SB Nation - Joselio Hanson

San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:00:18 -0000

vs.

The 49ers remain on the periphery of the playoff race (I will most definitely NOT say in the thick of it at this point for karma purposes). They find themselves heading into Philadelphia badly in a need of a win in a game that most people don't give them much of a chance in. We've moved past moral victories, so while I won't be stunned by a loss, keeping it close in Philly won't exactly make me happy as a clam.

The 49ers travel to Philadelphia in what will be the 29th meeting between the two teams, with San Francisco holding a 17-10-1 advantage in the series. The 49ers and Eagles have matched up six times this decade, but this week’s game will mark the first in Philadelphia since 2005.

San Francisco enters the upcoming game following a 24-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. In that game, the 49ers defense created 7 turnovers, while RB Frank Gore rushed for 167 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown. TE Vernon Davis leads all NFL receivers with 11 touchdown receptions after registering a 5-yard score from QB Alex Smith against Arizona and is only the 9th tight end in NFL history to record at least 11 touchdown receptions in a season. The NFL record is 13, held by TE Antonio Gates (2004).

Last week’s contest marked the third week in a row that the 49ers defense had posted at least 4 sacks in a game. San Francisco now ranks tied for 7th in the NFL with 34 sacks and a +6 turnover ratio. The 49ers 18 forced fumbles rank tied for 1st in the NFL in 2009 and are tied for the most by the team in a single season (1996 - 18), dating back to 1992.

49ers-Eagles Connections
Coaching Connections
• Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhingweg was the 49ers offensive coordinator and QBs coach from 1997-2000. In 1998, the 49ers became the first team since the 1941 Chicago Bears to lead the league in gross passing and rushing yards thanks in large part to Mornhinweg’s guidance. Mornhinweg attended Oak Grove HS in San Jose, where he was the Northern California POY and an all-state performer.
• 49ers secondary coach Johnnie Lynn and Eagles WRs coach David Culley coached together with the Tampa Bay Bucs from 1994-95.

FORMER EAGLES - Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye was on the Eagles roster in 1969 ... Pass rush specialist coach Al Harris played with the Eagles for two seasons (1989-90) ... SS Michael Lewis was drafted by the Eagles in the 2nd round in 2002 and played in Philadelphia for 5 years. He earned a Pro Bowl invitation in 2004 ... LB Takeo Spikes spent the 2007 season with the Eagles, starting 14 games ... Strength and conditioning coach Duane Carlisle served as the Philadelphia Eagles speed development consultant from 2000-04. Carlisle also coached at
Penn State from 1989-92 ... Director of pro personnel Tom Gamble entered the NFL as an assistant for the Eagles player personnel department in 1996. He is the son of former Eagles president Harry Gamble and was born in Cherry Hill, NJ ... Area scout Todd Brunner first joined the Eagles as a scouting intern in 1992 and worked as a scouting assistant in 1993.

FORMER 49ERS - CB Joselio Hanson, a native of Playa del Rey, CA, was originally signed by the 49ers as a rookie free agent in 2003 and appeared in 13 games for the 49ers.

49ERS PENNSYLVANIA CONNECTIONS - RB Michael Robinson played collegiate football at Penn State ... CB Shawntae Spencer is from Rankin, PA ... Rookie LB Scott McKillop hails from Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

EAGLES NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONNECTIONS - Head Coach Andy Reid spent time as the offensive coordinator at San Francisco State from 1983-85 ...TE coach Tom Melvin is a native of Redwood City, CA, and began his coaching career at San Francisco State from 1982-85 and attended Cubberley HS in Palo Alto ... Special assistant/defense Brian Stewart served as defensive backs coach at San Jose State (1997-98) ... WR DeSean Jackson played at Cal and is a native of Long Beach, CA ... TE Alex Smith lettered at Stanford from 2001-04.

PLAYER CONNECTIONS
• 49ers DT Justin Smith and Eagles G/T Stacy Andrews were teammates with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-07.
• 49ers DT Demetric Evans was a teammate of Eagles DE Chris Clemons and LB Jeremiah Trotter for the Redskins (2004-05).
• 49ers LB Parys Haralson and Eagles LB Omar Gaither were teammates at Tennessee from 2002-05.
• 49ers G Chilo Rachal played at USC with Eagles DT Mike Patterson and T Winston Justice.

Series Highlights
Matchups: 28
Series Record: 49ers lead series 17-10-1
49ers Away Record vs. Eagles: 49ers Lead Series 9-3-1
First Meeting: 10/6/51, Eagles win, 21-14, at Philadelphia
Last Meeting: 10/12/08, Eagles win, 40-26, at San Francisco
Current Streak: Lost 3
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 5 (9/23/84 - 11/29/92)
Longest Eagles Win Streak: 3 (9/18/05 - Present)
Most 49ers Points: 38 (Two Times), Last: 38-28, at ~~San Francisco~~ Philadelphia
Most Eagles Points: 42 (9/18/05), 42-3, at San Francisco
49ers Shutouts: 1 (12/29/96), 49ers win 14-0, at San Francisco
Eagles Shutouts: None

PHILADELPHIA 40, SAN FRANCISCO 26
At ~~Glendale, AZ~~ Philadelphia, PA, October 20, 2008

The Philadelphia Eagles forced 3 turnovers during a 23-point 4th quarter of a 40-26 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. CB Donald Strickland returned a blocked FG 41 yards for aTD on the final play of the 1st half and the momentum carried into the 3rd quarter when the 49ers scored 10 points to take a 26-17 lead.

After the Eagles rallied back to take a 27-26 lead with 7:38 left to play, the 49ers next three drives ended in turnovers that set up scores for Philadelphia. S Quintin Mikell intercepted a QB J.T. O’Sullivan pass and returned it to the San Francisco 7-yard line to set up a short FG. On the next series, Eagles DE Trent Cole forced a fumble on a sack of O’Sullivan, allowing Philadelphia to recover at the San Francisco 20-yard line to set up another short FG for a 33-26 lead with 1:10 left. San Francisco got past midfield on the next drive when O’Sullivan connected with WR Josh Morgan on a 25-yard gain, but two plays later with 48 seconds to play, O’Sullivan was picked off by DE Juqua Parker, who returned it 55 yards for a score to seal the 40-26 win.

Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb threw for 280 yards and 2 TDs while RB Correll Buckhalter, playing in place of an injured Brian Westbrook, had 93 yards rushing and 85 yards receiving. Philadelphia took a 7-6 1st quarter lead and then added 10 points in the 2nd quarter for a 17-6 lead. PK Joe Nedney hit a 53-yard FG with 34 seconds to play, but Philadelphia moved to the San Francisco 36-yard line with one second remaining on the clock before halftime. The Eagles sent PK David Akers on to the field to attempt a 54-yard FG DE Ray McDonald blocked the kick, and Strickland scooped up the loose ball and ran 41 yards for the score to make it a 17-16 game at the half. RB Frank Gore had his second 100-yard game of the year with 101 yards on 19 attempts.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		EAGLES (rank)
6-7 (2nd NFCW)	Record	9-4 (1st NFCE)
20.7 (18th)	Points per game	28.6 (3rd)
288.6 (27th)	Total Offense	360.2 (11th)
98.8 (24th)	Rushing Offense	106.1 (19th)
189.8 (22nd)	Passing Offense	254.1 (10th)
29:31 (16th)	Possession Avg	28:30 (25th)
18.6 (8th)	Points allowed/gm	21.0 (t-16th)
338.6 (18th)	Total Defense	320.1 (10th)
95.0 (5th)	Rushing Defense	101.5 (10th)
243.6 (27th)	Passing Defense	218.6 (18th)
34 (t-7th)	Sacks	36 (t-4th)
47.8 (2nd)	Punting Avg (Gross)	41.7 (27th)
+6 (t-7th)	Turnover Differential	+15 (3rd)

The Linc - Eagles and Cowboys and Giants... Oh my.

JasonB — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:00:25 -0000

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FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Walkthrough: December of Destiny
Last Monday at midnight, the odometer flipped. The warranty expired. Fairy Godmother hooked her wand to the charger and went to bed. It was December 1. It was time for the Cowboys to stink, and for the Eagles to surge.

Eagles' chance to 'put their mark' on division | Philadelphia Daily News | 12/10/2009
"Right now the Philadelphia Eagles are playing as well as anybody and they are going to have a chance to put their mark on this division," analyst Cris Collinsworth said. "Big game," added NBC's Tony Dungy. "The Giants got their running game going last week. Philly has got to get their running game going to keep that defensive line off Donovan McNabb."

Eagles Notes: Joselio Hanson overjoyed to be back | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/10/2009
"I compare it to when I got released by the 49ers, and I was out for the whole year," the Eagles cornerback said yesterday before his first practice since returning from a four-game suspension. "It was even worse because it was something so innocent. It was tough."

Tom Coughlin congratulates Andy Reid | Philadelphia Daily News | 12/10/2009
Fired in Jacksonville, embattled in New York, Tom Coughlin knows how tenuous an NFL head-coaching job can be. He looks down the New Jersey Turnpike and sees Andy Reid, Eagles Coach for Life, and Coughlin admires. "Andy Reid is an excellent football coach who is very deserving," Coughlin said. "He obviously has the loyalty of his owner, and vice-versa. He's to be applauded for that. However you want to look at it, it's a tribute to his staff and the job that they've done and continue to do."

Romo takes over as holder - NFC East Blog - ESPN
Koy Demter he is not.

Joselio Hanson rejoins Eagles

JasonB — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:00:35 -0000

A month ago Joselio Hanson was suspended for taking a banned over the counter diuretic.The four game suspension over and Hanson has rejoined the team and will be available this weekend against the Giants. Whether he'll play or not is still a question according to Reid.

"We haven't been able to do anything with him (for a month)," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "I just want to see where he's at. He's normally a hard worker, but he's been gone a month. I want to see what kind of shape he's in. I would hope that he'd be able to get back in there and go, but I'll have to see."

Assuming Hanson is in shape, his presence certainly won't hurt. Dimitri Patterson and Macho Harris didn't do a bad job in his absence, but another veteran back there is always helpful.

Keeping an Eye on the Other Beasts in the East

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:00:33 -0000

by Carolyn Kaster - AP

The Giants get a much needed bye this week, while the Eagles hope to stand tall against the Chargers.

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While the Cowboys visit the Packers, the other two Beasts that play this week will take on AFC West opponents. The Redskins will host the 6-2 Broncos. Meanwhile, the Eagles will face a Chargers team that just dropped the Giants for their fourth consecutive loss. The Giants are on a bye this week and are looking to regroup.

If Dallas can manage to defeat Green Bay, Philadelphia could ill-afford to drop to 5-4. Both teams play the late game tomorrow. After this week, they both have favorable matchups over the next two weeks: Dallas has two home games against Washington and then Oakland, while Philly will fly to Chicago and then return home to face Washington.

Should Washington lose to Denver tomorrow, its playoff hopes will more than likely be over.

More Beasts in the East after the jump.

Washington Redskins (2-6)

Last game: 17-31 Loss @ Atlanta

Next up: Home vs. Denver

Because of a concussion that Clinton Portis suffered last week, Ladell Betts will get the start against the Broncos. Betts, though, has been limited in practice by a foot sprain.

"It feels . . . it's a little sore when I was in there," Betts said. "I tried not to do anything too drastic because I didn't want to have any setbacks, but I was able to move around and I actually ran a couple of plays today, so that's a good start for me. I think I'll be able to go Sunday."

In last week's 31-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Betts provided a spark in the running game rarely seen in the Redskins' past 16 games.

The 'Skins lost S Chris Horton for the season.

Starting strong safety Chris Horton underwent surgery on an injured toe on Wednesday and he was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Reed Doughty will take his place as the starter.

Champ Bailey looks forward to playing against his old team.

On Sunday, when the Broncos play at the Washington Redskins, Bailey will revisit his former life for the first time since the megatrade 5 1/2 years ago that ended with Bailey (and a second-round draft pick) here and star running back Clinton Portis in Washington.

"It seems like a long time ago, honestly," Bailey said this week. "I've spent more time here than I spent there."

[snip]

Yet in all that time, Bailey has never suited up against the Redskins, the team that drafted him at No. 7 overall in 1999. The one time the two teams have played since, in 2005 in Denver, Bailey sat out with a hamstring injury.

Brian Dawkins knows all about playing the Redskins.

"I just know what to expect when I play these teams I have played them so long," he said. "I know this is going to be a ... every time that I have played the Redskins, it has been a physical battle. I come out of the game a lot sorer, if that is a word, because of those big bodies that they have.

"They pound [Clinton] Portis at you [and Ladell] Betts at you; take shots up top with these quick receivers they have. This has just been something that has been bred in me to anticipate certain things when I play the Redskins."

Lately, Denver has been giving up a ton of yardage in the second half.

For the first six games, the Broncos surpassed almost all expectations with how good they were on defense. The past two weeks, the stunner has been how quickly that magic disappeared. Denver has allowed 149 rushing yards per game after not allowing 100 to any of its first six opponents.

The Broncos allowed 321 total yards in the second half against Pittsburgh. They hadn't allowed more than 315 over an entire game before playing the Steelers.

Here's the NFL Game Center for the Broncos at Redskins.

New York Giants (5-4)

Last game: 20-21 Home Loss vs. San Diego

Next up: Bye

Yes, the Giants have lost four in a row, but they will be counting on a late season surge upon their return.

So is it time to put a fork in the Giants (5-4) with seven games remaining after their bye week? Not yet. Sure, the path to the playoffs is going to be hard with five of the remaining seven games coming against teams at least two games over .500, including three with division leaders and one against the Eagles, who crushed the Giants a couple of weeks ago.

What’s important to remember is that coach Tom Coughlin’s teams usually play their best when everybody has written them off.

Don Banks agrees that the Giants are not to be counted out. Tom Coughlin has dug his team out of this hole before and is looking to do it again.

None of it works right now, and this week, head coach Tom Coughlin, with his team's downward spiral paused but not stopped by its bye, came out and attempted to draw the bull's-eye on his own back. It's too soon to know if the attempt at deflection was successful, but it was admirable and set a nice example in terms of accountability.

"I thought it was perfectly clear, but let me express it so no longer does anyone else receive any type of blame,'' Coughlin said on Monday. "Let me start out by saying that I'm responsible for all of the decisions that are made with our football team. "The [red] zone decisions are my responsibility. They are nobody else's. No one else made a mistake. The quarterback did not make a mistake. The decision was mine.''

The Big Blue View rounds up the news out of New York. Most notably is their health watch: CB Aaron Ross and RB Danny Ware could make their return after the bye.

A healthy Ross should make a huge difference in their secondary.

"He's worked his tail off in rehab," said secondary coach Peter Giunta. "We're looking forward to having him back."

Upon his return, Ross will remain at cornerback. There has been some speculation that the Giants might move one of their corners - possibly Terrell Thomas - to safety once Ross returns to help out that beleaguered unit.

"We'll see," Tom Coughlin said. "I think that we do have to see Aaron practice a few days in a row before we make any kind of decisions."

LB Gerris Wilkinson was placed on IR this week.

Wilkinson leads the Giants in special teams tackles with 12 (seven solo), but will miss the rest of the season after suffering the injury in Sunday's loss to San Diego.

[snip]

To fill Wilkinson's roster spot, the Giants signed cornerback D.J. Johnson off Denver's practice squad. He was signed as a rookie free agent out of Jackson State in April but waived in September, then signed to the Broncos' practice squad two days later.

Lawrence Taylor was arrested.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)

Last game: 16-20 Home Loss vs. Dallas

Next up: @ San Diego

Matt Mosely thinks that Brian Westbrook could be heavily involved in the offense tomorrow.

I think the Eagles will ride Brian Westbrook in this game. Yes, I know this is a different team with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, but the Chargers did a nice job taking away the deep ball against the Giants. Westbrook appears to be healthy heading into this game, and I think he could give the Chargers' linebackers trouble in space.

While Westbrook is listed as probable, OT Jason Peters is questionable. Here are some other injured Eagles:

Linebacker Akeem Jordan (knee) was ruled out of Sunday's game, while linebacker Chris Gocong (hamstring), who sat out last week, is listed as probable. Defensive end Victor Abiamiri (knee) and safety Quintin Demps (ankle) are both questionable.

The Eagles' LBs are shuffling around again this week.

Starting weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan missed his second straight day of practice Thursday with a hyperextended knee and bone bruise and is unlikely to play Sunday. As a result, McDermott has decided to do some shuffling.

Will Witherspoon, who started the last two games at middle linebacker, will take Jordan's spot. Strongside linebacker Chris Gocong, who missed last week's loss to Dallas with a strained quadriceps and hamstring, will move into the middle. Rookie Moise Fokou, who replaced Gocong against the Cowboys, will stay there.

In passing situations, Witherspoon will be joined by Tracy White in the nickel defense.

CB Joselio Hanson has been suspended for four games for testing positive for a banned substance.

From also having lost CB/KR Ellis Hobbs for the season because of a neck injury he suffered against the Cowboys, the Eagles' secondary is thinning out.

In addition, the Eagles made a number of moves Wednesday, including signing cornerback to Ramzee Robinson and promoting cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu to the 53-man roster.

They also signed cornerback Stoney Woodson to the practice squad.

Andy Reid will be playing a game of offensive wits against Norv Turner.

The Eagles know Norv Turner from his days in Washington. Reid knows how Turner thinks, and he knows how Turner is going to try to attack the Eagles defense. Reid has to win this battle on the sidelines. As much as an NFL game is players vs. players, it is also coaches vs. coaches. The teams that make the adjustments and recognize opportunities to make plays often win games.

So this one is Reid vs. Turner. And it's Mornhinweg against Ron Rivera, the San Diego defensive coordinator. The Eagles must start fast, play physical, emotional football and execute the game plan with a minimum of errors.

Could the Bills be a fit for Michael Vick in '10?

Here's the NNFL Game Center for Philly @ San Diego.

The Linc - DeSean Jackson hires Drew Rosenhaus

JasonB — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:49 -0000

via www.benmaller.com

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Eagles have won big and dropped close ones | AP Texas Sports | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Andy Reid sees no difference in his team whether it's playing a close game or enjoying a blowout. It's just that his Philadelphia Eagles have been losing a lot of the close ones.

Eagles' first half a mixed bag
The Birds are 5-3 at the midpoint for the fifth time this decade. In each of the preceding four years when they've had that record, they not only went on to make the playoffs, but also got to the NFC championship three times.

N.F.L. Roundup - N.F.L. Bars Eagles’ Hanson From 4 Games for Drug Use - NYTimes.com
Hanson’s lawyer, David Cornwell, said in a statement that Hanson did not use steroids but tested positive for a diuretic after last year’s National Football Conference title game against Arizona. "Joselio did not use steroids or any other substance that would enhance his performance," Cornwell said.

Jackson joins the Rosenhaus family - NFC East Blog - ESPN
"My previous agents, if they're not doing anything they need to do, everybody wants to think of it in a negative way, 'I want to get paid.' All that. That's all good, but at the end of the day if I'm not being treated the way I needed to be from my other agents, then there's no point in me still being there," Jackson told Seltzer. "No matter if it was before the season or after the season or the middle of the season."

Before you panic too much about that last stories there's a few things to know. First, Drew Rosenhaus represents several current Eagles and other than that one guy has had a productive relationship with the team. The collecting bargaining agreements bars teams from reworking a players' contract until at least his 3rd year. So if you're thinking this move means you'll start hearing Jackson chirping about a new contract, you won't. At least for this year...

More after the jump

Beat-Up Birds to Shuffle LBs Against Chargers
With starting weak-side linebacker Akeem Jordan likely out with a hyperextended/bruised knee, the Eagles are shifting their starters. McDermott on Thursday reiterated what head coach Andy Reid said the previous day – who plays where will be based on the situation.

Sam Donnellon: Celek won't put positive spin on Eagles' record | Philadelphia Daily News | 11/12/2009
Said Celek: "We're making big plays and having consistent drives and scoring. And then, as you could see Sunday night, we just couldn't get going. When we didn't start the game off so well this last game, we let that carry over instead of starting over and saying, 'OK, let's get this thing going right now. We just kept carrying it on until the game was over."

Scout.com: Chargers Bring Swagger into Eagles Game
Do they have it again? Do the San Diego Chargers have that strut that oozes from successful teams and players confident in their abilities and ability to win?

Eagles Suddenly Thin at Cornerback

Bob_Q — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:45:25 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

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In a whirlwind Wednesday afternoon, the Eagles suddenly found themselves extremely thin at cornerback. Behind starters Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown a gaping chasm loomed. Nickleback/kick returner Ellis Hobbs was sent to the Injured Reserve for the rest of the season with a severe neck/spinal injury that will require surgery. When questioned about the injury, head coach Andy Reid had this to say:

"They think they can go in and fix it, where he would have an opportunity to continue his career," Reid said. "It's one of those things. It's too bad. He's done a nice job for us."

Call me paranoid, but that quote doesn't sound very promising for Hobbs' NFL future. Neck and head injuries can often be career-ending. I hope you'll all join me in wishing Hobbs the best thoughout his recovery.

To make matters worse, dimeback Joselio Hanson was suspended by the NFL for the next four games for the use of a banned diuretic taken before last year's NFC Championship game in Arizona. Hanson was tight-lipped about the situation, offering only this line via text message:

"I’m just going to say that the NFL don’t treat players the same."

Hanson, of course, is referring to the case of Vikings defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams, who tested positive last year for StarCaps, a similar diuretic. They appealed their suspensions and their case was overturned. Hanson's appeal was denied. He will now be placed on the Reserve/Suspended list without pay for the next four weeks and his loss will surely be felt by the Eagles' secondary and special teams.

To fill in for the two missing cornerbacks, the Eagles signed former Lion and "Mr. Irrelevant" of the 2007 draft Ramzee Robinson after an impressive workout earlier this week. According to Robinson, the young cornerback is ready and eager to fill Hobbs' shoes:

"I love to tackle. I love to hit. I just have a passion for the game. I really love the game of football. I take my job very seriously. I'm the guy that goes out and plays with his heart exposed." Robinson said. "It's just my mentality. I don't believe in taking plays off. I don't believe in finding the easy way out of things."

The team also activated Jack Ikegwuonu from the practice squad, who will play in his first regular-season game this Sunday. Ikegwuonu also appears ready to be a contributor in place of Hanson:

"It would be an understatement if I said (I was) excited," said a smiling Ikegwuonu. "I'm just ecstatic and just looking forward to whatever my role is, I don't care. I just want to help the team in whatever capacity it is.

As for Hobb's kick return duties, Jeremy Maclin, Quintin Demps, and Macho Harris will rotate in at returner until a permanent replacement is found. Finally, former Giant Stoney Woodson was brought back to the Eagles practice squad to take Ikegwuonu's place.

Joselio Hanson suspended for four games

JasonB — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:17:35 -0000

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Philadelphia Eagles' nickel back Joselio Hanson has been suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs. This from Adam Schefter's twitter:

Hanson took a diuretic before last season's NFC Championship game, tested positive after game, and lost his appeal Tuesday.

Hanson will begin his suspension by sitting out this Sunday's game at San Diego. He will also miss games at Chicago, versus Washington, and at Atlanta. He will be eligible to return from on December 13 when the Eagles take on the Giants in New York.

I've been super busy today.. so I cribbed this from our pals at SBNation.com

What they're saying - Eagles react to week 2 loss

JasonB — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:27:22 -0000

More photos » by Michael Perez - AP

A shot of the pregame festivities... it only went downhill from there. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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QB Kevin Kolb acknowledged his mistakes.

"It's frustrating because there were some good things out there. I just hate that I kill myself and kill the team with those turnovers," Kolb said. "As a quarterback, you can't allow yourself to do that. It puts us in the hole. It put us in the hole at the top of the third (quarter) and we couldn't recover. I saw it clear as day they were bad throws," Kolb said. "I left them inside and you can't do that on out breaking routes, first page of the quarterback book. It just upsets me that I make those errors."

Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott took responsibility for the way his unit played in the loss.

"I give all the credit to the Saints, Coach (Sean) Payton, and Drew Brees," McDermott said in the locker room after the game. "The whole offensive personnel and staff do a good job of keeping you off balance, and they did that today.

"We just need to execute and that begins and ends with me."

Eagles special teams coach Ted Daisher was pretty succinct in his assessment.

"We had a tough day," said special teams coordinator Ted Daisher. "We have to play a lot better than that."

More after the jump...

Did the wildcat formation throw off the rhythm of the QB or the offense?

"It really didn't," Kolb said.

"I don't think it disrupted us at all. The plays we used the Wildcat, it definitely was successful," Jackson said.

"That was one of the plusses," Reid said.

Joselio Hanson gave credit to Drew Brees.

"He gets the ball off quick," Eagles cornerback Joselio Hanson said. "It seemed like we were a step behind. He knows where he wants to go with the ball.

"Drew Brees is an animal. He's one of the best."

Ellis Hobbs talked about his back breaking fumble that led to the Saints breaking the game wide open.

"I got blindsided," Hobbs said. "I got away from one guy and saw nothing but green in front of me, and I didn't feel the guy coming from the back, and he made a good play on it."

Quintin Mikell talked about the sequence which saw the Eagles' defense give up two quick TDs after the Saints were given a short field to work with.

"That's tough," safety Quintin Mikell said "We put ourselves in a bad position and, as a defense, it really doesn't matter. We've been in that position before, and we've held people to field goals. That's something we've got to get better at. Those are the times, if you're a good defense and you want to be a great defense, you've got to stop that kind of stuff."

And finally... Andy Reid.

"Obviously there were too many mistakes, and that's my responsibility," Reid said. "I have to make sure this thing is right. It wasn't right today - any phase of it. In the first half, we had way too many penalties, and we were lucky to keep the game close. We came out in the second half and had turnovers, penalties and everything else."

BGN live report from Eagles training camp

JasonB — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:31:47 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

4 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb smiles on the sidelines during the morning session of NFL football training camp at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. on Friday, July, 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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I just caught the morning practice here at Lehigh University on this, the final day of Eagles training camp. After the jump, I'm basically going to cut and paste the notes I took from practice, but if you've got any specific questions about what I saw let me know.

Remember that this was a non-contact practice... so there wasn't much to see as far as the offensive line, line backers, and the running game.

First, the offensive line is finally getting healthy. Everyone but Shawn Andrews was back on the field practicing today.

McNabb was having a lot of fun today. He sprinted onto the field before the rest of the offense and was hamming it up for the crowds. He'd point to one half of the crowd for a cheer, then to other side to see if they could top it. Midway through practicing he had the sidelines cracking up as he was dancing for fans as they were taking pictures. Probably the funniest moment of the day came toward the end when McNabb came over to the crowd and got them to start an "Andy! Andy! Andy!" chant. Reid never looked over, but he did laugh and shake his head.

The play of the day came from Shaheer McBride, who made a fantastic one handed leaping grab on an overthrown A.J. Feeley pass. That drew huge cheers from the crowd. Overall, McBride actually had a very good day. He made a number of good catches in a hurry up drill towards the end of the day.

The most exciting part of practice was the WR vs DB one on one drills. Basically the WR lines up opposite the DB, the whislte blows and he tries to get open. The crowd would really get pumped for the big matchups, Desean Jackson vs Sheldon Brown, Asante Samuel vs Jason Avant, Maclin v Hobbs... The drill clearly favors the WR, so don't panic if it doesn't sound like the secondary did well...

Macho Harris struggled a bit as he was flat out burned by Jeremy Maclin and got a really tough move put on him from Reggie Brown. Harris tried to jam Brown, but Reggie basically threw off him and broke out over the middle for the catch... that drew an "Ohh!" from the crowd.

The premier matchup of the drill was Desean Jackson vs Sheldon Brown. Brown tried to jam him, but Desean side stepped it and just smoked him. Sheldon probably wasn't within 5 yards when Jackson caught the TD.

Maclin took on Brown and put a great move on Sheldon to get open over the middle. He should have had a TD but Maclin dropped the underthrown ball. Maclin's next turn was where he simply burned Macho Harris.

Jason Avant was clearly the best route runner of the bunch. He put great moves on both Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs. He actually beat Samuel deep on the final play of the drill. Actually, when Asante stepped up for that last play Desean Jackson ran over to the coaches and started campaigning for himself to be the WR to take on Asante. He clearly wanted a shot at Samuel. He was really excited however when Avant beat Asante.

Onto the full team drills...

Asante Samuel picked off Feeley in a very typical Asante way. He jumped a quick out pass and took the INT to the house. Asante Samuel, a quick out pass, and a QB that doesn't have a cannon arm is a recipe for disaster on the offense.

Omar Gaither was running with the number one defense. Joe Mays took snaps with them as well. It looks as if they are trying out the idea of "platooning" the guys where Mays takes running downs and Omar takes passing downs. It's hard not to love Gaither after going up to camp. He's by far the most vocal guy on the field.

Joselio Hanson broke up a McNabb pass to Brent Celek that would have been a first down in a hurry up drill.

Newly signed TE Rob Meyers made a nice 15 yard grab over the middle in double coverage during a hurry up drill. Also, he and Maclin both stayed on the field after practice to work on route running with coaches and to catch passes from Feeley.

Todd Pinkston and Desean Jackson seem to have taken a liking to one another. The two hung out mostly all morning. At one point, Pinky stood there tracing over Jackson's arm tattoo with a black magic marker. Odd.... Oh and for anyone wondering what Pinky's role would be as an intern coach, it seems he's mostly a cheerleader. He was out clapping and encouraging guys all day.

Lesean McCoy seemed to be used a lot like the Eagles use Brian Westbrook, he was even split out wide in 7 on 7 drills. He caught a rather long pass down the sideline that drill.

Special teams coach Ted Daisher probably showed more energy during the special teams drills than any of the players. That guy is intense.

Before practice, Ted Daisher has the punt team out and Jeremy Maclin & Danny Amendola were the only two return men. When the punt team re-assembled for some more work toward the end of practice, Desean Jackson joined those two.

G Cobb watched practice from the sidelines while listening to his iPod the entire time.

The team actually practiced a game ending kneel down. That prompted a lot of questions from the crowd, "Did they just practice taking a knee?"

Brian Westbrook came out to watch practice. He was hanging out on the side laughing with Desean Jackson. At one point McNabb saw him and yelled to the crowd "It's Brian! Then ran over to him pointing as he led the crowd in a Brian! Brian! cheer"

Eagles lock up Hanson

JasonB — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:54:55 -0000

The Eagles announced on Friday night that they've agreed to a five year deal with cornerback Joselio Hanson, who was due to become an unrestricted free agent.

"We are happy to keep Joselio in Philadelphia with a long-term contract," said head coach Andy Reid. "He's become a productive and valuable player on defense for us over the last few years, especially in nickel situations. Good cornerbacks are certainly a valuable commodity in this league and Joselio definitely fits that category."

Andy is right. Solid CBs are hard to find and Joselio has certainly developed himself into a capable nickel corner. I think he clearly outplayed Lito Sheppard this year, much of that on effort.

It's important to get deals with our guys done before free agency starts and this is certainly a good example of that. Hopefully Dawkins & Thomas are soon to follow.

Thanks to SaxManNate for the tip