SB Nation - Eugene Bright

Eagles Release Three Players

Bob_Q — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:06:29 -0000

More photos » by Bradley C Bower - AP

According to the Philadelphia Eagles website, the final roster cuts have begun and three players received the axe this afternoon:

The Eagles cut three players Friday afternoon, releasing tight end Eugene Bright, defensive tackle Willie Williams and linebacker Curtis Gatewood. The team's roster now stands at 72. The Eagles must cut 19 players between now and Saturday's 6 p.m. deadline to reach the league-mandated 53-man roster limit.

No surprises with these initial cuts. None of the three players made much of an impression during the four preseason games. This move leaves the Eagles with five defensive tackles, four tight ends, and eight linebackers on the current roster. Who will be next on the chopping block? Stay tuned as the roster cuts continue.

Thanks to KingMcNabb5 for breaking the news.

Report: Philadelphia Eagles sign TE Tony Curtis to one year deal

JasonB — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:41:58 -0000

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Well, contrary to the Daily News report earlier today that said the Eagles would not be signing former Cowboys and Chiefs TE Tony Curtis, word is now that he has agreed to terms. This from ESPN 950's Brian Seltzer.

Per a source, the Eagles have come to terms on a one year-deal with TE Tony Curtis. He arrived at Nova Care Complex earlier this evening.

The 6'5, 265lb Curtis will compete with Matt Schoebel, Rob Myers, & Eugene Bright for a spot on the roster and the backup TE job behind Brent Celek.

[Note by JasonB, 08/24/09 10:45 PM EDT ] Extra bonus, he comes already injured. So he should have no trouble fitting right in!

Curtis apparently suffered a high ankle sprain about 2.5 weeks ago before Chiefs cut him. Will continue rehabbing w/ Eagles.

Boilers in the NFL: Week two of the preseason

BoilerTMill — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:45:54 -0000

With most of week 2 in the books it is time to start looking at fantasy draft options. Most of the Purdue guys are still kicking around, but the first round of cuts are coming. It is only a matter of time before this list gets a little shorter, unfortunately.

Side note: Speaking of fantasy, we have so far had four people sign up for the Hammer & Rails league through CBS Sports' college football. We need at least 6 more as well. If someone would be willing to commissioner this league it would be awesome as well. As a warning, CBS Sports fantasy is about as user unfriendly as possible, so hopefully someone out there has figures it out. Now, on with the update.

Arizona Cardinals - Chike Okeafor (OLB) - Okeafor had one assist on a tackle as he fights to stay a Cardinal. I would say his chances of making the roster are pretty good. The Cardinals lost to San Diego 17-6 in the second preseason game. He has been battling a sore back, however.

Carolina Panthers - Anthony Heygood (LB) - An undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot, Heygood got some more game action, notching a tackle as he tries to land a roster spot. He is in the same boat as Landon Johnson (LB) - Landon at least signed as a free agent this summer. He had no stats in the second preseason game though, a 27-17 loss to the Dolphins

Cincinnati Bengals - Greg Orton (WR) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Greg had no stats in a 7-6 win over New England, so I would say his chances of making the roster at this point are pretty slim.

Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer (LB) - Spencer had two tackles and one assist as the Cowboys opened their giant new stadium with a 30-10 win over Tennessee. The Cowboys lost rookie OLB Brandon Williams to a torn ACL, making Spencer that much more valuable.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton (QB) - Kyle had a much better second week of the preseason, completing 16 of 22 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Chris Simms is still breathing down his neck for the starting job, however. Kyle had an ugly left handed interception hat left Denver fans shaking their heads in dismay. Denver lost 27-13 at Seattle. Brandon Gorin (OL) - Gorin has a strong chance to be a starter along Denver's offensive line.

Detroit Lions - Cliff Avril (DE) - Cliff had no stats in the second preseason game, which is a shame because he had the chance to sack Brady Quinn, Medicine Woman. He struggled in limited action. Schweigert (S) - Stu had a tackle in the 27-10 loss at Cleveland in week 2. John Standeford (WR) - John had two catches for 16 yards after missing the first game with an injury. He has as good of a chance of anyone of making the final roster, as he performed very well in the second half of last season, all things considered for the Lions.

Houston Texans - Jacques Reeves (CB) - Jacques is battling a broken leg at the moment and may miss the entire season. Jeff Zgonina (DT) - Jeff still has a good shot of making a roster for his 17^th season in the league. He had two tackles and a sack in a 38-14 loss to New Orleans.

Indianapolis Colts - Curtis Painter (QB) - Painter saw quite a bit of action as Jim Sorgi was out again with a sore hamstring, but that will change in week 3 against Detroit. Sorgi is expected to return. Given his experience with the Colts, I have a hard time seeing Painter overtake him for the number two job. This is a season of learning for Curtis. Still, he completed 11 of 19 passes for 119 yards and an interception in a win over Philadelphia. He also ran once for a loss of six yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Uche Nwaneri (OL) - Uche is starting for now, but is likely headed to the bench once the season starts.

Kansas City Chiefs - Bernard Pollard (S) - Pollard sat out week 2 of the preseason. Had five tackles in preseason debut. Alex Magee (DT) - Magee played but did not have any stats against the Minnesota Favres last week. No one seemed to notice as it was all about Brett.

Miami Dolphins - Akin Ayodele (LB) - 8^th year in league. Akin is the likely starter again for the Dolphins. He had one tackle in limited action against Carolina. Ryan Baker (DT) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Baker had a tackle and an assist in the second preseason game.

Minnesota Vikings - Ray Edwards (DE) - Like Pollard and Magee above, no one noticed what Ray Edwards did as Favre played his first game as a Viking. Edwards had a tackle and an assist as he is a likely starter.

New England Patriots - Matt Light (LT) - 9^th year in league. Has won three Super Bowls and has started all but two games in his career. Light will be the starting left tackle once again. Rob Ninkovich (LB) - 3^rd year in league. Rob had a very positive second week of the preseason, leading the Patriots with six tackles and three assists. Apparently he has moved from Defensive End to Linebacker

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees (QB) - It is still smooth sailing for Brees, as he was 9 of 14 for 87 yards and a touchdown in the win over Houston.

New York Jets - Dustin Keller (TE) - DK plays his second preseason game tonight at Baltimore. The game will be on ESPN at 8pm

Philadelphia Eagles - Eugene Bright (TE) - Bright did not have a catch against Indianapolis, but he is still in the running for a backup tight end spot.

San Diego Chargers - Shaun Phillips (LB) - Phillips had one tackle in week 2 as he continues to hold down a starting linebacker spot. Nick Hardwick (OL) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter with 68 career starts at center and a Pro Bowl nod in 2006. Charles Davis (TE) - Davis did not have any stats in the second week of the preseason, making it harder and harder for him to make the roster. There is the possibility, however, of Davis making the roster as a fullback/H-back

San Francisco 49ers - Kory Sheets (RB) - Kory continues to be the most likely candidate to go from undrafted free agent to roster member, as he ran for 51 yards on 12 carries and added a fourth quarter touchdown to give the 49ers a 21-20 win over Oakland. Kory has all but sealed the 3^rd string running back job now.

I had video of Kory's TD, but SBNation allows only YouTube embedding, so you'll have to follow the link.

Seattle Seahawks - Craig Terrill (DT) - Craig had two tackles in the win over Seattle. He has been a stalwart in the Seahawks' defensive line rotation for years now. Seattle fans do like his ability to disrupt things on the line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Niko Koutouvides (LB) - Niko had no stats in week two, as he fights for a roster spot after signing as a free agent.

Tennessee Titans - Stanford Keglar (LB) - Keglar had two tackles in the preseason loss at Dallas. Mike Otto (OT) - Otto is fighting for a roster spot, but the blog Music City Miracles thinks both Otto and Keglar will make the final 53 man roster.

A New Tight End for the Eagles?

Bob_Q — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:17:44 -0000

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According to Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network and Chris McPherson of PhiladelphiaEagles.com, the Birds have invited tight end Tony Curtis for a tryout at the NovaCare Complex and are on the verge of signing him pending a physical. However, no official announcement has been made yet. A former Cowboy, Curtis would be expected to challenge Matt Schobel, Eugene Bright, and Rob Myers for the backup position behind Brent Celek. Here is what PE.com had to say about the 26-year-old Curtis:

In 36 career NFL games, all with Dallas, Curtis has 11 catches for 50 yards and three touchdowns. In fact, all three of his touchdowns came on his only three receptions in 2007. The 6-5, 251-pound Curtis was originally signed as a rookie free agent out of Portland State in 2005 by the Cowboys and spent the entire season on the practice squad. Curtis appeared to have a future in Dallas in the 2008 off-season even with the presence of Jason Witten. Dallas had traded backup tight end Anthony Fasano to the Dolphins paving the way for Curtis. However, the Cowboys used a second-round pick to select Martellus Bennett one day later.

Curtis still played in all 16 games for Dallas last year and caught 8 passes for 32 yards. Curtis was signed by the Chiefs after they traded Tony Gonzalez earlier this off-season. However, Curtis was let go when Amani Toomer was signed.

Let's hope Curtis continues to show promise, as the loss of rookie Cornelius Ingram has seriously hurt our depth at tight end.

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.

Boilers in the pros: Preseason week 1

BoilerTMill — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:56:12 -0000

With the first week of the preseason in the books I wanted to take a quick look and see how all of our guys did in week 1. Obviously many guys are established on rosters already, but some are fighting for spots. This was a lot of fun, as I did most of the research on Sunday night, but waited until this morning to post it because there were a pair of preseason games last night. If I have time, I think I will make this a regular feature, as I have no weeded out hte teams that do not have former Purdue players on their rosters. Some guys, like Charles Davis, were happy finds because I didn't know they were still kicking around out there.

Here is how everyone did in week 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, your reigning NFL offensive player of the year.

Arizona Cardinals - Chike Okeafor (OLB) - 11^th year on team. Had a tackle against Pittsburgh in opener. Likely starter.

Atlanta Falcons - No players on roster

Baltimore Ravens - No players on roster

Buffalo Bills - No players on roster Side note: Who the hell is Gibran Hamdan? Apparently, he is a former IU quarterback that is on their roster, but I have never heard of him.

Carolina Panthers - Anthony Heygood (LB) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Had one tackle in preseason opener. Landon Johnson (LB) - 6^th year in league, fighting for roster spot. The Panthers played their first game Monday night and Landon had no stats.

Chicago Bears - No players on roster

Cincinnati Bengals - Greg Orton (WR) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Had no statistics in 17-7 loss at New Orleans

Cleveland Browns - No players on roster

Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer (LB) - 3^rd year with team. Had one tackle in loss to open preseason. Likely starter.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton (QB) - Had brutal debut as starting quarterback with three interceptions. Completed 9 of 16 passes for 89 yards. Is still listed as the starter for now, but he obviously must improve. Brandon Gorin (OL) - Trying to return to NFL after starting 8 games at tackle for St. Louis in 2007. Six year veteran with 26 starts and former member of the Visa Five Layers of protection, thus making him the rare offensive lineman with an endorsement deal.

Detroit Lions - Cliff Avril (DE) - Second year player. Had two tackles as Lions won on late field goal. Stu Schweigert (S) - Found a home in Detroit last year after getting cut by Washington and Denver. Had four tackles in preseason opener and should be safely on the roster. He is also loving the fact he plays for his hometown team. John Standeford (WR) - After years on the Colts practice squad, finally made a regular season roster with the Lions. Emerged as #2 receiver late last season with four starts. No stats in opener

Green Bay Packers - No players on roster.

Houston Texans - Jacques Reeves (CB) - 6^th year in league. Will likely start at corner after breakout season in 2008. No statistics in opener. Jeff Zgonina (DT) - An astounding 17^th season for the last active player from the Colletto Era. Played in all 16 games last year with two starts. Is fighting for a roster spot apparently. No statistics in opener. UPDATE: It is no wonder Reeves had no stats in the opener, as he suffered a broken leg in camp and will be out for some time.

Indianapolis Colts - Curtis Painter (QB) - Rookie likely playing 3^rd string quarterback. Took the majority of snaps for the Colts in a 13-3 loss that was a boring as it sounds. Completed 10 of 17 passes for 77 yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Uche Nwaneri (OL) - 3^rd year in league. Likely starter at offensive guard after making 15 starts last year.

Kansas City Chiefs - Bernard Pollard (S) - 4^th year in league, probable starter. Most hated non-Yankee in New England after ending Tom Brady's season last year. Had five tackles in preseason debut. Alex Magee (DT) - Rookie on defensive line rotation. Had four tackles in preseason debut. The chiefs lost to the Texans 16-10.

Miami Dolphins - Akin Ayodele (LB) - 8^th year in league. Starter 13 games with 75 tackles last season. Likely starter again. Ryan Baker (DT) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Both Ayodele and Baker had one tackle Monday night in a 12-9 field goal kicking contest.

Minnesota Vikings - Ray Edwards (DE) - 4^th year in league. Likely starter after 15 starts and five sacks last season. Had tackle in preseason debut win over the Colts.

New England Patriots - Matt Light (LT) - 9^th year in league. Has won three Super Bowls and has started all but two games in his career. Will be protecting Tom Brady's blind side until both head to Canton most likely. Rob Ninkovich (DE) - 3^rd year in league. Has played in just 8 career games as he tries to return from serious knee injury. No stats in preseason debut.

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees (QB) - 9^th year in league. Will be starter after making the Pro Bowl for third time and second time being named All-Pro. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Completed 6 of 9 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in 17-7 win over Cincy.

New York Giants - No players on roster.

New York Jets - Dustin Keller (TE) - 3 catches for 52 yards in preseason debut. Likely starter after solid rookie season in 2008. Big things are expected from him this year.

Oakland Raiders - No players on roster.

Philadelphia Eagles - Eugene Bright (TE) - An interesting one, as Bright was a pretty average Defensive end at Purdue and never played tight end. Undrafted free agent trying to make roster. Had one catch for eight yards in preseason debut.

Pittsburgh Steelers - No players on roster.

San Diego Chargers - Shaun Phillips (LB) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter as one of San Diego's best linebackers. Had 2 tackles in first game. Nick Hardwick (OL) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter with 68 career starts at center and a Pro Bowl nod in 2006. Charles Davis (TE) - Has bounced around league (Giants, Panthers, Jaguars) trying to make a roster, but has yet to play in an official game. No stats in opener

San Francisco 49ers - Kory Sheets (RB) - Undrafted free agent trying to make a roster. Kory probably had the most beneficial weekend of anyone. Rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries and a long of 25 in win over Denver. Also saw main competition Thomas Clayton unfortunately tear his ACL and get released. Has solid chance to make roster as 3^rd down back/kick returner.

Seattle Seahawks - Craig Terrill (DT) - 6^th year in league. Is having a very Jeff Zgonina-like career so far. Will likely be in the rotation at defensive tackle and may start. Had no statistics in opener.

St. Louis Rams - No players on roster.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Niko Koutouvides (LB) - 6^th year in league. Fighting for roster spot after disappointing year in Denver last season. Had four tackles in preseason debut. Buc fans are excited to have him.

Tennessee Titans - Stanford Keglar (LB) - 2^nd year in league. Played in 13 games as a rookie last season. Leads the team in tackles with 11 through 2 games (The Titans played in the Hall of Fame game too). The Titans think he may be the steal of last year's draft, too. Mike Otto (OT) - 2^nd year in league officially. Has been on practice squad and has played in one official game.

Washington Redskins - No players on roster.

The Linc - Desean Jackson fine, Max in a fighting mood, & Akers booming

JasonB — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:13:45 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

4 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrookis shown on the sidelines during the morning session of NFL football training camp at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. on Friday, July, 31, 2009. Westbrook is recovering from ankle surgery and won't be able to practice until mid-August. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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Desean Jackson appears fine | Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/08/2009
"I'm all right," Jackson said, offering a thumbs up. "No problems." Reid also said he thought Jackson would be fine following the afternoon practice. "He's all right," the coach said. "They just banged knees."

Max Jean-Gilles blogs about his training camp fight on his Official Website
"Some people may think that teammates fighting are a bad thing. But it really isn’t. It just shows the determination and drive that we all have to succeed and win and to always be on the top of our games. These things happen in the heat of the battle, and with the hard workouts and the summer heat, players get testy with each other and brawls are bound to happen during training camp. "

Eagles Family Gathers to Honor Johnson
They came from all over, many of them leaving their teams and skipping practice, to be at Lincoln Financial Field for Friday’s memorial service honoring Jim Johnson. Steve Spagnuolo, head coach of the St. Louis Rams, John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were among the 300 guests in attendance.

Akers blasts 60-yard field goal at practice - Burlington County TImes

When David Akers lined up to attempt a 60-yard field goal this morning at Lehigh, a roar of anticipation began growing among the huge crowd. When the Eagles' veteran kicker blasted the ball straight through the uprights, he got one of the loudest ovations of training camp from the crowd of more than13,000.

More after the jump including news on Eagles new special teams coach Ted Daisher, countdown to the regular season, more on injuries, and Wade Phillips taking a jab at "the player."

PhillyBurbs.com: Something special about coach Daisher
"He's another Harbaugh," kicker David Akers said. "The only thing Rory didn't have that Ted has is the experience of doing this for a lot of years. I thought we really came on strong (on special teams) at the end of last year. Different people have different personalities, and coaches with all kinds of personalities have had success. But Ted is an in-your-face kind of coach, and it's worked for him everywhere he's been."

'Bright' side to Ingram injury? | Philly | 08/09/2009
Maybe the Birds still have a promising rookie tight end that will make an impact this season – it just isn’t the one they thought it would be.

The injury bug keeps buzzing at Lehigh | Philly | 08/09/2009
Eagles fans tend to do their best Chicken Little impersonation at times like these, but the sky isn’t necessarily falling in this case. Let’s keep in mind that the Eagles season opener against Carolina is still more than a month away. There’s plenty of time for the o-line to get healthy, and plenty of opportunity for young players to step up and fill the void left by the losses of Bradley and Ingram – and for the Birds to go out and bring in outside help (especially at the tight end position).

Official Google Docs Blog: Counting Down to NFL Season? Let Google Docs Count for You.
A blogger shows how he counts down to Eagles season using google docs.

Cowboys' Wade takes jab at Owens - NFC East - ESPN
"We had one guy who was here that wasn't real humble, and he's not here anymore," deadpanned Phillips. "Maybe it makes everybody look more humble."

The Linc - Camp is just a day away!

JasonB — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:00:11 -0000

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PhillyBurbs.com: Ten points to ponder as Lehigh beckons
A late-season run and trip to the NFC Championship Game didn't mean the Eagles stood still this offseason. This was actually one of their busier offseasons in memory.

Eagles: 5 Questions heading into training camp for the Philadelphia Eagles -- themorningcall.com
Here are five important questions about the Philadelphia Eagles heading into the 2008-09 season.

PhillyBurbs.com: Rookies beware
As minicamp was nearing an end, rookie running back LeSean McCoy asked a few veteran teammates what to expect at training camp. "They didn't even answer," McCoy said with a laugh. "You know how they are - I'm a rookie, and they're going to try to scare you. So they didn't even say anything. They just gave me this look, like, 'Just wait, you'll see.' ''

Former MU receiver Maclin knows nothing is guaranteed - Kansas City Star
Jeremy Maclin contends he savors life in 24-hour increments. Knowing the good may run headlong into the bad. With the bruises, disappointments and even bitter setbacks.

Lots more after the jump!

Nick Fierro: Notes and commentary on the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies and more - lehighvalleylive.com
One thing that strikes you upon entering the Eagles' locker room is Jon Runyan's locker. It's still there. Not cleaned out. Serving as some kind of monument to a player who hasn't missed a start since 1996.

Parent: McDermott the least of many concerns - The Delaware County Daily Times : Serving Delaware County, PA(DelcoTimes.com)
He’ll be no Jim Johnson, but given time, there’s no reason on his resume indicating McDermott will be anything but an eventually accomplished defensive coordinator.

Undrafted Eagles gird for training camp | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/25/2009
Jason Peters and Eugene Bright have something in common. So do Quintin Mikell and Reshard Langford. Peters and Mikell are familiar names to Eagles fans, but once they were just like Bright and Langford, a couple of undrafted rookies who will report for the start of training camp tomorrow at Lehigh University.

A fan's guide to Eagles training camp -- themorningcall.com
Interesting read if you've never been to camp and plan on going this year.

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Preview - Tight Ends

JasonB — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:00:15 -0000

Brent Celek, man of mystery.

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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.

The current Eagles corps of TEs started a combined 7 NFL games last year... and they were all from the same guy. In fact those 7 games were the only started by a TE on this Eagles roster at the college or pro level last year.

Should we be worried? Tight Ends are next in our 12 positions in 12 days preview.

The Bodies

Presumed Starter

Brent Celek is quite clearly the starter at this position, although probably mostly by default. Fifth round pick Cornelius Ingram isn't likely to mount a serious threat for a starting job just yet and outside of him there's pretty much nothing on the roster that should threaten Celek's place as a starter.

Regular readers of BGN know my feelings on Brent Celek. I think he'd be a nice backup, but is at best an average starter. He's a poor blocker, his hands are suspect, and he's limited athletically. I don't think Celek is a bad player, but I don't see much upsdie to him. Also he wears Calvin Klein briefs.

Putting a positive spin on things... He's still a young player and still developing. He certainly has improved himself from year to year and spoke of his commitment to becoming a better blocker this offseason. Plus, he had a pretty impressive end to last season. Starting with the final ~~annihilation of~~ game against Dallas through the NFC title game(4 games), Celek caught 22 passes for 181 yards and 4 TDs. That's a hell of a stretch that even Celek doubters like myself have to tip our cap to. The question is whether those games represented a turning of the corner for Celek into a really fantastic player, or was it simply the product of a teams laying down(Dallas) or focusing on the Eagles other weapons and allowing Celek to catch a lot of passes(Arizona)? Either way, Celek is the man at TE heading into camp and he'll absolutely every opportunity to prove that he's reached the next level.

New Additions

Cornelius Ingram was drafted in the 5th round

Eugene Bright signed as an undrafted rookie free agent after impressing at Eagles OTAs earlier this summer

What to watch for

- I've pretty much already covered what to watch for as far as Celek goes. He will be a starter, he just has to prove that he belongs as a starter in the NFL

- The big thing to watch at TE will be the development of rookie TE Cornelius Ingram. Ingram did not play college football last year after injuring his knee a summer ago, that injury caused a guy that many forecasted as a possible 2nd round pick to fall to the 5th round. A number of draft experts called Ingram a steal in the 5th round.

There's a lot to love about Ingram. He combines good size and a big wingspan(34.5 inches) with great speed and athleticism. He was productive in school catching 7 TDs in 2007 and averaging about 15 yards per catch. He's the kind of TE that should be a mismatch for whoever lines up against. Too big for safeties, too fast for LBs... But there are issues. First and foremost is the fact that he's coming off a torn ACL. The injury happened last August and while Ingram reports that he feels no ill effects there are obvious concerns. It's hard enough to go from 4 year college starter to the NFL, having last played any football in 2007 Ingram is making a big jump to the NFL. Plus, Ingram was used almost exclusively as a reciever in the Florida offense and was rarely ever asked to block. While he certainly seems to have the strength needed to block in the NFL, he's going to have learn schemes and technique from scratch.

- Eugene Bright is a UDFA who played college ball at Purdue. He's a big kid at 6-4, 286lbs and impressed enough during a tryout earlier this summer to get a contract for training camp. Bright was originally recruited to play LB or DE for Purdue, but eventually settled in as a TE. There's so little information out there about Bright that it's hard to know whether he's more of a blocker or a reciever, but his size suggests that he could hopefully develop into the big blocker type the Eagles currently lack at the position.

- Can Matt Schobel hang on to a roster spot for yet another year?

Previous position previews

Quarterback

Fullback

Running Back