What the first game is worth

As training camp comes to an expiration at Lehigh University, many of the players have seemed to impressed the coaching staff thus far. Aside from two weeks of grueling, agonizing training camp, these players really havent seen much action outside of their own schemes and own teammates. When the Eagles play the Ravens in an exhibiton game Monday in Baltimore, it will be the first time these players get to shed their wings and compete against different playcalling and a different atmosphere. So what does it all mean? When in all, its really just a meaningless game but, on the flipside that game is huge to some rookies and undrafted free agents trying to make this football team. The game gives the Eagles young crop an oppurtunity to get under the lights and make plays out on the field in front of thousands. Alluding to the rookies, there are a few veterans on this team, who are considerably on the "bubble" and need this game, to raise a few eye brows on the coaches. Guys like Jerome McDougle, Ryan Moats and, Kelly Kolcomb are a few names that have been tossed around these last couple of weeks. For the veterans, its a begining of a new season and a quest for that elusive Superbowl ring. Generally speaking, head coach Andy Reid wont play many normal starters. One guy who will get the nod is strong side linebacker Chris Gocong. Gocong is a one year veteran that missed all of last season on IR with a stinger. Gocong is expected to be teams starter at that position this season, and despite high expectations from coaches, scouts and, fans Gocong has never appeared in an NFL game. Other guys like Sean Considine, Omar Gaither, Broderick Bunkley etc. will be the guys who see the most playing time. So while the game may mean absolutley nothing in the standings, it is pivitol in the eyes of many players as well as the Eagles coaching staff.

What to expect from the recievers.

Its already over a week into Eagles training camp and birds fans can feel the green blood flowing because its football season. As you may know, last season the Philadelphia Eagles ended the year with the second highest rated offense in the NFL. With a guy like Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, the fans really expect alot out of this teams offense. However, I think the key part to this team's offensive success if the recieving corps. We dont have any major, front line recievers who will dominate a game single handedly but, this Eagles team does have some underrated talent at the wide reciever spot and, it is not to be overlooked. This year's edition of the Philadelphia Eagles features some young recievers with alot of upside as well as a sure veteran with big play capability. A guy like Reggie Brown, on this team as the #1 reciever has alot of potential. With Brown's great footwork and excellent route-running, he contributes alot to Marty Morninweg and this offensive system. Reggie is still young and is still adapting to becoming a good reciever. This will be the first year in Brown's career that he will line up as the number one guy at the wideout spot. Many are expecting big things from the Georgia University product, I am predicting a succesful season. Reggie is yet to scratch the surface with a full arsenal of recieving tools. We saw a little bit last season what Brown can do when he gets his hands on the ball as far as moving with it. He has ideal size at 6-1 197lb and can create some matchup problems at times. This year though, he is stuck in the #1 slot and will be going up against the best in the business at the cornerback position. Aside from Reggie Brown, the Eagles bought in a guy this year who is used to playing in pass friendly offenses. Kevin Curtis spent four seasons in St.Louis with the Rams and beside last season, was a huge success in Mike Martz pass balanced offense. Curtis had 100 catches in his last 2 seasons and a number 3, slot reciever. He has great speed and reliable hands. Kevin, 29 years old, runs great routes and is learning the west coast offense fast in training camp. He can run with the ball exceptionally well and people in Philadelphia will see that. Curtis is not afraid to lower his shoulder in attempt for a first down. Curtis and Brown, will certainly provide excellent services for Donovan McNabb in all passing situations. After the one and two, you take a look at the three spot and, it still is a bit of a question. Will the number three reciever be second year reciever from Michigan, Jason Avant or will it be the the second year veteran Hank Baskett. Avant to me, is the true number three guy. He is very athletic, has good hands and, has good size and strength to be a solid possesion reciever for this football team. Avant will also shock defenders with his great ability to accel after making cuts when running routes. Jason, ran a 4.60 40 speed, and is not a very fast reciever but, he has excellent hands and you will not see many drops from him. Certainly you can expect alot of from Avant this season. Another guy who will battle with Avant until opening day for the third spot is Hank Baskett, Baskett also is a possesion type reciever. He has sure hands and good speed. At 6-4, Baskett definitly makes it hard for opposing nickel cornerbacks. He is strong and is more of a Mushin Muhammed type reciever. He can break tackles well for a wideout and is a guy who can potentially break a big run when he catches the ball. Donovan McNabb certainly has alot of options when passing this season, as he did last season but, this year Baskett and Avant are a year removed from their rookie campaigns and are both a year experienced in the offensive system. Eagle fans will definitly get alot from the recieving group this upcoming season. Those guys will certainly help contribute to Philadelphia's high powered offense so look for alot out of the Eagles wide recievers in 2007.

Eagles Play Calling Duties

In the 2006 season, the Philadelphia Eagles saw their franchise quarterback go down with an ACL injury and an aging backup quarterback in Jeff Garcia step in and spark the offense. Many fans will ask, what is the myth behind Garcia's great play. Why didnt Donovan McNabb succeed like he did. Well, its simple. In the ten games Donovan McNabb played in, the birds went 5-5. McNabb for himself threw 18 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions. The team however, was playing mediocore. For his whole career, McNabb had Andy Reid calling the shots on offense and, nothing was about to change. The Eagles offense after the 10 games, relied soley on the pass. Donovan threw the ball an average of 35.6 times per game this season and Brian Westbrook was averaging only 15 carries a game. Westbrook, the now known spark plug to this Eagles offense wasnt touching the ball as much times as he would like. Any Reid was devoted to the pass. However, after Donovan went down with a tear in his ACL, in came 37 year old Jeff Garcia. Jeff had shaped out a nice career in San Fransisco but had shown age his past to stints in Cleveland and Detroit. He knew the west coast offense as well as anyone, and was good friends with Marty Morninweg from the time they spent in San Fransisco. After the Tennesee loss, Andy Reid handed the playcalling duties over to Morninweg. His playcalling not only was alot more balanced but it was to accomodate Jeff Garcia. As old as Jeff had gotten, he couldnt handle the 35 passes a game. This played a significant role in Brian Westbrook's success late in the year. Marty trimmed down the Eagles passing load from 35 a game to 28 throws a game. This meant wonders for Westbrook. Instead of carrying the ball a measly 15 a game, Brian would now carry the ball 21 times a game. Since Brian was seeing more touches come his way, Marty was balancing the offense and the Eagles were winning games. The question that lies ahead from Eagles fans was, could a healthy Donovan McNabb be having this same success. The answer, yes. We all know Donovan is an All-Pro, possible Hall of Fame quarterback, who loves to spread the ball. When Morninweg calls plays, its opens up the Eagles arsenal on offense. Marty's style of play was more Garcia friendly. He didnt need to win the games, just keep the birds in them. Brian Westbrook was the icon on offense. Since Marty Morninweg tooken over playcalling, Westbrook averaged 5.3 yards per carry, including the two Eagles playoff games. The birds were running the ball more and using their offensive line more, exploiting other linebacking corps. This change in style, lead to wins for the Eagles and recognization for Jeff Garcia, who the Eagles decided not to re-sign. With Marty Morninweg calling plays now, it allows the Eagles to open up more. Westbrook can run the ball and catch the ball. He now has the greatest possibility to catch and run for 1000 yards each. The offensive line now, is able to run block more and has a whole year of training together. Alluding to that, Donovan McNabb will be healthy and ready to lead the Eagles offense. The birds team is built to run the ball, and that is just what they will do.

Igutchi Fitting in well.

When Chse Utley went down with a broken hand injury, you expected Pat Gillick do go out and try to bring a guy in who would fill the huge void that Utley left. Little did we know that Pat would go out and get a perrenial all-star player in Tadahito Igutchi. Igutchi, who was apart of the 2005 World Series championship White Sox team. Igutchi is an servicable MLB player who has alot of experience and is very smart. Since the White Sox were selling, Pat Gillick took advantage and aquired a solid secod baseman. Igutchi hit his first National League home run yesterday in the Phillies 4-1 win over the Cubs. His name has certainly come up alot latley during the Phillies hot streak. Whether it was coming up with a key hit, an RBI or a solid play at second base. Igutchi is no Chase Utley, however he can be a key contributor during the Phillies stretch to make the playoffs. When Chase comes off the DL and makes his reutrn, Igutchu will not be forgotten about. Manuel will not bench Igutchi. In fact a possibility would be Tad playing 3rd base. It hasnt been talked about much yet, because you dont want to look to the future too much, but It would keep a clutch bat in the lineup as well as provide exceptional play at 3rd base. With the long 3rd base rotation this year of Abe Nunez, Greg Dobbs and Wes Helms, I look for Igutchi to possibly see some 3rd base time as the year rounds out and and Utley returns.

First 3 Days of Training Camp, Good and Bad performances

Down in Lehigh, the Eagles will have finished up their third day of yet another successful day of training camp. For the first three days, the Eagles coaches and personnel worked with rookies and selected veterans. In all, the first three days went well, with some players displaying more than others. Granted, full pads dont come on until Wedensday, some player are already showing a sign of promise, while others need to show more if they expect to make the final roster.

Players who impressed me:

Jeremy Bloom-In three days, I am most impressed with Jeremy Bloom. Last season, Bloom missed the entire 2006 season but, in this years training camp, Bloom is showing why he is the hardest working Eagle on the roster. From watching him today, he was catchin balls underneath and at the same time he was being aggressive. Bloom, a very quick reciever is certain to be the team kick retuner this season. However, his reciever skills are what is underrated about him. He makes great cuts when running routes and has good hands. I still want to see Jeremy with the pads on to be totally sold on his recieving skills, but thus far he has impressed me.

Kevin Kolb-The shocking second round pick out of Houston, Kevin Kolb has gotten alot of reps today in practice and about 50% of the reps at shotgun in the seven-on-sevens. Unlike McNabb, Kolb does not throw a heavy pass, he puts more touch on the pass. He has good arm strength, and is fairly mobile. Moreover, Kolb shows good poise and composure in the pocket. To me his favorite thing to do, is check down to the halfbacks for short gains, sounds alot like Jeff Garcia but, Kolb does not seem distracted when being pressured and, does not force the issue on anything. Like I said earlier, the pads have not come on yet, so its hard to make any clear assesment but, as for know, Kolb looks like a sharp player.

Stewart Bradley-Bradley was noted as the best SAM linebacker in this years NFL Draft, however with veterans not arriving yet, Stewart has been playing alot of middle linebacker. Jimmy Johnson feels he has the body, size and instincts to play the positon. With Jeremiah Trotter and Omar Gaither begining tommorrow, Bradley will look to see alot more strong side playing time and, battle it out with second year player Chris Gocong.

Chris Gocong- I alluded to Gocong earlier, he plays the SAM positon just like Stewart Bradley does. Gocong missed all of last season with a stinger injury. While in college at Cal-poly, Gocong played defensive end. In the NFL, Chris will be playing strong side linebacker and is likley to be the teams opening day starter. From what I have seen thus far, Gocong looks like a smart player with a nact for the ball. If there is any one player who I want to see with the pads on though, it is Gocong.

Tony Hunt- The final player who I just admire on this team is Tony Hunt. Another great PSU runningback comes into the NFL with high expectations for its team. Tony is recognized as the power back all Philadelphia fans have been hoping for. Hunt seems to be running routes well in 7 on 7's. There have not been much run plays through the first three days, so I havent gotten to see him run the ball much, but he seems to be a reliable target in the flats out of the backfield. He has exceptional power at the NFL level and is just about a slam dunk to make the team. His down hill running style is blueprint for what the Eagles need to impliment into their offense.

Other notable players who impressed me are guys like Donovan McNabb,AJ Feeley,Bill Sampy, Zac Collie, Dustin Fox and CJ Gaddis(who is learning the system fast)

Players who need to step it up when the vets come.

Nate Ilaoa-Nate is a long shot to make this team in my eyes. A 7th round pick out of Hawaii, Nate is a very powerful runner with quick feet. They have been trying him out at fullback and runningback. Coming out of the backfield, Nate has dropped several passes, which is not good for a 7th round pick trying to make the team. Along with that, Nate seems winded at the end up camp sessions, which shows a lack of endurance.

Saverio Rocca- Rocca has in a way impressed me. If he can combine some accuracy and consistency with his powerful foot, he wouldnt be on this list. Rocca can really boot the ball.

Kelley Holcomb-Kelley is the 4th quarterback on this roster and with Atlanta having the Vick situation, Kelley seems like a guy who could be being shopped around. He is showing good leadership, but has a slim chance to make the team because of having Kolb and a veteran in the system in AJ Feeley.

All in all, through three days I am impressed with all the young Eagles players and hope to see more of the same when the veterans begin tommorow.

Bullpen Revived.

For about a month, both Brett Myers and Tom "Flash" Gordan were missing significant time in the Phillies bullpen. Last night both were back in acton, together and, showed a strong performance. In his second appearence off the DL, Tom Gordan looked marvelous. Flash had great location Saturday night, throwing 10 strikes in just 12 pitches. Gordan's fastball speed stayed consistent in the 7th inning he pitched, tossing countless 90+ mph pitches and, topping off the gun at 96mph. Gordan gave up just one Jack Wilson hit with 2 outs but, kept his composure and struck out the next batter he faced. Before Tom got hurt, he was having trouble with his command on his curveball, that was not the case last night. He was not troubled with it at all and, in fact threw it with more than adequate speed. Gordan secured the 7th inning safley, with two strikeouts. In the 9th inning, replacing Ryan Madson, Brett Myers entered a game for the first time since May 23rd when he injured his shoulder in Florida. Brett pitched very well and didnt seem to have any difficulty opening up his pitching arsenal. His curveball had a nice and tight 12-6 drop and was thrown with a steady 79mph speed. Myers threw his fastball a few times at 91, 92 and, 93mph. He induced pop ups to get batters out and, sat down the first two batters fairly easy. However, Adam LaRoche kept Brett throwing as he fouled off several foul balls to try and stay alive but, a pop up to centerfielder Aaron Rowand ended the game. Myers pitched the 9th inning sharp, only throwing 17 pitches and 11 strikes. Alluding to that, Myers didnt have any trouble hustling down the line to 1st base to cover for Ryan Howard on a ground ball first out. Although it was his first outing since the injury, Brett didnt seem to have any trouble with command or location. He was throwing with confidence and more importantly is back in the bullpen. The Phillies won the game 10-5 over the Pirates, J.D. Durbin got the win, despite a shakey 3rd inning. The Phils are now 3.5 back of the 1st place Mets.

C.J. Gaddis, Great Oppurtunity

All Eagle fans should start now taking a deep look at CJ Gaddis, i liked him on Clemson and now this is gonna get a shot at a possible starting role. He can play cornerback very well and has good NFL speed. His athleticism is amazing, he played baseball, football and basketball in high school and lettered a total of 7 times in the 3 sports. I love Gaddis ecspecially 4 where we selected him. CJ is 6-0 210 which is a great size for a Free saftey. He has very good upper-body strength and doesnt have much body fat. Gaddis has a nact for making a big hit anywhere on the field. He hasnt quite scratched the surface with his cover ability, he can jump and has good hands to come up with the interception. Only 22, Gaddis has an abundance of room to improve for Andy Reid and the Eagles. I can see him making this team, hands down no question about it. I cant wait ti finally be able to see Gaddis play come pre-season. Go Eagles!!!