Eagles coach Andy Reid indicated Tuesday that he is considering playing QB Donovan McNabb and the rest of his starters for a series or two in Thursday’s preseason finale against the New York Jets.
His reasoning was that because the Eagles don’t open the regular season until Sept. 7, his top players could use a little more action.
He can’t be serious. If he uses his starters in a meaningless game against the Jets and one of them - especially McNabb or RB Brian Westbrook - suffers a serious injury, fans would be clamoring for him to be fired on the spot.
A series or two would do absolutely nothing to get them ready for the opener against St. Louis. As McNabb himself said earlier this week, he is already exactly where he needs to be both physically and mentally heading into the regular season. And Westbrook definitely does not need to be put at risk.
Do what you’ve always done. Play the backups the whole game and give most of the reps to the players who you still have doubts about before you make your final roster cuts on Saturday.
By the way, some experts do agree with McNabb’s assertion that the Eagles are among the top teams in the NFC. Sports Illustrated’s Dr. Z (Paul Zimmerman) predicts the Eagles to lose the Super Bowl to the Patriots in the magazine’s upcoming NFL preview issue.
It’s looking like defensive tackle-turned-fullback-turned-defensive tackle Dan Klecko could make the team.
Klecko’s brief tryout at fullback was a failure, but he had a solid training camp and has played very well in the preseason since returning to the defensive line.
Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson indicated Monday that Klecko would be the fourth DT behind Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson and rookie Trevor Laws.
The Eagles have not announced it yet, but DT Montae Reagor has reportedly been released after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last week. If true, the Eagles have to just cut one more player by 4 p.m. tomorrow to reach the 75-player limit.
The tougher decisions will come later in the week. The Birds have to be down to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday. Some of the players said to be on the bubble include DEs Chris Clemons, Bryan Smith and Jerome McDougle; linebackers Rocky Boiman, Joe Mays, Justin Roland and Andy Sudebaker, TE Kris Wilson, RB Ryan Moats and FS’s Sean Considine and J.R. Reed.
Hey Eagles fans, I’m supposed to be off most of the week before I begin the daily grind of the regular season, but I didn’t think it would be fair to those of you who are jonesing for some news about the Birds.
First off, WR Reggie Brown was among the players who didn’t practice Sunday. He also will not play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the N.Y. Jets (Favre likely won’t be playing, by the way), but coach Andy Reid indicated that Brown will be back in the lineup in time for the regular-season opener vs. St. Louis on Sept. 7.
It will be interesting to see what happens to rookie DeSean Jackson when Brown returns. Jackson was very impressive while starting in place of Brown against New England Friday night, yet for some strange reason QB Donovan McNabb continually refuses to admit that Jackson might be able to help the offense.
Once again Sunday, he stressed that Jackson’s success has come in preseason games, and that Brown is a key component of the offense along.
True, but Jackson has earned the right to play an expanded role as well. His production so far can’t be ignored. He deserves to do more than just return punts.
McNabb also jokingly referred to Jackson, RB Brian Westbrook and RB Lorenzo Booker as the “midget grouping'’ in reference to their height. Westbrook claims to be 6-foot, but is closer to 5-10, just like Jackson and Booker.
The Eagles have to cut three more players by 4 p.m. Tuesday to reach the 75-player limit. Curiously, Reid said Sunday that rookie LB Joe Mays is still fighting for a roster spot, despite his solid efforts in the preseason.
Don’t expect Andy Reid to join “Kool and the Gang.'’
The notion that players should “Celebrate, good times, c’mon!!!'’ just doesn’t sit well with a coach whose favorite flavor is definitely vanilla.
A suggestion to Andy: Ease up.
Maybe DeSean Jackson and Quintin Demps crossed the line when they crossed the line and placed the football in the end zone after their TD returns. And their post-TD poses were a little much. But their young players and were just excited to make big plays in the NFL. Scoring on a punt or kickoff return is the ultimate thrill for a player, something they probably have fantasized about since they were kids.
So, let them have a little fun. As long as they don’t show up the other team or mock anyone, no harm.
On another note, as part of my quest to provide you blog fans with as much information as possible, I’m going to give some observations from various road trips with the Eagles this season.
Here’s one from Friday’s game. If you ever get the chance to visit Providence - Gillette Stadium is much closer to that city than Boston - take an extra day and make the 30-minute drive to Newport. It’s a beautiful city with breathtaking views of a marina filled with sailboats and yachts, stunning beaches and mansions that make the beachfront homes in Cape May look like cottages. The downtown area is quaint. If you want dinner, I highly recommend “Scales and Shells.'’
A few observations from the Eagles’ 27-17 victory over the Pats Friday night.
It looks as if the Eagles have some bona fide, game-breaking returners in DeSean Jackson and Quintin Demps. Jackson’s 76-yard TD against the Pats was a thing of beauty. Demps’ 101-yard kickoff return was power and speed. The Eagles are no longer one of the few teams without special teams threats.
Jackson also stepped up as a receiver, along with the rest of the corps. The Eagles will certainly be better off when Reggie Brown and especially Kevin Curtis come back, but their injuries no longer qualify as a disaster. Speaking of wide receivers, coach Andy Reid indicated that president Joe Banner was just kidding around when he mentioned the Eagles would be adding a wrinkle to the offense. I guess Lito Sheppard won’t be playing wide receiver after all.
RG Shawn Andrews was a beast out there. He dominated the Pats’ defensive tackles. Maybe he should just skip training camp every year.
CB Asante Samuel is the real deal. He showed he’s just as adept at stopping the run as defending the pass when he dumped ex-teammate Randy Moss for a 5-yard loss on the first series.
Sitting in Gillette Stadium about 30 minutes before kickoff of the Eagles’ third preseason game.
Although no preseason games carry much weight, here are a few story lines that might keep your interest between commercials during the Olympics.
Tony Hunt at fullback. He’s getting a tryout there in the Eagles’ last-ditch effort to find a place for him on the regular-season roster. Although he never played fullback for any length of time in high school or college, coach Andy Reid seems to think Hunt will be able to block for Brian Westbrook, protect Donovan McNabb and maybe catch a pass or two.
Shawn Andrews at right guard. Andrews is making his preseason debut after missing all of training camp and the first two games while battling depression. Since this is the last chance for the Eagles starting O-line to form any sort of chemistry - starters traditionally do not play in the final preseason game - they needed Andrews to get some snaps.
DeSean Jackson at wide receiver. With Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis both sidelined by injuries, Jackson will get a chance to show he is ready to handle an expanded role in the offense, despite being a rookie. He played well in the first two preseason games, but most of his success was against backups. This will be a truer test.
Speaking of wide receivers, don’t be surprised to see a surprise or two tonight. Rumor has it that RB Lorenzo Booker and even CB Lito Sheppard could get some action at that position. Sheppard has always claimed he would be a dynamic offensive player and Reid hinted during the offseason minicamps that Sheppard might be used there, though he did not play any offense during training camp.
Asante Samuel at cornerback. Samuel only played a couple of series in last week’s game against Carolina, but is scheduled to play into the third quarter tonight. Like with the offensive line, it’s important for the Eagles’ secondary to develop some chemistry leading up to the regular season.
Eagles coach Andy Reid wasn’t kidding when he said he had no plans to add any wide receivers to replace injured Kevin Curtis.
Don’t forget, this is the guy who had no problem using guys like Charles Johnson, Torrance Small, Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston and somehow still found a way to take the Eagles to several NFC championship games.
As long as QB Donovan McNabb and RB Brian Westbrook are healthy, the Eagles can make do with Reggie Brown, DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis and Jason Avant at least until Curtis comes back from sports hernia surgery. He will miss the opener vs. St. Louis on Sept. 7, but could come back later next month.
In other words, forget about Joe Horn and Anquan Boldin coming to Philly. Besides, Horn is washed up and the Cardinals have insisted they are not going to trade Boldin.
If I was the Eagles GM, I’d be thinking a little more creatively. My first call would be LeBron James as soon as he gets back from the Olympics. Before signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James was an all-state WR in Ohio in high school. Maybe he’s looking to challenge himself in another arena a la Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan. And no one’s ever done the NBA/NFL combination that I’m aware of.
Thinking long-term, I’d get in contact with Usain Bolt, the 6-foot-5, 22-year-old who just smashed the 100- and 200-meter dash world records in Beijing. I’d give him a boat load of money and let Harold Carmichael have 3 years to see if he could teach the kid how to catch passes. I know those experiements have rarely worked (Bob Hayes did well, Renaldo Nehemiah had limited success, John Capel was a bust), but anyone with that combination of size and speed would be worth the risk. Â
DE Trent Cole left Tuesday’s practice with flu-like symptoms but is expected to return tomorrow. … DE Victor Abiamiri (dislocated wrist) WR Reggie Brown (strained hamstring), DE Chris Clemons (strained calf), WR Jamal Jones (broken rib) and DT Montae Reager (knee inflammation) remained sidelined.
It looks like Jerome McDougle will be an Eagle again this season. McDougle was originally thought to be on the way out after five straight unproductive years, but he had a good training camp and played well in the first two preseason games.
Because Abiamiri, Clemons and rookie Bryan Smith have all be battling injuries, McDougle took advantage of increased playing time and is on his way to earning a spot on the regular-season roster.
The same can’t be said of Clemons, who signed a 5-year, $18.5-million deal after collecting 8 sacks with Oakland in 2007. He was first sidelined by dehydration, then suffered a strained calf. He is so far behind in terms of learning Jim Johnson’s defense that there is a possibility he could get cut.
DE Darren Howard, one of Johnson’s favorite players, will be switching from right end to left end (see my story in tomorrow’s Press) to provide more depth behind Juqua Parker. He is a cinch to make the team.
Don’t read too much into Tony Hunt’s switch to fullback. I think it’s a last-ditch effort to see if it’s worth keeping him around for a second season. Hunt may be a better runner, but rookie Jed Collins and even Luke Lawton are much better special teams players. Hunt has finally taken an interest in special teams, but it may be too late. He should have thought of that last year, when he rode the bench the whole season as a rookie.
Rookie Quintin Demps will be returning kickoffs at New England Friday instead of Lorenzo Booker. Booker’s status may also be in jeopardy, though he’ll probably make the team because of his offensive potential.
Special teams coach Rory Segrest said Tuesday that he wasn’t concerned about David Akers’ missing a 45-yard field goal against Carolina last week. He should be. Akers was 2-for-10 from 40 yards and out last season and may have lost his magic.
They got burned last year when they used Greg Lewis as a punt returner without any experience in the opener at Green Bay. Now, coach Andy Reid has decided to move Tony Hunt to fullback with just two weeks remaining before this season’s opener vs. St. Louis.
Hunt is big enough to play the position, but he is not a good blocker and until recently had no interest in playing special teams, which is a prerequisite for being a fullback with the Eagles.
It is not a big a jump for Hunt as it was for Dan Klecko, who tried out for fullback before getting moved back to defensive tackle, but Hunt has no experience. Plus, rookie Jed Collins seemed to be doing quite well after getting moved ahead of Jason Davis and Luke Lawton last week.
Maybe Reid is just looking for a way to get Hunt a few more opportunities before he cuts him. The second-year veteran was a huge disappointment as a rookie and until breaking a 51-yard run against Carolina’s third-string defense last Thursday had done nothing to distinguish himself during training camp and the preseason.
It is going to be interesting to see how the team and fans treat Shawn Andrews during the course of the season.
Andrews insisted Saturday that his teammates showed support upon showing up and admitting that he stayed away from training camp because of depression.
I’ve been told that not all of the players are buying his explanation, however. The best thing Andrews could do would be to quit talking about it every 5 minutes and refocus his attention on the team. That might be a way to gain their respect.
The fans are going to be tough. Andrews should be OK during home games as long as he plays at his usual Pro Bowl level. He can expect to hear some crude comments on the road, especially against the Giants and Redskins and possibly the Cowboys, though Texas Stadium isn’t usually that rowdy.
DE Victor Abiamiri showed up Saturday with a brace on his right wrist as the result of surgery to fix a dislocation. He said he fully expects to play this season, however.
