Eagles News

"BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Shaheer McBride seemed to pull the ball in from nowhere. He stepped between two defenders to catch a pass from Kevin Kolb and came crashing hard to the turf.

And just as he hit the ground, the ball came loose. So much for making magic. "You've got to squeeze it," barked coach Andy Reid as McBride ran back to the huddle. Wednesday's workout on another steamy morning at Lehigh University took its toll on McBride, the former Delaware State receiver. Generally, McBride has made good impressions. After practice, Reid said the Chester, Pa., native "is very strong to the football" and "a big, big target." But McBride, who signed as a rookie free agent after an ..."

"The stakes may not be quite as high, but Ron Jaworski has been here before. And he's determined not to make the same mistake twice.

It was January 1981 and Jaworski and the Eagles were playing the Raiders in New Orleans in Super Bowl XV. Though the Super Bowl hadn't become the hype machine it is today, there were still numerous distractions for the competing teams. Especially in the French Quarter, which can be part frat house, part burlesque show. That's why coach Dick Vermeil and the Eagles headquartered at a Hilton near the airport, far from downtown. "We had our good times, but we stayed away from the media center and where everybody was," said Jaworski, the starting quarterback. ..."

"BETHLEHEM, Pa. - One of the less-talked-about competitions that figure to take place during summer training camp is at fullback, where the Eagles are trying to replace Thomas Tapeh , who is now with the Vikings, with someone who also can be a major contributor on special teams.

"You worry about that position a little bit because it's such a physical position," coach Andy Reid said after the morning workout yesterday. "We've got three guys in there that we feel can compete against each other, and we'll see how they do with it."

The competitors: Luke Lawton , a third-year veteran acquired in a trade from Indianapolis last month; Jason Davis , a third-year player who has never played ..."

"BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The ball was snapped, and the receivers, unfettered by pads and unworried about being hit, scattered quickly into the secondary like mice in a world without cats.

Over and over, Joe Mays was right behind them yesterday, casting a low, thick shadow of things to come on the tight ends and running backs who were his responsibility. He wanted to hit them, to separate them from the football with one of those cartoon tackles in which the helmet and the shoes of the unfortunate player pop off at the same time. But he wasn't allowed to hit them yet. No, not yet. That happens for the first time in training camp on Saturday. Joe Mays is waiting. "You just want to show the team ..."

"BETHLEHEM - Everybody seems to expect Brian Westbrook to report to Eagles camp on time tonight. For one thing, holding out when you're under contract, which cost Westbrook "only'' $7,000 a day, times 6 days, in 2005, today is fined at $15,000 a day plus a prorated portion of the player's signing bonus, proving that something really is going up faster than gas prices. The signing-bonus thing is complicated - in this case, think in terms of a potential seven-figure fine, a league source said.

Also, the ball is pretty much in Westbrook's court right now when it comes to negotiating a new contract with the team, to replace the one he doesn't like. The Eagles have made it clear they are ..."

"BETHLEHEM - The smart money says that if rookie DeSean Jackson is able to keep his tiny little body in one piece this summer - which is a big if for a 5-9 guy who weighs slightly more than Shawn Andrews' right leg - he'll provide an immediate boost to an Eagles return game that had trouble getting out of its own way last season. As for the immediate impact the second-round wide receiver from Cal might have on the Eagles' offense, well, optimism is in much shorter supply there. Rookie wide receivers historically have been as quiet as church mice in Andy Reid's West Coast offense. The fact that Reid's playbook is thicker than 10 James Michener novels is one reason for that. The fact that ..."

"Following tradition, Eagles coach Andy Reid withheld quarterback Donovan McNabb from this afternoon's practice.

In the past Reid has given his quarterback the second session off on the day before veterans are scheduled to arrive. The rest of the team is expected to check into their Lehigh University dorms by 5 p.m. tomorrow. Kevin Kolb and A.J. Feeley will split snaps this afternoon as rookie/selected veteran camp continues."

"One of just four receivers in camp so far, Shaheer McBride knows every play in which he's involved gets noticed – especially the ones he'd like to forget.

The former Delaware State receiver made a nice catch in traffic across the middle in 7-on-7 drills in today's morning session of training camp, but had the ball jarred from his grip after he came crashing to the ground. "You gotta squeeze it," barked coach Andy Reid as McBride ran back to the huddle. Reid later praised McBride during his press conference, but the dropped pass still lingered for the Chester, Pa., native."

"A day after Eagles coach Andy Reid and quarterback A.J. Feeley assured reporters that Brian Westbrook wouldn't boycott training camp, quarterback Donovan McNabb weighed in with a similar sentiment.

"Westbrook will be here," McNabb said Tuesday. Westbrook, the team's All-Pro running back, and the Eagles have been trying to rework the five-year, $25 million deal Westbrook signed in 2005. One newspaper report last week quoted Westbrook as saying he hadn't made up his mind about reporting to Lehigh University by 5 p.m. Thursday, when veterans are due. After the team's first practice, McNabb said he hadn't spoken to Westbrook, which means his statement was based more on opinion than ..."

"Donovan McNabb was scram bling as well as he had in years. Only it wasn't on the field, avoiding would-be pass rushers. It was in his first interview of training camp in the media tent a few yards beyond the end zone at Lehigh University. McNabb, who tries sometimes too hard to say all the right things and please everyone, came across contradictory and at times almost delusional. In one of his first answers to a question about last season, McNabb was impressive. "Any time you dwell on the past," he said, "your future isn't very bright." Then, in the span of the next few minutes he mentioned not only last year's 8-8 season, but the 2004 Super Bowl season, the 2005 disastrous ..."

"Brian Westbrook chose Georgia-based Todd France as his new agent yesterday, and France now has the difficult task of trying to get his client a new contract. France did not return a phone call last night, but two NFL sources confirmed Westbrook's decision. One league source said the move probably would not become official until today because France must file paperwork with the NFL players union."

"Three years ago, when Brian Westbrook was holding out of camp for a week, then playing under a 1-year, $1.43 million restricted free-agent tender, Donovan McNabb made it clear he thought the Eagles could do better by their offensive catalyst. Eventually, they did, signing Westbrook to a 5-year, $25 million extension in November 2005. If BWest was looking for a shoutout yesterday from his quarterback, looking for a "Hey, the Eagles need to make this guy happy, it's important," well, McNabb didn't quite say that. He didn't presume to tell management what to do, the week after Westbrook fired McNabb's friend and agent, Fletcher Smith."

"Some ideas look great on paper, but when you try to implement them, they turn into the second coming of the Edsel. Which brings us, once again, to the Eagles and Operation Cornerback. Ever since the April draft, when the expected trade of unhappy, two-time Pro Bowler Lito Sheppard failed to materialize, the Eagles have preached the positiveness of going to war with three - count 'em, three - experienced starting cornerbacks: Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and $56 million newcomer Asante Samuel."

"There was no goofy hat this time. No T-shirt with an inspirational message. No plug for the Web site where fans could find his blog. There was only the 31-year-old quarterback and the questions that can't be answered in mid-July. Not this year, not last year, not any year. Donovan McNabb held his annual "State of Me" address yesterday as the Eagles opened what should be a long, hot and relatively uneventful training camp."

"Trevor Laws was in town Monday, he just wasn't an Eagle yet, so he couldn't report. "I was here at Lehigh at, like, noon, just waiting for it to get done," Laws said yesterday. The second-round defensive tackle from Notre Dame was the final Eagles draft pick to sign; his 4-year deal was announced by head coach Andy Reid during Reid's welcome-to-training camp news conference Monday evening."

"Donovan McNabb showed up for the first day of training camp this morning with a healthy right shoulder and an even healthier dose of confidence in his football team. "We beat the Cowboys last year and we should have beaten them in the first game," the Eagles' quarterback said following the team's morning practice at Lehigh University. "The Redskins, we should have beat them in the first game. The Giants, we should have beat them both times. It's not just the teams in our conference, it's the teams in the NFC period. I feel like we can compete with all of them. If you ask those teams, they'll tell you the same. We have the type of team you have to look out for."

"DeSean Jackson's choice of headgear Monday can't hurt the fans' opinion of the second-round draft pick. Arriving for Eagles training camp at Lehigh University, Jackson wore a Phillies baseball cap. "Oh, yeah, I'm definitely a Phillies fan," Jackson said. More importantly, it didn't hurt his cause that he showed up for camp on time. The rookie wide receiver agreed to terms with the team late Sunday night and arrived at Lehigh on Monday under contract and ready to go. "It's huge for me," Jackson said of reaching a deal and reporting to camp on time. "The last thing I wanted to do was leave the impression that I wanted to hold out or not get into camp for whatever reason possible. But ..."

"One down, 37 to go. The Eagles wrapped up the first practice session of their 2008 training camp at Lehigh University on Tuesday morning. The workout was followed by quarterback Donovan McNabb's first press conference. It's the 10th camp for both McNabb and head coach Andy Reid, but the quarterback wasn't in a contemplative mood. "Any time you start reflecting on the past, it means your future is not that bright," he said. "I'm looking forward to a great year.""

"It was a cheerful, downright glib Andy Reid who met with reporters yesterday evening, after rookies andvets reported to training camp at Lehigh. Brian Westbrook? Shouldn't be a problem, the Eagles coach said. "I'm sure he [will] be," Reid said, when asked if he thought Westbrook would be in attendance Thursday when most veterans are scheduled to report. "Brian's obviously one of the leaders of this football team, so I would expect that he would be here.""

"Donovan McNabb will practice for the first time since June 9 this morning. The Eagles' starting quarterback was shut down in the middle of Organized Team Activities with shoulder tendonitis, but head coach Andy Reid said McNabb is ready to go as training camp gets under way at Lehigh University. McNabb is one of 25 players -- including rookies and selected veterans -- scheduled to take part in the camp's first practice session, set to start at 8:45 a.m."

"There were no Trevor Laws sightings as the Eagles' rookies and some selected veterans checked into the Sayre Village dorms yesterday afternoon at Lehigh University. Had there been one, the rookie defensive tackle might have been the guy with a noticeable limp. Laws' arrival at Lehigh was slightly delayed because he did not agree to his four-year deal with the Eagles until after the 5 p.m. reporting deadline. Even though he will be in attendance for the team's first practice this morning, Laws, the team's first overall pick in this year's draft, will not participate because of a foot injury."

"Andy Reid didn't hesitate to play the leadership card Monday when asked about disgruntled running back Brian Westbrook. Westbrook, who is currently without an agent, believes the Eagles should give him a massive pay raise commensurate with his All-Pro performance last year and has been dropping hints that he's considering a holdout — a move that could cost him a lot of money. On Day 1 of his 10th training camp at Lehigh University, Reid was asked if he thinks Westbrook will show up on Thursday, when veterans are due to report. “I'm sure he would,” Reid said. “Brian is obviously one of the leaders of the football team, so I would expect that he would be here.”"

"The junior half of the Eagles' potential training-camp holdout problem dematerialized at the 11th hour, leaving only veterans Brian Westbrook and Lito Sheppard in doubt. As the team welcomed 27 rookies and selected veterans Monday to Lehigh University, wide receiver and return specialist DeSean Jackson talked about how happy he was to be in camp. His four-year contract came through late Sunday. Then, just as head coach Andy Reid wrapped up his camp-opening press conference, word came that defensive tackle Trevor Laws had also signed a four-year deal on the dotted line."

"Eagles coach Andy Reid said he will implement "a 30-plus club" at training camp this year in an effort to rest some of his veteran players. "With the 30-plus club, they're going to work two days and then they'll have the morning practice off on the third day," Reid said tonight after rookies and a handful of veterans reported to training camp at Lehigh University. "We'll do that throughout camp.""

"It was a cheerful, downright glib Andy Reid who met with reporters yesterday evening, after rookies andvets reported to training camp at Lehigh. Brian Westbrook? Shouldn't be a problem, the Eagles coach said. "I'm sure he [will] be," Reid said, when asked if he thought Westbrook would be in attendance Thursday when most veterans are scheduled to report. "Brian's obviously one of the leaders of this football team, so I would expect that he would be here.""

"It's going to hurt. It's going to hurt more than anything they've ever experienced. Their bones will ache, their muscles will burn, their brains will turn to mush. If the pounding doesn't get to them, the endless meetings will. If the meetings don't get to them, the heat will. It's going to be torture, and it will feel like it's never going to end. Then it will be time of Day 2 of training camp. “These young guys, they don't know what they're in for,” veteran tight end L.J. Smith said. “They might say they know it's going to be hard, but they don't really know. Whatever their worst fears are, it's going to be twice that hard. “The toughest thing is to stay sharp mentally when ..."

"The Eagles have one less contract headache going into the start of training camp today. Rookie second-round pick DeSean Jackson, the electrifying receiver and returner out of Cal, agreed to terms of a four-year contract late last night, insuring his on-time arrival at Lehigh University in time for today's 5 p.m. team meeting with head coach Andy Reid. Jackson, the ninth of 10 rookie draft picks to reach a contract agreement with the Eagles, is expected to formally sign his deal today before reporting to Bethlehem, Pa. Practice for rookies begins tomorrow morning."

"This morning, 12,000 standing-room tickets for Eagles games "sold out in a matter of minutes," according to the team. The tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. For $50, plus service charges, buyers got the right to stand in designated areas at regular-season games this season. To give more fans a chance, the team set a limit of four tickets per person. Eagles ticket sales are always short-lived."

"As rookies andvets report to Lehigh this afternoon, we still don't know if Brian Westbrook will show up with the remaining vets on Thursday, but we do know he seems close to hiring agent J.R. Rickert, who represents fellow Eagles running back Correll Buckhalter. Rickert is affiliated with Peter Schaffer and Lamont Smith, the agents Lito Sheppard fired last week in favor of Drew Rosenhaus. Rickert is based is Niskayuna, N.Y., though, and the Schaffer group is based in Colorado. Rickert, originally from the Philly area, also represents Eagles fullback Jason Davis and center Jamaal Jackson."

"For the first time since Andy Reid joined the Eagles, there is evidence he no longer has the final say in all football decisions. Club president Joe Banner, insiders agree, has maneuvered into an unprecedented position of power within the Eagles. The movement began a year ago while Reid took a leave of absence to deal with the arrests and legal issues of his oldest sons. The Eagles aren't the first NFL franchise transitioning to an organizational structure where business types with salary-cap savvy are influencing more and more of the basic football decisions. The shift of power adds to the drama that will start playing out today when the Eagles report to training camp at Lehigh ..."

"As Eagles president Joe Banner and vice president of player person nel Howie Roseman tend to the contract demands of Lito Sheppard and Brian Westbrook, head coach Andy Reid begins taking care of business on the practice fields at Lehigh University in Beth lehem, Pa., with the official start of training camp tomorrow. Rookies andveterans are expected to weigh in no later than tonight, with remaining players due Thursday."

"Andy Reid's five-year plan enters its 10th year as the Eagles rookies and selected veterans report to Lehigh University tonight and will begin practice tomorrow morning. Reid and his first-ever draft pick, quarterback Donovan McNabb, have spent the past nine seasons together, and as that first decade comes to a close this season you have to wonder where the partnership is headed. Already the two have lasted longer than most marriages and have been together longer than any current head coach/quarterback duo in the NFL. "In this day and age, that's a long time," said a front office executive for another team. "Really, if you think about it, 10 years is a long time for any coach ..."

"The Eagles reached a contract agreement with wide receiver DeSean Jackson, a second-round pick, on the eve of training camp late Sunday night. Rookies and selected veterans are expected to report to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., by 5 p.m. today. Terms of Jackson's four-year deal were not announced. He was the 49th pick overall. With Jackson signed, defensive tackle Trevor Laws, the team's first pick chosen two spots ahead of Jackson in the second round, is the only member of the Eagles' draft class still unsigned. Laws is likely to reach an agreement today."

"Here are three questions that need answers as the Eagles begin preparing for the Sept. 7 season opener against the St. Louis Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Is three a crowd? On paper, Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown look like one of the best cornerback trios in the NFL. It remains to be seen, however, if it can work and how it will work. All we know is that Samuel, who signed a six-year, $57.14 million free-agent deal, is the starting left cornerback. We don't know whether Sheppard or Brown will be the starter at right cornerback, but that answer should come when the team puts on the pads and starts hitting for the first time Saturday."

"JUST A WEEK ago, the Eagles seemed to be sailing so smoothly into training camp, which starts this afternoon with rookies and select vets reporting to the hilltop dorms at Lehigh. Donovan McNabb's shoulder tendinitis was gone, and McNabb was throwing to his receivers out in Arizona. All the other marquee names were healthy. There was no first-round draft pick to sign, and thus, little prospect of a lengthy, distracting rookie holdout. Nobody knew whether corner Lito Sheppard planned to show up on time, but given the presence of Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown, and Sheppard's relative lack of contract leverage after an injury-marred year, that situation hardly seemed like anything ..."

"The Eagles were confident this afternoon that second-round draft picks Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson would be signed in time to join the other rookies who are scheduled to report for the start of training camp tomorrow night at Lehigh University. By late tonight, Jackson, a wide receiver from the University of California, had agreed to a four-year deal, leaving Laws as the team's only unsigned draft pick. Jackson, the 49th overall selection, is the leading candidate to handle punt returns for the Eagles this season. He had six career punt returns for touchdowns at Cal."

"He played 12 seasons in the NFL, all with the Dallas Cowboys, made five Pro Bowls and was chosen All-Pro four times. Darren Woodson, one of the dominant safeties of the 1990s, will tell you his success stemmed from confidence. His confidence came from the simple fact that every time the Cowboys defense jogged onto the field, he'd take his place in the lineup. That's why Woodson, now an ESPN analyst, wonders about Lito Sheppard's future with the Eagles. He wonders if Sheppard, a two-time Pro Bowl choice with no shortage of bravado, will be the riverboat gambler that has made him, when healthy, one of the league's more prolific cornerbacks. "That's what makes Lito Sheppard the ..."

"1. L.J. Smith, tight end Early failures in last year's red-zone offense may or may not be directly related to the tight end's injury-plagued season, but Smith being sidelined allowed defensive coordinators to keep their safeties deep and take away Donovan McNabb's trademark long passes. The Eagles have Smith for one more year -- at the steep franchise-tag price of $4.522 million -- and they need to get the most from him."

"It would be funny if coach Andy Reid responded to any inquiries about the contract squabbles facing his team this season by barking "Next question!" when he meets the media for the first time Monday as the Eagles start training camp. But then, Reid and the Eagles should get serious and take care of this Brian Westbrook thing before it becomes a problem. It's fitting, in a way, that agent Drew Rosenhaus -- whose "Next question!" press conference in the middle of the Terrell Owens debacle was a legendary low point in Eagles history -- has come back into the Eagles' lives. The memory of that surreal weirdness should bring home the one true lesson of the Owens mess. The problem was ..."

"Everybody has questions. How soon can quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco start in Atlanta and Baltimore? Where does Brett Favre play in 2008, if he plays at all? Is there another team such as the New York Giants that will come out of the shadows at playoff time to seize the Super Bowl? There are no ready answers in July and August. Training camp is a time to grind, but it's also a time for optimism. Let's set the stage for the NFL's 89th season."

"Yes, the Bears have some issues as they head into training camp this week. But they are not alone. Each of the 32 teams in the NFL will be trying to answer deep questions, tie together loose ends and bury ghosts of the past. Here is a look at the other 31:"

"An NFL Players Association spokesman said yesterday that even if the 5-day waiting period for Brian Westbrook to designate a new agent expires today, no one will be working in the NFLPA offices on the weekend and the change won't be registered until Monday. A team source said last night the Eagles have heard nothing about the identity of Westbrook's new representative."

"You've survived Dhani Jones, James Darling and Quintin Caver. You've survived Levon Kirkland, Barry Gardner and Matt McCoy. You've survived Keith Adams, Nate Wayne and Takeo Spikes. “That hasn't necessarily been our strongest spot in recent years,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said last winter. Now, finally, the Eagles have a real cast of linebackers. With Stewart Bradley in the middle, Chris Gocong on the strong side and Omar Gaither on the weak side, the Eagles go into training camp in a few days with their strongest linebacking corps since the early 1990s."

"The way the Eagles' NovaCare Complex locker room is configured, the lockers of the team's five starting offensive linemen stand in the back corner, mimicking the on-field formation -- from tackle Tra Thomas on the left to tackle Jon Runyan on the right. But the line doesn't have to stay as it is. The team's coaches made that plain this spring when they discussed an open competition at left guard, where fourth-year player Todd Herremans has started the last two seasons. The guy on Herremans' heels, whose locker is just a few up the wall from the starting five, is 6-foot-3, 360-pound three-year veteran Max Jean-Gilles."

"The Eagles don't anticipate any problems getting their last two unsigned rookies — second-round picks Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson — under contract in time for the start of training camp, a front-office official said Thursday. Laws, a defensive lineman from Notre Dame, and Jackson, a receiver and returner from California, were the 47th and 49th players taken in this year's draft. The Eagles have all eight other draft picks signed. They didn't have a first-round pick this year, for the second year in a row."

"Brian Westbrook, the Eagles' All-Pro running back, recently suggested that he might hold out from training camp in a display of discontent over his contract. Toward that end, Westbrook has fired his agent, Fletcher Smith, and is leaning toward hiring Lamont Smith of All Pro Sports"

"When asked about stalled contract negotiations between running back Brian Westbrook and the Eagles earlier this week, agent Fletcher Smith said he was not going to negotiate through the media. Smith, in fact, is not going to negotiate a new deal for Westbrook at all. After becoming increasingly frustrated with contract negotiations between Smith and the team, the superstar running back has fired his agent, The Inquirer learned yesterday from a league source."

"First big decision: Drafting Donovan McNabb second overall on April 17, 1999, as fans who preferred Ricky Williams booed the pick. First victory: 13-10 over the Cowboys on Oct. 10, 1999, after an 0-4 start. Win that showed good times were coming: 41-14 season-opening stomping of host Dallas, on Sept. 3, 2000."

"Lito Sheppard didn't hire agent Drew Rosenhaus until this week, but both his respect for the self-described shark and his disenchantment with his current contract have deeper histories. With just a few days left until the start of the Eagles' annual training camp at Lehigh University, their hard-line stances on high-profile players and the money they are paid have come home to roost."

"If the Eagles hoped the signing of free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel would make a huge impact on the roster this season, they appear to be getting their wish. Whether Samuel's impact will be as great on the field as it has been off it remains to be seen, but the law of unintended consequences is making itself felt in the week leading up to training camp at Lehigh University."