SB Nation - King Dunlap

Jason Peters out for today

JasonB — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:18:57 -0000

Left tackle Jason Peters is out for Sunday's game against the Chargers with an ankle injury. Left guard Todd Herremans will slide out and start at left tackle. Nick Cole will start at left guard and Stacy Andrews will start at right guard.

Peters didn't practice this week, but said as long as the cross country flight didn't complicate things he would play. Maybe it was the long flight... but regardless Peters is out. It's good have Herremans there rather than King Dunlap but it's obviously far less than ideal against a good pass rush.

To further compound the rash of injuries, Quintin Demps will also miss today's game with an ankle injury. Not only was Demps slated to be the return man in the absence of Ellis Hobbs, he was also expected to see time at corner where he played fairly well at times last year.

This is arguably the worst shape the Eagles have been in since the start of the year. Couple with that with a cross country trip against a decent team... Let's just say we need a big gut check performance to win this game.

What they're saying - Eagles fall to Raiders

JasonB — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:46:53 -0000

Donovan McNabb didn't seem to acknowledge his own part in the troubles the Eagles had yesterday.

"I can speak for myself and should speak for everybody about the way we came out here and played. We are a much better football team. I've always said that for the young team that we have, that we have to take baby steps. There will be a point in time that we hit a wall and we didn't expect to hit the wall today. This is a learning experience and one that, for myself and as well as the veterans, we have to lead these younger guys to understand there will be times in the season that things don't go well."

Obviously the young lineman struggled, Brent Celek had some drops and had some awful efforts in the blocking dept, and Lesean McCoy missed at least one block... but I saw the young WRs getting open and McNabb failing to hit them. I don't feel like he acknowledged his poor play here. He seems to think it was a failure of leadership on his part, which may have some truth to it... but it was also a failure of execution on his part as well. Not only was he terribly inaccurate, he was attempting to call timeouts when the team had none which is something a veteran should know better.

Sheldon Brown voiced some obvious frustration on the part of the defense.

"You give up 13 points," cornerback Sheldon Brown said with a shrug. "Our goal has been to hold teams under 17 points ever since I've been here and we did that. It's just one of those damn dreams and we're still dreaming it."

Asante Samuel echoed that, "Thirteen points, you're supposed to win the game," he said. "But we didn't make the plays to win."

No doubt it had t be hard for the defense to go out and make stops time and time again only to see the offense go three and out time after time. That said, I would caution Sheldon and Asante that there were times that receivers were wide open and they won't have Jamarcus Russell to bail them out every week. A big part of the reason the score stayed 13 was because Russell was so bad. There's a good argument to be made that any other starting QB in football would have taken advantage of at least 2 opportunities by my count that could have ended in TDs. Plus, Asante's tackling was atrocious.

More after the jump

King Dunlap must have been watching a different game than we were.

"Seymour is a Pro Bowler, a really good guy. I didn't feel I was thrown in the fire. I always have to be ready . . . I have to be ready when my time is called. I did all right - I just have to get better."

You did not do "all right." A young reserve lineman against a pro bowler is a tough matchup for sure and I would have never expected Dunlap to shut down Seymour... but he was abused plain and simple.

Jason Peters talked about the frustration of having to watch from the sidelines.

"It was very disappointing, man, because we're so much better," said Peters, who injured his left knee in the first quarter. "We're so much better than that. It was disappointing just watching that. I wish I could be out there with them. If we were going to struggle, I wanted to struggle with them. It was disappointing sitting on the sideline."

Brian Westbrook on running(or not) the ball

"You never know. In hindsight, we would want to run the ball a whole lot more. You would want to control the clock a whole lot more. We've had a lot of success throwing the ball in these first four games, so it's hard to go away from that. I think that looking at it we had some success running the ball. Hopefully we will have more success."

Eagles lose to Raiders 13-9

JasonB — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:29:39 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

2 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, center, (5) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Greg Ellis, left, in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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It seems to happen every year. The Eagles lose a game they were supposed to win and it seems to happen in the same way. This loss was eerily reminiscent of last year's tie in Cincinnati. A road game against an inferior non-conference opponent where the offense was totally out of sorts, the QB was terrible, and injuries seemed to stack up.

Call it a trap game, blame it on a west coast trip, say they overlooked Oakland... Whatever the excuse... it was ugly.

The lines were bad, Donovan McNabb was bad, Andy Reid was bad, & David Akers didn't do his job. We'll break all that down after the jump. For now, we'll just say that this was a pretty embarrassing loss but it's the kind of loss we've seen them bounce back from before. With the Giants losing, they didn't lose any ground in the division and there's still plenty of time to turn this around. That said, when you turn in that kind of performance against one of the truly bad teams in the NFL it's hard to be confident in them doing that. We'll see on national TV next Monday night.

More after the jump.

Let's look at the major factors here.

The lines

The Eagles were absolutely worked on both sides of the line. The offensive was dreadful. An early injury that forced out Jason Peters gave way to King Dunlap getting absolutely abused for the better part of 3 quarters. Donovan McNabb was sacked 6 times and under a heavy rush all day. The worst seemed to come on the many third longs the Eagles were forced into. Max Jean Gilles was benched at one point in the game, but his replacement Stacey Andrews didn't appear to stop the bleeding. Everyone better cross their fingers that Peters can play next week and that Herremans can come back strong. That line out there today was ugly and will be be ugly if they're forced to trot it out again.

The defense generally did it's job and the play of the at unit combined with the play of Jamarcus Russell was probably the only things that kept us in the game... but the fact was that they really struggled to stop the run. The Raiders racked up 116 yards on the ground and continually went back to Justin Fargas off tackle when they really needed a play.

They were also bailed out by the poor play of Russell a few times. His second pick was an absolutely dreadful pass, he missed a wide open Louis Murphy on a play in the second half that very well may have resulted in a TD. He missed Zach Miller wide open a number of times... Had he been able to make a few decent throws and be smarter with the ball the Eagles likely could have been blown out today.

Andy Reid

48 called pass plays(incl 2 scrambles) and 12 called run plays(incl a -4 play to Vick). This was in a game that was within one score nearly the entire time. In a game where your QB was under siege thanks to a porous line and could barely hit an open WR when he did have time. What's worse, Brian Westbrook averaged over 8 yards a carry... Inexcusable.

Another thing I'm going to put on Andy Reid is the play of Jeremiah Trotter. I can't criticize Trotter for the way he played today. He gave everything he had and played the limits of his athleticism. He can't run any faster. He is who is... The fault is on Reid for putting him out there. I hate to say "I told you so" but when he was signed I said that I was afraid of exactly what happened today. The only TD of the game came on a play where Trotter was painfully too slow to catch up with a TE not known for his speed in Zach Miller. The quick dump to the back which sealed the game for Oakland came on a play we saw far too many times the last stint Trotter had here. Roll out the QB, isolate the back on Trotter and let him win a foot race to the first down marker. Trotter never had a shot. That's 100% on Reid.

Donovan McNabb

McNabb was out of sorts today. There's absolutely no denying that. Clearly, his offensive line did him no favors and he was getting hit quite a bit today... but the fact is that he missed open WRs and made poor throws all day. There was at least 3 plays where Maclin had a DB beat deep and McNabb overthrew him. If balls weren't sailing long they were being thrown in the dirt. It was the quintessential bad McNabb game. He has one or two of these every year. He's always been able to bounce back, but that doesn't make it ok. Even with everything that went wrong today, he could have salvaged this win by hitting a few open receivers.

David Akers

AKers was only 2 of 4 today. Missing two 40+ yard FGs that could have been the difference. The Eagles only lost by 4, so those 6 points would have won the game. He was terrible and unfortunately this isn't the first time his missed FGs have been the difference between a win and a loss.

Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor Battle for Seattle Seahawks Fifth Wide Receiver Position

John Morgan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:07:33 -0000

by Elaine Thompson - AP

Seattle's three starting receivers, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, started their careers as backups, but all three played their way into starting their first season. Housh took the longest to develop, not becoming a prime receiver until his fourth season. With Branch and Houshmandzadeh over 30 and Burleson 28, Seattle hopes one of Courtney Taylor (above) or Ben Obomanu establish themselves this season as potential starters for next season.

View full size photo »

Seattle could keep Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor, but I think it's possible one is cut. John Carlson can play wide receiver on four and five wide receiver sets. He's a better pure receiver than Obomanu or Taylor are or are ever likely to be. Carlson creates matchup problems with smaller defensive backs and can be motioned tight to counter blitzes. So though I projected both to make the final 53, that was in some part recognition that the fifth wide receiver battle is not yet won.

There's not a sure leader, though I think Taylor has an edge. He has been more active with the first team and has the only reception from Matt Hasselbeck. There's also a sense that Taylor has a greater organizational standing than Obomanu. When it became clear last year that Seattle would not start the season with Deion Branch or Bobby Engram, weeks before Obomanu broke his collar bone, Taylor was tapped to start at split end. He failed, of course.

Obomanu hasn't had a regular season reception since 2007. Both players become restricted free agents after this season, so future and upside are considerations. The two were teammates at Auburn. Obomanu was the better red zone receiver, but Taylor was the Tigers' number one receiver. He was the number one receiver for Auburn's 13-0, 2004 team*. A team that included Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams, Marcus McNeill, Jay Ratliff, Carlos Rogers, Will Herring, King Dunlap, Quentin Groves, Ben Grubbs, Kevin Hobbs, Anthony Mix, Pat Sims and Evander Holyfield's son, Evander Holyfield.

Taylor was the better prospect. Obomanu was a situational receiver. He had nine fewer receptions and only 46 more yards than Ronnie Brown, but he led the team in touchdown receptions: seven. Taylor had six.

Obomanu has the two's only professional touchdown reception. If Seattle needed a designated deep threat or red zone threat, Obomanu would be the favorite. But Deon Butler is the better deep receiver, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Carlson are better red zone receivers. Seattle's fifth receiver needs to be, simply, as good as possible. That favors Taylor.

Nothing is decided though. There's a sudden-death feel to Thursday. Both receivers have positives and negatives. Taylor is most recently healthy, but Obomanu's injury was fluky and he owns better overall health. Obomanu has been with the team longer, but Taylor is better integrated into the offense. Obomanu has more experience as a returner, but Taylor is the better gunner. Taylor is better insurance for Deion Branch, but Obomanu is better insurance for Nate Burleson.

Both should get plenty of looks on Thursday and both could be working out the kinks or playing for their job. Taylor has developed better chemistry with Seneca Wallace and Matt Hasselbeck, but Obomanu has developed better chemistry with Mike Teel. Wallace is down with a groin injury and, having not practiced, may not play this Thursday. Hasselbeck won't fill that space. He could see a series or two, or not play at all. Teel could start, but even if he doesn't, I expect him to play 3+ quarters and pass the ball 20+ times. That favors Obomanu. It all factors, because the body of evidence does not strongly favor either. One breakout showing against Oakland could be enough to secure either the fifth wide receiver spot.

*Tim Ruskell likes winners.

The Linc - Second String Show

JasonB — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:31 -0000

More photos » by AJ Mast - AP

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Eagles' D Struggles in Preseason Loss to Colts
"I don’t even know how to put it into words. That wasn’t Eagles defense, that wasn’t what we are about right there," safety Quintin Mikell said. "We need to work on a lot of things. Whenever you come in against a good team like that, you can’t really make mistakes. We had a lot of mistakes out there and we have to get better than that. That was not Eagles defense."

Second-string show in Indianapolis | Delawareonline.com | The News Journal
The Eagles had better hope injuries stop mounting before the regular season. If the lineup they trot out for the season opener resembles anything like Thursday night's patchwork squad against the Colts, they can forget Super Bowl aspirations.

Eagles coach Reid won't commit to letting Vick play in third preseason game | Philadelphia Daily News | 08/21/2009
"He had a good week of work," Reid said. "He got a good workout in today. We'll see how he does next week. We're shooting for the third game. We'll see. We've just got to get a feel on him throughout the week."

Rich Hofmann: Don't judge these Eagles by the preseason | Philadelphia Daily News | 08/21/2009
The Eagles don't look very good and they are not going to look very good until they have a semblance of a healthy team again. Given the stated prognosis for most of the wounded, and assuming that nobody is violating any pacts or anything, they should have a semblance of a healthy team by the start of the season, Sept. 13 at Carolina.

Hugging Harold Reynolds: An Unforgiving Person: Crooked Former Politician Has No Stomach for Mike Vick
A hypocritical politician? I don't believe it!

Much more after the jump including mayors playing fantasy football, King Dunlap's education, the onion on Vick, the Eagles turn down a tax credit, and lots more on last night.

Clout: Vick's worth at least $10,000 to the Eagles | Philadelphia Daily News | 08/21/2009
The Mayor's Office for the Re-entry of Ex-Offenders (MORE) offers a $10,000 tax credit for employers who hire people who have been released from prison.The Eagles however have said they won't seek the credit.

Eagles turn in 'embarrassing' effort, says Reid - NFC East - ESPN
Rob Myers is a guy the Eagles signed when Cornelius Ingram went down with a season-ending knee injury in camp. The guy's not Anthony Gonzalez, but he's a relatively large target and he appeared to look comfortable catching the ball. Eugene Bright out of Purdue is a neat story, but he's running out of time to make the transition from defensive end in college to NFL tight end.

PhillyBurbs.com: Another diamond in the rough for Birds
The Eagles have had great success unearthing linebackers in odd places. Now meet Moise Fokou, the latest in that lineage.

Eagles' Dunlap gets All-Pro education from Colts' Freeney | Philadelphia Daily News | 08/21/2009
"He's been going it for years; going to Pro Bowls and getting sacks," Dunlap said. "I was definitely looking forward to the challenge. He just beat me. I ducked my head and he got by. If you don't use technique, that's what happens."

Makeshift Eagles fall to Colts, 23-15 | Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/21/2009
The Eagles' titular first-team offense had just one projected starting lineman - center Jamaal Jackson - and was also missing starting tight end Brent Celek and running back Brian Westbrook. By the middle of the first quarter, the Eagles were without fullback Leonard Weaver, too. Weaver left with an injured left knee.

Michael Vick Embarrassed After Accidentally Burning Down Lincoln Financial Field | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
PHILADELPHIA—Newly acquired Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was humiliated Tuesday after an iron he had left unattended inside the team's...

Johnny Goodtimes | "Better than average, but still pretty lame." -Yelp " Philly Athletes and Animal Cruelty
Many people are outraged at the Eagles for signing Michael Vick. But what about other Philly athletes who have abused animals in the past? The sad truth is that Philadelphia has a long and sad history with animal abusers on its teams. Here are just a few. (Hint it's a joke)

Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Nation - Mayorial Faceoff
Yahoo! Sports is kicking off the '09 fantasy football season by inviting mayors from cities across the country to compete in the Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football '09 Mayor Face-off. Each week mayors will go head-to-head against each other in a public Fantasy Football league. The winning mayor gets $15,000 to donate to a local sports program.

Eagles lose 23-15 to Colts in preseason game two

JasonB — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:49:45 -0000

More photos » by AJ MAST - AP

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For a while there, it actually looked as though the Phillies would outscore the Eagles tonight...

The Eagles first teams continued to struggle in preseason game #2 on the road against the Colts. The first team offenses' struggles started up front with the patchwork offensive line. Only one starter on the Eagles' O-line played tonight, which made it pretty difficult to evaluate the skill players. When the QB doesn't have time and the RB doesn't have holes, there's not much to see.

This certainly isn't an excuse, because the injuries to the offensive line are very real and if we're forced to enter the season with this group starting things won't be pretty. The lone bright spot on offense was a perfectly thrown 23 yard TD pass to Desean Jackson, who had burnt two Colts defenders.

The first team defense was arguably worse than the offense giving up 14 points in the first quarter. The low point was a 76 yard TD to Reggie Wayne where either Ellis Hobbs got massively burnt or the team just blew the coverage. Either way, it wasn't pretty. The defense was missing both Sheldon Brown and Trent Cole, but their absences don't excuse how flat the defense looked tonight.

The team did start to show some life in the 4th quarter under the leadership of Temple product Adam DiMichele. The game was well over, but DiMichele did lead them on a couple good drives including one that culminated in a 21 yard TD to rookie WR Brandon Gibson.

Some player highlights and low lights after the jump.

Although King Dunlap generally did hold his own for most of the game, he was absolutely embarrassed on a play in the red where Dwight Freeney put a wicked spin move on him and stripped McNabb of the football.

The Eagles averaged less than a yard and half per rush tonight. The offense line was held together with tape but still... a yard and a half?

Jason Babin made a name for himself. A good portion of the nearly 1,300 comments in the game threads were suggestions for Babin nicknames. My favorite was Philly's Babin-Back Ribs. Babin had a sack and forced fumble from Manning early in the game. He spent most of the night in the Indy backfield and certainly earned the start he was given tonight.

Jeremy Maclin struggled tonight. Not only did he have another fumble on a return(that's 2 in 2 games) but he never really looked in the flow of the offense. To be fair, no one did... but still. He finished the night with 4 catches.

Another rookie WR who also caught 4 passes did manage to impress tonight. Brandon Gibson averaged twice as many yards per catch as Maclin and caught himself a TD. BTW, did anyone else constantly find themselves confusing Maclin and Gibson? They look very similar on the field and their numbers (18 & 19) are hard to differentiate. I actually yelled out Maclin's name on Gibsons' TD catch.

Temple product Adam DiMichele did a nice job out there and got himself a TD pass in what is likely his final game with the Eagles and maybe his NFL career. It would nice to see him get a shot somewhere, because I don't think he looked totally out of place playing in an NFL game. He completed 14 of his 22 passes for 130 yards and a TD.

While we're on QBs, I have to give a wag of the finger to A.J. Feeley. How do you a throw a pass to a back in the middle of the field with 11 seconds left in the first half and no timeouts? That's just poor clock management/decision making on his part. That ball needs to go directly to the sidelines or get thrown away. The last thing you want to do with it is to throw it directly to the middle of the field. As a veteran, he should know better.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Lorenzo Booker, who really struggled tonight. Again, I recognize how poor the offensive line was... but Booker had 8 yards on 7 carries. The next tackle he breaks will probably be his first... He just never seems to get that extra yard he needs. With Eldra Buckley showing some good things(although he did fumble tonight) Booker's roster spot is looking more and more unlikely.

Leonard Weaver left the game with what Andy Reid called a "sprained MCL." Reid said he should be ok.

Next up is the always important 3rd preseason game at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The starters will likely play into the second half and the game will feature the return of Mike Vick.

The Linc - Injuries, Demps, & the top 5 Eagles TEs of all time

JasonB — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:46:45 -0000

More photos » by Matt Rourke - AP

4 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook participates in afternoon practice at NFL football training camp in Philadelphia, Monday, Aug. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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John Smallwood: Lack of time together hurting Eagles' offensive line | Philadelphia Daily News | 08/19/2009
The Michael Vick signing might be the most controversial story with the Eagles, but the most significant one is the rash of injuries that has hindered their preparation for the season.

Eagles' Demps tries to be his own man | Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/19/2009
Demps and McDermott agree that they need to leave their stamp on the Eagles' defense but also say the safety has many of the attributes that made Dawkins a Philadelphia legend. "I think our games are similar," Demps said. "I'm probably a younger version of him."

Didinger’s Top Five Eagles Tight Ends
Each Tuesday until the start of the regular season, Ray Diddy will give my rankings of the top five players in Eagles history, position by position. Today, the top five tight ends.

TLC -- and LED -- keep grass green -- themorningcall.com
Lumigreen, a Norwegian innovation company, developed an LED-light tarp to enhance the growth of natural grass, and the Eagles are experimenting with it this fall in hopes of maintaining healthy looking grass throughout the season.

More after the jump including a major chain not selling Vick jerseys, Brian Westbrook improving, the wildcat offense, a scary headline, and... Favre!

Eagles' No. 7 has fans excited - PennLive.com
When this year's NFL season kicks off, midstate Eagles fans will be able to don jerseys and T-shirts supporting the team's newest player, Michael Vick, even though Dick's Sporting Goods stores won't be selling them. Bleacher Bums in the Colonial Park Mall already has a waiting list for Eagles Vick jerseys

Since Returning, Westbrook Continues to Improve
"He’s increased his workload every day this week. He felt good," Reid said. "I’ve been happy with what I’ve seen. He’s worked so hard to get to this spot, and I’m glad he’s feeling good and strong there, and we’ll just continue to add to the workload next week."

Wild about the Wildcat | Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/18/2009
Way back when I covered Penn State football, every time a reporter would ask Joe Paterno about this new-fangled spread offense, JoePa would dismiss the questioner with a wave of the hand and a, "Ahhhhhh, we ran the same thing back when I was the quarterback at Brooklyn Prep."

Wing Tips " 3RD-STRINGER TO PROTECT MCNABB VS. COLTS
Third-string left tackle King Dunlap, once considered a major NFL prospect until his Auburn career bottomed out, will be protecting Donovan McNabb’s blindside on Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Brett Favre, Your Starting Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings - Daily Norseman
It's happened: Brett Favre is a Minnesota Viking. We react to this stunning news.

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Preview - Offensive Tackle

JasonB — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:58:43 -0000

More photos » by Bradley C Bower - AP

7 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles guard Shawn Andrews, right, and his brother Stacy Andrews, left, participate in football minicamp at the team's Nova-Care Complex Friday, May 1, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower)

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This is the next installment in our series of 12 positions in 12 days previewing the upcoming Eagles training camp. Rookie and selected vets report to Lehigh July 26th and each day leading up to that date we will bring you a preview of a different position battle.

Considering the amount of money and first round picks the Eagles have spent at this one position, it really had better be one of the best in the NFL. Is it? We take on the offensive tackles next.

The Bodies

Shawn Andrews, King Dunlap, Jason Peters, Winston Justice, Chris Patrick, Fenuki Tupou.

Presumed Starters

After what they gave up in terms of cash and picks for Jason Peters, he will be the starting LT for this team. As long as Shawn Andrews is able to play, he'll be the starting RT after Andy Reid announced he would be moving from the RG spot he's played since he came into the NFL.

Andrews & Peters give the Eagles arguably the most talented pair of starting OTs in the NFL, however both come with questions. For Andrews, it's his mental state. When he's on the field, Andrews has been dominant and multiple time pro bowler... but he missed all of last season after being diagnosed with depression and having back surgery. While his back is healed and he says he's feeling much better mentally, his head will likely always be a cause for concern. The fact is, when a guy's knee is hurt we see him limp and it shows up on the injury report... when his mental state is a problem, we don't know until he mysteriously doesn't show up for camp... So while all appears well with Andrews right now, we can never be entirely certain how he really feels. The hope is now that he's in treatment and his brother is in town his mental state will never regress to the point it did before last season.

As for Jason Peters, two years ago he looked like the most dominant LT in football and was a deserving All Pro & Pro Bowler. While he also made the pro bowl last year, he wasn't quite as dominant after holding out of training camp in a contract dispute. While Peters didn't struggle nearly as much a certain "stat" would have you believe, he certainly didn't play up to his 2007 form. Now that he's been paid handsomely and he'll be in training camp, he'll hopefully be back to his dominant self.

New Additions

Jason Peters was acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Bills.

Fenuki Tupou was drafted in the 5th round. He'll probably play OG for the Eagles, but he's listed as an OT for now...

What to watch for

Despite the fact that the starting positions aren't much of a mystery, this should actually be an interesting position to watch in camp. The two main storylines will be how Jason Peters fits into the Eagles' system and how Shawn Andrews handles his move from RG to RT. RT isn't a new position for Andrews since he played there in college, but it's new for him in the NFL having only played a few times at the position.

The fight for backup spots should be intruiging to watch as well. This year surely has to be Winston Justice's last shot. Can he finally play anywhere near the potential he had as a second round pick? King Dunlap is a giant and his sheer size was enough to make the Eagles store him on IR last season to see if he continues to progress. It will be interesting to see the progress he's made.

Previous position previews

Interior Offensive Line

Bird Droppings 5/29/09

JasonB — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:00:21 -0000

It seems like every day there's a new story about Hank Baskett and Kendra Wilkinson. Today is no different.

Winston Justice & King Dunlap are looking to win jobs as backups on the Eagles offensive line.

New Eagles LT Jason Peters is among Clark Judge's 10 "difference makers" for the 2009 season.

Thomas Goerge of NFL.com says Donovan McNabb is the Eagles top "locker room messenger." Whatever that means.

If the Eagles newest punter Ken Parrish doesn't end up making the team, he'll probably become a police officer.

Fox Sports ranks the Eagles as the 3rd best "franchise" in the NFL.

Matt Mosely of ESPN thinks everything the Eagles did this offseason was great.

Finally, former ~~Packer~~ Viking great and NFL hall of famer Fran Tarkenton called Brett Favre "despicable."

Eagles Notes: Sean McDermott, NCAA violations, winning attitudes, & a Macho man

JasonB — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:02:02 -0000

More photos » by Bradley C Bower - AP

7 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles rookie corner back Macho Harris, left, gets some direction from defensive secondary coach Seam McDermott, right, at the team's the first mini-camp of the season for all rookies and veterans at the team's Nova-Care Complex Friday, May 1, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower)

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Interim Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott's high school coach talked about the qualities that make Sean an effective leader.

"For him to be able to lead professional athletes his age and maybe a little older says a lot about him," said Colistra, who retired as La Salle's football coach in 2005. "When Sean was on the field, you had players who raised their level of play to compete with him and match him. He invited you to raise your level of play. I'm sure thatâ€™s the way he is as a coach.

"It's not what he does. It's who he is. There's no doubt in my mind that he's become a student of game. I could see that when he was playing with us. More importantly, it's the way he dealt with people, and I think that translates now. To be a good leader, you need good followers, and that means you need to be able to motivate people to pay attention to what you have to say, and that's Sean."

Rookie OL Fenuki Tupou spoke this week about how he was illegally paid by a man who worked for an agent when he was in college, and what he did to fix the situation.

King Dunlap talked about his reaction to the Eagles spending nearly a hundred million bucks on other offensive tackles this offseason...

"I just come out and compete everyday,” said Dunlop, who was drafted in the seventh round in 2008 out of Auburn. "I have the same mentality as before they came in. I come out and work hard and get better. It’s the only thing you can do. You can’t control what goes on, who they bring in, who they pay money to … you work hard and get better.”

Safety Sean Jones that there's a different attitude in Philadelphia than there was in Cleveland.

"I've been on winning teams my whole life," said the 27-year-old Jones, who was also a star quarterback in high school. "In Cleveland, we struggled while I was there. This organization has a different mind-set. It's nice to be with a team that wants to get to the playoffs, to the Super Bowl, and anything less is unacceptable."

Eagles rookie CB/S Victor Harris is now officially named "Macho" Harris.