The Not Quite as Good as Phreak Training Camp Report: August 11th

[Eagles_Legendz]

Went up for the morning session today.  It was pretty hot, but not unbearable.  There was a fairly large sized crowd on hand.

Here's what I saw:

Offense:

Good:  McNabb.  He was on basically the entire day.  He was very vocal with everyone.  He seemed to really be enjoying himself out there and was throwing the ball effectively.

Westbrook:  He may have drawn the biggest applause from the crowd in the 1-on-1 drills when he was matched against Trotter.   Trotter isn't designed to cover Westbrook and you could tell immediately.  Westbrook did two stutter steps and basically spun Trotter around before catching the ball wideopen in the middle of the field.  He looks 100%.

Offensive Line:  The first team offensive line didn't give up a sack while McNabb was QBing.  I tried to pay particular attention to Herramans (sp?) and Andrews, and they both performed well.  There wasn't many running plays today, so I can't comment as much on the run blocking aspect of camp today, but they all protected McNabb.

The best part of the offense:  Justin Jenkins.  He was a monster today.  He caught everything and got separation on most of his routes.  When Reggie Brown tweaked his groin (hamstring?) and didn't go after the first 20 mins, Jenkins played the slot with the first team and did it very well.

The Indifferent:

Ritchie and Parry looked identical.  There weren't a lot of running plays, which is where Ritchie tends to excel, but he dropped a ball right off his hands, before making a one-handed catch the next possession.  Parry caught everything (the 3 or so passes thrown at him).

The three TE's competing for the backup spot seemed to do about the same.  Thorn didn't see much action and Spach and Whalen were both similar.  Spach was running with the first team though.

Greg Lewis didn't participate in the 1on1 drills, and didn't receive much action in the 'live' session, though he made one nice catch.

The bad:

Moats dropped almost everything thrown at him, and since they didn't run much, I didn't get to see him in action a lot with the ball.  He is really tiny.  Westbrook was the tallest RB dressed today, how funny is that?

LJ Smith dropped a few easy passes.  He needs to be more consistent especially with the questions surrounding Owens.

The REAL bad:

Guys, PRAY that McNabb stays healthy this season.  Hall was the best of the 3 backup QBs, and considering I am of the opinion that he is about the equivalent of a good high school quarterback, that isn't saying much.  Detmer had a few nice passes, but just as many could/should have been intercepted.  He threw the ball underhanded 3 times in a row. 

McMahon was BRUTAL.  He made one nice downfield pass to Perez, but that was it.  He pulls the ball down half the time, and had 4 passes in a row that should have been picked (only one was).

Saving the worst for last:  Wilbur.  I had heard he was making improvements the last few days in camp, so I was excited to see him play.  That didn't last long.  The first pass thrown to him was a sliding catch that misled me into thinking today would be another step forward.  He followed that by dropping three passes that hit him in the chest by McNabb in the "live" sessions.  He made one nice catch down field on an overthrown ball, but the well thrown passes he seems like he tries to trap against his chest, to no avail.

Overall, the offense pretty much got dominated today by the defense.

Defense:

Good:  Patterson had two consecutive plays when the offensive was running goal line sets where he got in the backfield and stopped the RB for 3-4 yard losses.  He didn't get great penetration on his pass rush, but showed promise.

The rest of the DLine was pretty good.  Kearse and Kalu seemed to provide decent pressure on the outside.

Lito and Sheldon didn't give up a long pass all day.  They are going to be really good again.

Dhani Jones seemed to have a solid session today.  I think he'll have a good year this season.   

Dawkins and Lewis did their jobs well, limiting downfield completions.  Dawkins saw some time at CB as well.

The indifferent:

The rest of the rookies.  McCoy looked the worst of the group.  I didn't notice Considine at all, and Marshall is filler.  Cole has some speed and could be good eventually.

I didn't notice Simoneau or Adams today.  Adams seems like he's bulked up even more, but there wasn't a lot of action that came his way on the field.

Trotter didn't do much today.  He was around the ball for the most part, but Westbrook owned him more than once on the 1-on-1 drills.

The bad: 

Dexter Wynn was getting "coached up" all day as he was being fairly frequently beat. 

None of the younger plays like Peoples stuck out at all today.


ST:  Marsical punted well today, and Hood/Wynn were fielding punts.


That's about it, feel free to ask any questions if you'd like more information.

[PhillyGirl]

Considine is back? I thought he was still nursing some sort of an injury?

PS...thanks for the Report.

[MURP]

thanks for the report Eagles_Legendz.  Im glad you included the bad stuff which we dont get to hear about too often.

great news about Jenkins stepping it up, thats what the birds need so desperately.   No shock on McMullen.   Im starting to think the lightbulb will never go on with this guy.   Cant say Im surprised about McMahon either.  I think im the only one who wasnt excited about getting him in FA.  I just hope he turns it around and gets it together in the preseason.   


how about this Redd guy whom everyone talks about.  See him at all?

[rjs246]

So our receiver corps disappears and they don't practice any running plays? Hooray!

[Zanshin]

Considine is back? I thought he was still nursing some sort of an injury?

PS...thanks for the Report.

Heh...that would explain not noticing him.

[Susquehanna Birder]

And our second QB likes to throw change-ups all day.

[Diomedes]

Well done.  If you fools don't tone it down, people are going to start taking this board seriously.

[Rome]

You report was outstanding, not at all like the biased homer-tripe that others provide.

Plus, you wrote today's date out like an American, which is always appreciated.

PLEASE FIGHT ME, PHREAK!!!!!!! 

[Eagles_Legendz]

thanks for the report Eagles_Legendz.  Im glad you included the bad stuff which we dont get to hear about too often.

great news about Jenkins stepping it up, thats what the birds need so desperately.   No shock on McMullen.   Im starting to think the lightbulb will never go on with this guy.   Cant say Im surprised about McMahon either.  I think im the only one who wasnt excited about getting him in FA.  I just hope he turns it around and gets it together in the preseason.   


how about this Redd guy whom everyone talks about.  See him at all?

I never realized how tiny Redd was.  He looked every bit as tall as Moats.  He seemed to have sure hands though, but he didn't get too many looks.

Susquehanna, think Favre shuffle passes, without the Favre aspect to it.

[ice grillin you]

The best part of the offense:  Justin Jenkins.  He was a monster today.  He caught everything and got separation on most of his routes

i can hear it now...

terrell who??

[phattymatty]

Apparently this morning, Ritchie looked like the best receiver out of the lot.

[daigglesfaninva]

When I was there on Tuesday Ritchie and Parry look pretty much even. I thought both caught the ball well. McMullen had a good practice too. I'm disappointed that this guy seems unable to put it together.

DT- Marshall showed nice hustle and didn't have a bad day. I doubt he stays on the PS long as he will be picked up by another team. 

[Rome]

Jenkins was ranked among the best non-drafted players last year before the Eagles signed him off the street.

I can't remember why he wasn't drafted but I seem to remember him being rated as a middle round pick.

In any case, if he can provide any help, even in preseason, it would be a bonus.  The projected starters simply can't get hurt in a meaningless game even though they need all the work with Donovan they can get.

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

[daigglesfaninva]

Adams is another receiver who I'm very interested in seeing next Monday. He had a good Tuesday as well.

[rjs246]

Lets run the triple option.