Training camp battles...who's in the lead

Started by PhillyGirl, August 06, 2005, 11:11:42 PM

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PhillyGirl

QuoteUpdating Some Eagles Training Camp Battles
August 6, 2005

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- They came in figuring that virtually every starting spot was pretty much locked in and that a fairly substantial number of roster spots appeared secure.

How would 11 draft picks fit into the picture as the Eagles went about their daily evaluation on the way to a 53-man roster?

With training camp halfway over, let's take a look at one man's perspective on the Training Camp Battles that will extend far beyond the time the Eagles leave Lehigh University next Sunday.

No. 2 Tight End

The competition is between three players -- James Whalen, Stephen Spach and Andy Thorn. All three seem to have played well. Whalen is a natural pass-catching tight end who is working hard on his blocking. Spach and Thorn are two undrafted rookies being thrown right into the fire.

Spach has emerged as the leader to this point. He's clearly receiving more reps each day and was seen on Friday and Saturday working with the No. 1 offense in two-tight end sets.

Spach is going to hit a wall eventually. All rookies do. The key will be how he works through the exhaustion. So far, he's been really, really good. He has secure hands and moves fairly well. Spach, in case you haven't seen him, is not a speed tight end. He's not going to race down the seam and beat linebackers. But he should be able to settle into a seam and make plays in the middle of the field.

There is no question that Spach is strong enough to block at this level, but the Eagles have to feel pleasantly surprised that he's elevated so quickly in the passing game.

This is not to say Spach has won the job. No chance of that this early. He's made his move, so now we'll see how the other challengers respond and how Spach handles the added reps and responsibilities.

Backup Center Position

Jamaal Jackson was my front-runner entering camp, but a triceps injury has him sidelined for at least a couple of weeks and temporarily out of the picture.

So at the moment it's Dominic Furio and Trey Darilek. Both kids seem to be receiving about the same amount of reps and both seem to be doing a good job. Darilek is the more athletic of the two, but he has to show that he has Furio's tenacity and strength to maul.

This is a good battle, a close battle, and one that will not be decided until early in September.

Offensive Guard: Who Steps Up?

Maybe I missed something on Saturday morning, but with Artis Hicks out of practice, it was Adrien Clarke lining up at left guard, not Steve Sciullo. That's telling to me. Again, I could have missed something, but if I didn't, it means Clarke is threatening Sciullo on the depth chart.

I have to be honest here: It is very difficult to tell who is playing well at guard. I don't watch film of practice. I don't review each play. I go by reps. And Clarke's are increasing.

A note here about some other young offensive linemen: The Eagles love what they've seen from Todd Herremans, who looks great. He's handling everything the Eagles throw at him, he's playing well in the one-on-one drills and he has the range, the quick feet and the strength to get the job done in pass protection.

And Calvin Armstrong seems to be playing well. He's got surprisingly good feet at right tackle. Scott Young? He's been solid. Nothing spectacular. A mauler who has a lot to learn.

Wide Receiver: Who Is Emerging?

Greg Lewis and Reggie Brown had fantastic days working with the starters on Saturday morning. They both have had terrific camps. Lewis just makes plays. He runs great routes, gets open and catches everything.

Brown is scary. If he's as good as he's playing now, the Eagles are going to go to him a lot in the passing game. He's been that impressive.

Terrell Owens, out with a groin injury, came into camp in wonderful shape and is a dominating player. He's on the top of his game.

Beyond those three is where the real question marks lie. Billy McMullen is a confounding mix of superb talent who uses his body to get open and his large hands to snatch passes. But he also drops easy throws and is frustrating that way. The Eagles are going to work with him, give him a lot of reps, and expect him to work his way through the miscues.

Justin Jenkins is having a very quiet, very good camp. He has done a good job catching the football. Is he fast enough? He sure plays that way at Lehigh.

Robert Redd is legitimately pushing for a roster spot. He's quick, has terrific hands and, boy, when he catches punts he is s-m-o-o-t-h. He has a chance.

Isaac West is making a push. He had a very good last few days here and is going to see some time. West is still a longshot from this perspective, but he's catching a lot of passes in practice.

Carlos Perez and Chauncey Stovall have had their moments and they will play in the preseason, but to make this team is going to be awfully hard. Still, they have a resume out there. A few big plays in the preseason and who knows?

Fullback: Jon Ritchie Or Josh Parry?

Too close to call right now. Ritchie doesn't look quite 100 percent, but he's moving pretty well. Parry is a mudder, and he made a play on Saturday morning that was impressive: He caught a Koy Detmer pass, took a brutal hit and surged for the first down in a live short-yardage drill.

This is another battle that will go down to the final cut. The Eagles have two good fullbacks here and they're likely to keep only one.

Who Is The No. 2 Quarterback?

It's still Detmer. He has taken all the No. 2 reps, as Mike McMahon has worked with the No. 3 offense. McMahon had good days on Friday and Saturday, showing more decisiveness and confidence in his receivers.

How Is Defensive End Shaking Out?

Not bad at all, considering Jerome McDougle's absence. N.D. Kalu is starting at right end and is playing well. Trent Cole is moving up the charts with his burst and aggressiveness. Hugh Douglas has gotten his reps in and is going to fill the reserve role well.

The guy to watch is Jamaal Green. He had a strong spring and is following that up with a good training camp. Jevon Kearse has been great -- quick as ever and extremely energetic.

Norm Heuer is seeing reps at end and flashes from time to time.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Eagles keep all five ends and open the season with McDougle on PUP, hoping to activate him after six weeks. We'll see how it looks in a month.

Defensive Tackle: Is No. 1 Playing Like It?

Yes, he is. Mike Patterson is having a very good training camp. He's fast off the ball, plays low and has good leverage. In general, this whole group is deep and talented.

Hollis Thomas and Darwin Walker are having fine camps and Paul Grasmanis came to play, too.

Keyonta Marshall is a raw kid with some explosiveness. He is a constant work in progress, but there is absolutely talent.

Who Wins The Backup Roles At Linebacker?

It appears Keith Adams and Mark Simoneau will share the WILL position as Jim Johnson and Steve Spagnuolo see fit. They will mix and match Adams' skills and Simoneau's skills and make that position diverse and robust.

Matt McCoy is clearly a gamer. He excels in live practice and in team drills. His instincts and athletic ability are obvious.

Jason Short is probably going to make this team if he continues to play well. He's too valuable on special teams to ignore.

Mike Labinjo is improving daily at middle linebacker. He's got to continue to bring it every play and be physical, but he's settling in nicely.

Draft pick David Bergeron is an intriguing guy. He doesn't stand out, but he's in position on every snap. He doesn't make mental mistakes. He could slip in there for a roster spot.

The Dime Corner: Who Will It Be?

Seems to be a tenacious battle between Matt Ware and Dexter Wynn. Wynn has been outstanding from the very first day of camp, while it seemed that Ware was slowed a bit with his knee injury. He's come on in a big way lately.

Roderick Hood is having a terrific camp and is going to be the nickel back behind Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. A note on those two players: They are having tremendous camps. They are two outstanding cover corners and the Eagles have security at the corners, no question about it.


PS...can someone please take the words "outstanding", "terrific" and "tremendous" out of Spadaro's vocabulary?

Please?
"Oh, yeah. They'll still boo. They have to. They're born to boo. Just now, they'll only boo with two Os instead of like four." - Larry Andersen

WEST is GOD

What did I tell you? That is why I sponsored the guy. He is going to turn heads, I'll say it again.

Cap'n Spach in '05
THIS SEASON IS OVER AND ANDY'S WORLD IS GRIDL

Offseason needs: 2 DEs, 1 DT, 1 OL, 2 LBs, 1 RB, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 KR.

shorebird

QuoteLewis just makes plays. He runs great routes, gets open and catches everything.
Pinky's injury has paved the way for the break out pro-bowl year this guy is getting ready to have.

StevieLeftCollege

I like Spach because of his hair.  I know its odd and possibly even homosexual but its wylin.

Anyway, Hes an H-Back at TE and FB.  I hope he makes it.


btw, Spads should just take his face off his replied threads on the EMB and use a homer simpson avatar, because thats what he is, a friggin homer.


Susquehanna Birder

Spach didn't impress me, from what I saw. I saw Whalen taking a lot of snaps, and even doing some fairly competent long-snapping work.

I agree about Redd, and I think Jenkins and Perez might be in the mix, as well.

I saw several blown snaps with Darilek at center. Scary.

No word about RBs from Spads, eh? Moats looks good, but he's clearly still learning. He's getting yelled at frequently. But he has done some pretty interesting things on the field. And Bruce Perry looked pretty good.

I guess it's a good thing, but Reid's going to have some pretty tough decisions to make.

Diomedes

So according to Spadaro, everything's great!  How comforting.
There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists." - Yosemite Park Ranger

PhillyPhreak54

Quote from: StevieLeftCollege on August 07, 2005, 08:02:04 AM
I like Spach because of his hair.  I know its odd and possibly even homosexual but its wylin.

Anyway, Hes an H-Back at TE and FB.  I hope he makes it.

:-D :-D

Spach has looked good though. He was the guy who blew up a hole for Bruce Perry to take off through.

I still think Chad Lewis is re-signed and Spach goes to the PS.

Whalen & Spach blocking in double-tight sets scares me. Especially since Little John is more of a receiving TE than a blocking TE.

PhillyPhreak54

And, as a guy who likes Adrien Clarke, I hope he is pushing Sciullo.

I noticed that when they moved Herremans to 1st team LT that they dumped Sciullo back to 2nd team a few days ago.

The only thing Sciullo has done of note is fight Norm Heuer.

StevieLeftCollege

rome, i think chad lewis will be back sometime in novemeber.  we may need him.

phreak, i heard some good about clarke with his increased snaps.  hes someone i like, a big nasty mauler.  when i heard sciullo getting bumped again, it made me think back to indy last year when they dumped him.  he better not get complacement, he should know by now.


mussa

mullet boy better make the team.  im not down with josh murp parry :boo
Official Sponsor of The Fire Andy Reid Club
"We be plundering the High Sequence Seas For the hidden Treasures of Conservation"

WEST is GOD

Bubba Franks is still out there, and I hear the Packers need a DT.  :-D
THIS SEASON IS OVER AND ANDY'S WORLD IS GRIDL

Offseason needs: 2 DEs, 1 DT, 1 OL, 2 LBs, 1 RB, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 KR.

ice grillin you

mullet boy better make the team.  im not down with josh murp parry

i tried to tell yous a month ago it would be a lot closer than yous thought

ritchie has to seperate big time to win this thing

then again this is a spads article so take it with a salt mine
i can take a phrase thats rarely heard...flip it....now its a daily word

igy gettin it done like warrick

im the board pharmacist....always one step above yous

Eaglez

Should be some interesting battles as the pre-season continues. I'm glad TC is intense and the competition is at a high level. It gives me confidence that whoever the Eagles keep with be of quality and add great depth for the whole year.