch him stick his foot in the ground and dust linebackers. [click on link to article below to view video] Nick Sirianni should be looking to make good use of that route this season with so much attention being paid to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside and Goedert up the seams. • Buncha catches again for Joseph Ngata. Nothing new there. Kinda want to see it in the preseason. • The fun part of training camp is coming up. Preseason game No. 1 is Saturday night, then a couple of joint practices with the Browns on Monday and Tuesday, and preseason game No. 2 on Thursday. https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-2023-training-camp-practice-notes-day-10-dallas-goedert-catches-everything/
August 11, 20232 yr On a side note.... you know those rubber caps on the helmets at practice? You know, the ridiculous looking things on their heads?. Well, rumor has it the NFL wants that to be the new NFL helmet, and must be worn at ALL times, regular season and all. I would like to hear all of your thoughts on that one. Hey, they made the "Allstar game" and sissy flag football game, so I bet they do it. If it turns out the NFL does this, I won't watch a league that's this screwed up. 🤣 https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-executive-hints-that-guardian-caps-could-eventually-be-worn-in-games-along-with-position-specific-helmets/
August 11, 20232 yr 38 minutes ago, Talonblood said: On a side note.... you know those rubber caps on the helmets at practice? You know, the ridiculous looking things on their heads?. Well, rumor has it the NFL wants that to be the new NFL helmet, and must be worn at ALL times, regular season and all. I would like to hear all of your thoughts on that one. Hey, they made the "Allstar game" and sissy flag football game, so I bet they do it. If it turns out the NFL does this, I won't watch a league that's this screwed up. 🤣 https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-executive-hints-that-guardian-caps-could-eventually-be-worn-in-games-along-with-position-specific-helmets/ A lot of " they could" "maybes" and " some day" in that article.... I highly doubt they ever do it for regular season games because it covers the logos on the helmet and the NFL won't go for that. They much rather the money from the merchandise.
August 12, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, Bwestbrook36 said: A lot of " they could" "maybes" and " some day" in that article.... I highly doubt they ever do it for regular season games because it covers the logos on the helmet and the NFL won't go for that. They much rather the money from the merchandise. What, you don't want to buy a helmet and then buy the protective case too?
August 12, 20232 yr Author 14 hours ago, Talonblood said: On a side note.... you know those rubber caps on the helmets at practice? You know, the ridiculous looking things on their heads?. Well, rumor has it the NFL wants that to be the new NFL helmet, and must be worn at ALL times, regular season and all. I would like to hear all of your thoughts on that one. Hey, they made the "Allstar game" and sissy flag football game, so I bet they do it. If it turns out the NFL does this, I won't watch a league that's this screwed up. 🤣 https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-executive-hints-that-guardian-caps-could-eventually-be-worn-in-games-along-with-position-specific-helmets/ What I think of when I see the Guardian Caps:
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