Training Camp News Articles Thread

[ice grillin you]

its so long.....DAMN you.....

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Here are six observations on the Philadelphia Eagles, gleaned from training camp practices of July 25-26:

1. It's hard to fathom, given the brilliant blitzing schemes conjured up by defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, that the Eagles would ever have problems creating pressure. But that was the case in 2005, when the unit registered just 29 sacks, sixth fewest in the league and down from 47 the previous season. The hallmark of Johnson's defense always has been the ability to manufacture havoc upfront, blitzing from every angle imaginable while maintaining sound coverage in the back end.
Because of injuries, though, Johnson never felt comfortable calling as many blitzes in 2005, and the result was a poor season. Statistically, Philadelphia ranked 23rd in overall defense. That is the unit's lowest ranking since 1999, Johnson's first season on the job. The Eagles surrendered 24.2 points a game, exactly eight more points per outing than they allowed in 2004, and much higher than the 16.6-point average of Johnson's first six seasons. During their five-year playoff run, 2000-2004, the Eagles' defense ranked among the league's top 10 on four occasions. Notable is that the defense never ranked lower than the Philadelphia offense in that stretch. So while much of the focus in this camp is on quarterback Donovan McNabb and the offense, the defense needs to improve, too. Resuscitating the pass rush is a priority.

Johnson is never going to abandon the blitzing schemes that have become his trademark. However, the Eagles need more heat from their front four, and hope that former New Orleans right end Darren Howard, the team's most notable free-agent addition, can provide it. Howard had a career-worst 3½ sacks in 2005, but played in only 12 games and essentially was banished by Saints officials for the final month of the season. He wasn't whole physically and, given the disastrous '05 season in New Orleans both on and off the field, his psyche wasn't particularly good, either. At least with the Eagles, in what has been a winning situation during head coach Andy Reid's tenure, Howard's mental outlook should be refreshed. Whether he has retained the freshness in his legs, after six years in the NFL and at age 29, remains to be seen. He has averaged only 11 appearances over the past three seasons and that is a matter of concern. And Howard never had great upfield explosiveness. But what was obvious in the first three full-scale practices of camp is that Howard remains a consummate technician, that he has more nuance to his repertoire, and uses his hands better than any other lineman on the roster.

"There are a lot of [physical things] you can lose in this game as you get older," Howard said Tuesday. "But if you've got solid technique, and maintain it, you can [extend] your career." In his first five seasons, Howard averaged 8.2 sacks and twice posted 11 quarterback knockdowns. The Eagles, who haven't had a double-digit sacker since 2002, probably would be thrilled if Howard finishes the season with 8-10 sacks. Many of Howard's sacks in New Orleans came when the Saints moved him inside to tackle on third down, where he was quicker than virtually every guard in front of him. In Philadelphia, he is expected to be deployed similarly. That will allow the Eagles to get emerging young rusher Trent Cole, who had five sacks as a rookie in 2005, onto the field.

The media was, admittedly, a tad skeptical when the Eagles signed Howard to a fat contract in the offseason. But in the first few days of camp, he certainly didn't look like a guy in decline, and appeared rejuvenated. The coaches hope that having Howard in the mix also will enhance the productivity of Jevon Kearse, who will move around more in 2006 as Johnson tries to disguise rush angles for him. Kearse averaged 12 sacks in his first three NFL seasons but, largely because of foot and ankle injuries, has averaged 6.6 sacks in the last four campaigns. In his two seasons with the Eagles, he had 7½ sacks each, and the coaches are looking for more from "The Freak."

Johnson also is looking for more pressure on the pocket from the inside, and 2005 first-rounder Mike Patterson, an undersized but super-quick tackle, might provide it. The goal was to pair Patterson with Brodrick Bunkley, this year's first-round selection, but the latter remains out of camp in a contract dispute. While the Eagles are growing perturbed by Bunkley's absence, no one is panicking yet. This team is very deep at tackle and another rookie, sixth-rounder LaJuan Ramsey of Southern California, has demonstrated promise early in camp.

2. At least on the defensive backline, the middle linebacker position, manned by four-time Pro Bowl performer Jeremiah Trotter, is a strength. Make no mistake, in the early stages of camp, Trotter and free safety Brian Dawkins have been the Eagles' most vocal and emotional veterans.
But who will flank Trotter, who has averaged 125 tackles since rejoining the Eagles in 2004, at the outside linebacker spots? Uh, we don't know right now. And we're guessing that neither does the Philadelphia coaching staff. Second-year veteran Matt McCoy, a second-round choice in 2005, is running with the No. 1 unit on the weak side. But the former San Diego State standout didn't even dress for a dozen games as a rookie and saw scant action in the four games in which he did play. In McCoy's defense, Johnson's complicated scheme isn't exactly conducive to quick results for young players, and it generally takes a year or two for guys' heads to cease spinning. If McCoy can't get the job done, the Eagles could turn to another repatriated defender, Shawn Barber, who returned to Philadelphia as a free agent this spring after three years in Kansas City. Injuries have limited Barber to just 11 appearances over the last two seasons, though, and at age 31, he might be most effective as a nickel player.

The situation at the strongside slot isn't much more encouraging. The 2005 performance of seventh-year veteran Dhani Jones -- whose colorful bow ties, erudite mien and appearances on The NFL Network have earned the guy way too much attention -- was dismal. Rarely has a linebacker who registered 105 tackles, as did Jones last season (according to Eagles team statistics), looked so bad doing it. The Eagles are trying to convert third-round draft choice Chris Gocong from college defensive end to strongside 'backer, but the kid has a long way to go. He's got very little experience playing in a two-point stance and on Tuesday morning, in one of the few times he actually engaged a blocker, Gocong was easily driven three yards off the line of scrimmage. That incurred the wrath of linebackers coach Steve Spagnuolo, who apparently felt Gocong was playing too soft. Gocong had 41 sacks the past two years in college, and won the Buck Buchanan Award as the outstanding performer at the Division I-AA level, but his inexperience at linebacker has been telling. He might log time as a situational pass rusher, but doesn't look ready to line up as a regular.

The player for whom Johnson has harbored hope as a strongside candidate is Greg Richmond, but he spent 2004 on the practice squad and 2005 on the physically-unable-to-perform list. He has yet to register a snap in a regular-season game. It's still early but, outside of Trotter, linebacker appears to be a problematic area right now. And think about the irony here: The team's best linebacker basically had to beg the Eagles to take him back in 2004 after the taterskins released him. Good thing Andy Reid picked up his cell phone the day Trotter called to patch up their previous differences.

[ice grillin you]

3. Brian Westbrook is arguably the best receiver as a tailback in the NFL. His waterbug quickness in space, where opponents never quite seem to figure out how to cover him, makes him the Eagles' most compelling offensive playmaker. But there is still a question about whether Westbrook, or anyone else on the current roster, is a consistent threat as a running back.
Of course, no one got many rushing attempts anyway in 2005, when the Eagles threw the ball on a mind-boggling 64.4 percent of their offensive snaps. Reid has vowed to emphasize the run more in 2006 but, truth be told, he's always been a throw-first coach. Since he arrived in Philadelphia in 1999, the Eagles have logged 6,942 snaps and 58.5 percent of those have been pass plays. The closest the Eagles have come under Reid to establishing offensive balance was in 2002, and even then they threw 54.4 percent of the time. In three of seven seasons under Reid, the pass quotient has been more than 60 percent. Still, the Eagles, who statistically ranked 28th in rushing yards last season, and who averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, need some semblance of a running game. But because of injuries, Westbrook has never started 16 games in a season. And while his size (5-feet-8, 203 pounds) isn't as much a factor as some have made it out to be, the Eagles clearly consider it a factor, since Westbrook has averaged just 11.7 carries per start and has only two starts in which he posted 20 carries or more.

Because of his big-play skills as an all-around back, Westbrook is an exclamation point, but the guys behind him on the depth chart are still mostly question marks. The most experienced tailback, the star-crossed Correll Buckhalter, has missed three entire seasons in five years because of knee injuries. It was surprising that the Eagles activated Buckhalter from the physically unable to perform list so early in camp because, at least in the first three practices, he did not look very spry. Ryan Moats showed some flashes in limited playing time as a rookie in 2005, averaging 5.1 yards and scoring three touchdowns on only 55 carries, but that's not much of a body of work on which to make a strong enough assessment of him. The Eagles continue to tout the skills of Thomas Tapeh, who has fullback size (6-feet-1, 243 pounds) and reputedly tailback-caliber running skills, but he's been frequently injured and has played in only seven games in two seasons. Second-year veteran Bruce Perry runs tougher between the tackles than his size (5-10, 200) would indicate, but is inexperienced, with just 16 rushing attempts.

4. During a Tuesday morning "team" drill, tight end L.J. Smith gathered in a pass in the short left flat, turned upfield, and absolutely annihilated backup safety Quintin Mikell with an ear-splitting collision that seemed to echo through the entire Lehigh Valley. The "de-cleater," in which Smith simply mowed down Mikell, certainly brought the throaty Eagles fans to their feet. It was also indicative, said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, of the manner in which Smith performed in the offseason.
A year ago, then-coordinator Brad Childress, now the Minnesota Vikings' coach, told ESPN.com that Smith was poised for a breakout season. The tight end responded with 61 receptions, which tied Westbrook for the team lead, and equaled Smith's total catches for the first two seasons of his career. His 682 receiving yards in 2005 were only 16 fewer yards than his previous two-year total. Now Mornhinweg is predicting even bigger things for the three-year veteran and former second-round draft pick. It will be difficult, given the quality of the tight end position in the NFC, for Smith to snag a Pro Bowl berth. But he clearly is developing into a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

"He's ready," Mornhinweg said, "to jump to an even higher level now." Smith is never going to be a great in-line blocker, a deficiency in general for Philadelphia at the position, but he has an innate feel for the passing game, how to find holes in a secondary, and how to uncover himself. He and McNabb seem to have crafted a comfort level and, in an offense that really has no big-time wide receiver and which prefers to spread the ball around, Smith could be a 70- to 75-catch player on an annual basis.

Another tight end the Eagles like, and who showed solid receiving skills early in camp, is veteran Matt Schobel, signed as an unrestricted free agent in the spring. Schobel had only 90 catches in four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, and his catches dropped every year in the league. But the Bengals rarely used a tight end on third down and the Philadelphia coaches think Schobel has skills that weren't effectively utilized in the past. There is some redundancy, though, because, like Smith, with whom he will often be used in tandem, Schobel isn't a very accomplished blocker.

[ice grillin you]

5. Another young player to watch is third-year right guard Shawn Andrews, the team's first-round choice in 2004, and a guy the Eagles like so much, they recently secured him through the 2015 season with a fat contract extension.
Andrews won't say how much weight he lost in the offseason but, prompted by the sudden death of a close friend, he's dropped 20-25 pounds and looks much trimmer. Literally and figuratively, it seems Andrews is prepared to take his game to a new level. On virtually every play the first two days of camp, he was several yards upfield, seeking out a second-level target to block. The guy is an absolute mauler, still big enough to engulf defenders, but with surprising deftness of movement. There will likely come a time, after Jon Runyan retires in three or four years, that Andrews will move out to tackle. But for now, he looks like one of the best young guards in the league.



6. Like the three other franchises in the NFC East, the Eagles could finish anywhere from first to fourth place in the division. At the conclusion of their dismal 2005 season, the consensus seemed to be that the Eagles needed only some minor tweaks to rebound in 2006. Upon closer inspection, that might be an oversimplified and optimistic assessment, because there are still some holes to be filled and some areas of concern.
One obvious positive is that the intramural turbulence that marked Terrell Owens' short-lived tenure has been alleviated. But the reality is that Owens, when he wasn't publicly airing his grievances, was a game-altering playmaker. There's no guarantee that anyone, even second-year veteran Reggie Brown, who has embraced the mantle of No. 1 receiver, will be able to approximate Owens' numbers. How well McNabb responds, not only in coming back from hernia surgery but also rebounding from a year in which the personal attacks on him (publicly and privately) got ugly at times, is a key. And Johnson has to fix a defense that played without its usual swagger in 2005. There is talent on the roster, but a lot of pieces have to fit comfortably into the puzzle, and some things have to go right.

Ownership, and the salary cap management of team president Joe Banner has, for years, kept open the window of opportunity for a Super Bowl title. But the window isn't quite as wide as it has been in recent seasons, and Philadelphia is no longer viewed as a sure-thing playoff team. It will be important for the Eagles to break from the gate quickly. Their schedule over the second half of the year is a grinder, and how's this for daunting: Philadelphia faces a stretch of three straight road games in December and all of them are against divisional foes. They are at Washington on Dec. 10, at the New York Giants on Dec. 17 and at Dallas on Christmas Day.

[SunMo]

thanks IGY.  there's a place in heaven for the likes of you

[mussa]

i just got back from TC today, have a ton of photos. i'll have a thread up sometime tonight.

[Feva]

Eagles' ground woes tied to pass rush

Camp tour: Eagles' ground woes tied to pass rush 

July 26, 2006
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Clark your opinion!
   

Eagles: Five things to know
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Fans clamoring for the Philadelphia Eagles to run more this season miss the point. The Eagles don't need to rush more effectively; they need to rush the passer more effectively.
 
And, yes, the two are related.

Nobody at this year's camp disputes that the club got lost last season when it threw or tried to throw 64 percent of the time, including 72 percent in the first seven games. But look a little closer, and you'll find why a team that once was balanced went haywire.

The Eagles allowed 113 first-quarter points. Nobody was worse. They also allowed six opponents to score on their first possessions. That's not good. Their 113-62 first-quarter imbalance ranked third from last in the league, and, pardon me, but you don't need an MBA to figure out where all of this leads.

You pass.

You pass because you have no other choice. When you're behind, the quickest way to make up ground is to throw the ball, and the Eagles did ... a team-record 620 times.

Now, compare that to the 2004 season when Philadelphia went to the Super Bowl. The Eagles outscored opponents 100-54 in the opening period and 300-178 after three, and both take you to the same place -- a fourth quarter where you run the clock and the ball.

So something went awry last year, and that something was the Eagles defense. Specifically, it was the Eagles pass rush, which is why I want to talk about how important defensive end Darren Howard could be.

The former second-round pick of New Orleans was the Eagles' first offseason addition, with the club striking early. Philadelphia had tried to trade for the guy a year ago, but the Saints weren't interested. So the Eagles waited for free-agency, then signed him to a six-year, $30.5 million deal. Now they have a bookend to match Javon Kearse and maybe, just maybe, a ticket back to the playoffs.

"This is my dream job," said a relaxed Howard. "They needed someone to rush the passer, and that's what I do best."

Critics charge the club overpaid for Howard, but if he can do here what he did in New Orleans his first season, the Eagles look like geniuses. Howard had 11 sacks that year, a total he duplicated in 2004, and nobody's had more in Philly since Hugh Douglas produced 12.5 in 2002.

The Eagles went to the NFC Championship Game that year, and they can return if they get back to what they do best -- which is playing a defense that forces opponents into mistakes. Coach Andy Reid swears the team will run more this season, but that's because Andy Reid knows his defense should be so improved that it will allow him to run more.

And he's not the only one.

"I believe we have the talent to do what we need to do to play the ball that we need to play," said safety Brian Dawkins. "Now, am I saying that we are going to run through everybody? No, I'm not saying that. But I believe that we have what it takes."

They didn't a year ago, and blame it on injuries, T.O. or a post-Super Bowl hangover, but the Eagles just weren't themselves. Now, go to the root of the problem, and I offer the team's sacks as Exhibit A: The Eagles had 29, their fewest since 1978 and lowest under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

"It all starts with the pass rush and creating mistakes," said Johnson, "and we didn't do a very good job of either last year."

I don't know what the problem was, but I do know the club was handicapped by setbacks dating back to the summer when defensive end Jerome McDougle was wounded. McDougle is back and looks good. In fact, Johnson is counting on a significant contribution from him.

First-round draft pick Brodrick Bunkley will help to shore up the middle of the defensive line. Third-round pick Chris Gocong could be a factor in the pass rush as the season unfolds. Trent Cole is coming off a year where he had five sacks and showed promise.

Then there's Howard.

"It seems like I've been talking about him the last three years," said Johnson. "We knew what he was as a pass rusher at defensive end, but we also saw him as an inside pass rusher in nickel situations. So we really felt he could help us ... if he could handle it.

"The thing we found out is that he's a really intelligent guy. He can handle both positions, which is a big plus."

If Howard stays healthy -- and the Eagles aren't concerned -- he gives the club flexibility it lacked with its front four last season. Specifically, the additions of people like Howard, Bunkley and Gocong should allow Johnson more freedom with his defensive line rotation than he's had in recent years -- with Johnson talking about moving Kearse up and down the line to take advantage of his skills.

All of this adds up to the same thing: Philadelphia must pressure the pocket as it did in the past, either with its ends or with outside linebackers who did next to nothing a year ago. If it can, my advice to opposing quarterbacks is to duck. These are not last year's Eagles.

"I'm very confident when you look at the talent and the speed we have on the field," said Dawkins. "If we can control first down and get teams in second and third and long we are going to have some fun."

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Did we miss this gem from Wednesday?

Darnerien McConfidence

Receiver Darnerien McCants is in a battle for one of the elusive receiver spots. It helps that he had perhaps the top play of the day in Wednesday morning's practice.

McCants, who usually lines up inside, was on the left outside flank against the first-team defense. He sidestepped cornerback Sheldon Brown and free safety Brian Dawkins had to slide over. When that happened, backup quarterback Jeff Garcia located McCants and the fifth-year receiver's eyes opened up.

"Once I get even with any safety, I can beat him," McCants said. "I never had to break strides or break around. It was perfect."

Physically, McCants has a lot of tools. He's big, tall and relatively fast. What's lacked in his career is production. McCants has carved a niche in the red zone, scoring six touchdowns on 27 catches while with the Washington taterskins in 2003.

"My game is in the red zone," McCants said. "Most of the time I'm in the middle so I don't have the chance to break free. But if they keep me outside, 10 out of 20, I'm scoring."

Even still, he finds himself in a crowded mix of receivers. His ability in the red zone can help find him a spot on the team. McCants' goals are higher, though. And if you listen to McCants speak, you'll quickly be assured his lack of sufficient production isn't because of a lack of a confidence.

"There's only one goal and that's to start," McCants said. "I've proven everything that whatever critic said. They talk about my speed, I run a 4.4. I'm 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. They say I couldn't play special teams; I was fourth in production here. They say I couldn't do whatever, I was one of the leading scorers and I was the third guy in Washington.

"I can be the No. 1 guy anywhere."

[jeffreyjpa]

"I can be the No. 1 guy anywhere."

Someone should've demanded a urine sample after this interview.

[Diomedes]

Cut him.

[rjs246]

Cut him.

I like this morning's attitude towards things, Dio.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Currently the top story on espn.com:

Brown ready to be No. 1 target
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Call him an overachiever. Talk about Reggie Brown's often overblown sense of humor, gleaned from the silly pranks his father frequently conjured up to help him get through treatments for a brain tumor, or note the overtime that the Philadelphia Eagles receiver logs after nearly every practice as he works tirelessly to enhance his skills.

Just don't ever suggest the "O" word most frequently associated with the initiation of young receivers into the Andy Reid-designed offense -- overwhelmed -- when discussing Brown's 2005 rookie season.

Those three syllables, at least arranged in that particular order, simply aren't in his vocabulary.

"Overwhelmed?" said the good-natured Brown, feigning shock at the mere mention of the word, after Tuesday morning's first full-contact practice of training camp. "No, never, not overwhelmed. I mean, there were times when my head was spinning, or when I was maybe uncertain about something. I was probably confused sometimes, you know? But overwhelmed? Oh, my, no way."

Not many young Eagles wide receivers in recent years could offer such a self-assured evaluation. In fact, before Brown, none could. At least none selected during the Reid era.

A second-round draft choice from the University of Georgia in 2005, Brown's rookie numbers -- 43 receptions for 571 yards and four touchdowns -- were more modest than meteoric. But the catches were the most in franchise history by a rookie wide receiver and Brown led all NFL first-year players in receiving yards, had the second-most catches and the third-most touchdowns. Brown was the first Eagles rookie to post two touchdown catches in a game since 1990.

That says a lot about the suspect quality of the prospects the Eagles have been plucking from the college ranks every spring. But hopefully, it says even more about Brown.

As evidenced by the fact that there have been 117 receivers selected in the first round since 1970, and only eight of them had 1,000-yard seasons as rookies, it is difficult for any pass catcher to make an immediate impact in the NFL. But in the Reid offense, it has been virtually impossible.


Over the first six drafts of Reid's tenure with the team (1999-2004), the Eagles selected seven wide receivers. Their aggregate first-year production: 51 catches for 668 yards and two touchdowns. Only two members of the group -- Na Brown in 1999 and the loquacious Freddie Mitchell in 2001 -- snagged more than 10 passes as rookies. None had even 300 receiving yards as rookies. Two caught one pass each and two more had zero receptions in their debut campaigns. Of the seven, just one, Todd Pinkston, a second-round pick in the 2000 draft, is still in the Eagles' employ.

Chew on those paltry numbers for a few minutes and Brown's statistics of a year ago, as ordinary as they may seem, become a little more impressive.

"But the thing is," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg emphasized, "we need more this year."

Do they ever.

The exit of Terrell Owens has transformed the Eagles' summer venue, at bucolic Lehigh University, into Camp Tranquil, an atmosphere befitting the lush and hilly terrain of the area. But it has also left the club without a proven No. 1 receiver. Consider this: Even though Owens played in just seven games in 2005, less than half a season, he still finished just one reception behind Greg Lewis for the most catches by a wide receiver. And Owens' 763 yards and six touchdowns were team highs.

Take away Owens' six scores and the Philadelphia wide receivers got into the end zone only six times. For an offense that throws the ball as much as the Eagles do -- under Reid, 58.5 percent of the offensive snaps since 1999 were pass plays and last season the quota was a lopsided 64.4 percent -- that isn't much of a dividend. Not surprisingly, there are some scouts around the league who don't think very much of the remnant Philadelphia wide receiver corps, and they rate Brown as just a No. 2 wideout forced into the lead role because the Eagles don't have anyone better than him on the roster.

Such talk hardly ruffles the imperturbable Brown, who has enthusiastically embraced the mantle.

"They've put [the No. 1 label] on me and I'm happy to have it," said Brown, who at times wasn't even the lead receiver on his college team. "They don't seem to have a problem with it, so why should I? If they felt like someone else [here] was the top guy, then it would be him. If they felt like there was someone better that they could go get, they'd probably go and get him, because that's the nature of his business. But I feel like it's my place on this team ... and I'm definitely ready for it."

Skeptics have noted it is a role ceded to Brown by default as much as by deed, but neither he nor Eagles coaches agree with that analysis. Still, no matter how much Brown seems to have grown in his second year with the club -- and he definitely looks bigger through the shoulders and upper body, seems to carry himself a little taller than he did a season ago, and exudes notably more confidence now -- it's tough to shake the suspicion that the Eagles' wide receiver corps is a thin one.

Fact is, doubts about the Philadelphia receivers, outside of emerging tight end L.J. Smith, even supersede any questions about the health of the guy throwing the football, quarterback Donovan McNabb. And until the Eagles' receivers prove themselves, the doubts about the wideouts are legitimate.

Lewis is a capable No. 2 or No. 3 receiver and wouldn't be a starter on most teams. Veteran Jabar Gaffney, signed as an unrestricted free agent after four seasons in Houston, is a better receiver than a lot of people think, but appears to be best-suited to the slot role. Pinkston, who has a healthy career average of 15.3 yards per catch and who has flashed deep-play skills at times in his career, is rehabilitating from a ruptured right Achilles tendon that sidelined him the entire '05 season. He's missed the first few days of camp, inexplicably, because of tendinitis in his left Achilles. Even though he isn't especially quick, the coaches like fourth-round draft choice Jason Avant, but the former University of Michigan standout is on the physically unable to perform list, recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Fifth-rounder Jeremy Bloom, the former Olympics freestyle skier, has a balky hamstring.

There are whispers that the Eagles might be interested in making a trade to acquire Denver malcontent Ashley Lelie, who skipped the Broncos' entire offseason program. But after the Owens fiasco, the once-burnt-twice-shy philosophy might prevail here when it comes to taking on another team's problem child.

Which pretty much leaves Brown the No. 1 option at wide receiver. And which, for now at least, seems pretty much OK with Brown and the coaching staff.

"You like to feel like you've earned it, but let's face it, there are some [extenuating] circumstances here," Brown acknowledged. "But am I confident that, no matter what those circumstances are, I can be the guy? Yeah, definitely, I am. And I think the more obvious it became that this was going to be my role, then the harder I worked to show people I deserve it."

According to Reid, it's no small feat for Brown to work even harder than he did a year ago.

"He'll work as hard or harder than anybody on this team at what he does," Reid said. "He's hard to tire out, man. He'll keep going. When [Tampa Bay coach] Jon Gruden had him in the Senior Bowl [in the spring of 2005], that was the thing he told me: 'You can't wear this guy out, he keeps rolling.' And that's how he is. He just pushes, pushes and pushes every play."

In the Reid offense, however, work ethic and physical tools aren't enough to suggest success. Mitchell, a first-round pick in 2001 who never played up to that level and eventually talked his way off the team, used to chafe incessantly over the difficulty in assimilating the offense. Even Owens conceded there were times when he relied on his extemporaneous skills because he forgot a route assignment. Brown seems to have a feel for the offense but, almost as important, a feel for the game in general.

"He's quicker than people think," Mornhinweg said. "And he's smart, and he works as hard as anyone out here. But I think what makes him a good receiver, and will make him even better as he matures in the NFL, is his gut instinct. He's just got a sense for how the game is developing from play to play, how he fits into things, where he can make play. You really saw that developing at the end of last year."

Indeed, while Brown had two catches or fewer in four of his 11 starts, and less than 30 receiving yards in six of them, he also posted four outings with 70-plus yards. In the final month of the Eagles' otherwise dismal season, Brown was a bright spot, averaging five catches for 60 yards in a four-game stretch. In the season finale against Washington, he had seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns, and he wants to build on that performance.

The Eagles need him to build as if he was erecting a prefabricated house. And Brown knows it.

"Oh, sure, I feel a lot different coming in here this year," he said. "Part of that is natural, because I know where everything is now, I know the offense so much better, and I'm beyond that awkward, sort of guessing stage, where you just hope you're doing things right. People look at me a little different now, and the expectations are so much greater, and that's fine with me.

"I mean," Brown said, laughing, "I'm not overwhelmed by it, you know?"

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

P.S.  Is Eric Karabell on drugs?

Fantasy take
Philly has wide receiver problems, but really, these issues aren't any worse than they were pre-T.O. So watch for someone stepping up and becoming a popular target, and possibly a fantasy worthy WR option. Greg Lewis and Todd Pinkston figure to start, but Reggie Brown is someone to watch. Also, the health of Donovan McNabb is critical. Is he a top 5 fantasy QB, or barely top 10?
-- Eric Karabell

And this guy is a fantasy "expert"?

[ice grillin you]

heckert on wip

--bunkley will be signed no doubt...hes being hurt by not being there...juan juan is really benefitting...blah blah blah

--jj's defense is real tough he needs to be here....blah blah blah

--hes talked to bunks father about the fact that the agent wont allow bunk to talk to reid

--the defense is improved...lito (kind of random) looks good...

--no worries about pinky...blah blah blah

commercial break...

[ice grillin you]

--have plenty of weapons on offense....need to spread the ball around

--look for moats in the back field with westbrook

--lj gonna have a huge year

--with pinkston healthy they have 4-5-6 solid guys who are all interchangable

--dont have a top threat guy but theres a chance someone could emerge as a number one

--easier for him to be confident in the wr's cause he knows what a jason avant can do where as the fans dont (jason avant?)

--really likes baskett "hes a player"

--fans will be impressed when they really get to see all these guys (meaning the wr's)

--dont need a stud wr because with andys formations and motion they will take adavntage of defensive mis matches

--buckhalter is a bonus if he makes it...but doesnt sound to confident...isnt counting on him to be there

--dont count out reno mahe...he does everything..matarano says at least reno has another job if he doesnt make...heckert clearly pissed off

--p mccoy and davis are the two surprises so far as far as unknows who have caught their eye

--not counting on mcdougle either...much like buck will be a bonus if he contributes...

--deepest line hes ever been around


commercial break

[ice grillin you]

--dhani was not the problem on d last year...he will be ok...admitted that he really isnt big enough for the position....richmond and dhiani will be a great battle

--special teams: have returners coming out of their ears...put an emphasis on that

--reed is in the mix there...his walk is not pretty but when hes on the field he looks the same as two yrs ago

--perry will be there and gona mix in moats

--bloom will be back next week

--they are working gocong off the edge and as a pas rusher more so than at sam...looks very good at rushing the passer...they also have used him as a joker...he will learn sam tho..where he is going to excel tho will be on special teams

--overall he expects special teams to be great this year

--not really looking at a big back...wants to see what their own guys can do first