EAGLES WELCOME 4 DTs; ABIAMIRI TO IR
With the defensive tackle position a bit depleted (Antonio Dixon suffered a mild knee strain in the morning), the Eagles added two local rookie free agent defensive tackles, Charles Noonan (Rutgers) and Brandon Collier (Massachusetts), to give the team practice depth. Meanwhile, the two veteran defensive tackles who agreed to terms with the Eagles on Wednesday, Anthony Hargrove and Derek Landri, both officially signed their contracts.
"This is a great organization," said Landri following the afternoon walk-through. "The Eagles have been a good team for the past couple of years. It will be a good spot to try to make a name for myself."
Landri started all 16 games for the Carolina Panthers last season, notching 3.0 sacks.
In order to make room for the new defensive linemen, the Eagles released wide receiver Jeremy LaFrance and place defensive end Victor Abiamiri on injured reserve after he tore his Achilles tendon. Defensive end Ricky Sapp, a fifth-round draft pick in 2010, was placed on the Reserve/Left Squad list.
PATTERSON HAS BRAIN AVM
Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder updated the condition of defensive tackle Mike Patterson, who suffered a seizure for approximately four minutes during Wednesday morning's practice. Burkholder said that dehydration and trauma were ruled out as a cause of the seizure by the staff at Lehigh Valley Hospital after the doctors found what they believe to be a rare congenital condition called brain arteriovenous malformation (AVN), which means there is a tangle of blood vessels in Patterson's skull near his brain.
Burkholder said that it's far too early to speculate about any timetable for Patterson's return or the mode of treatment, as there are still a variety of decisions that need to be made by Patterson and the doctors. Burkholder said Patterson is in good spirits and is resting at his home in New Jersey with his wife Bianca. The thoughts of everyone in the organization are with Patterson and his family.
LURIE: WE'RE NO DREAM TEAM
In his annual training camp address to the media, Eagles chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie addressed a variety of topics, from the Eagles' offseason acquisitions to the team's place among the NFC elite. As for the latter, Lurie emphasized that there are a slew of talented teams in the conference, with everyone still looking up at the defending Super Bowl champions.
"We're playing catch-up. The only dream team I know about is the Green Bay Packers," Lurie said. "We dream to become as good as the Green Bay Packers and hold that trophy. Going into last year, you could say the New Orleans Saints because those are the dream teams. They are the ones holding the Lombardi Trophy. We're consciously trying to play catch-up in an aggressive way."
Watch Lurie's full address here.
WHO'S IN THE RETURN MIX?
We got a peek at the players who will be in the mix to return punts and kicks during the morning practice. Check out who's in the mix and get a taste of the rest of the action on the field.
THE WAIT ENDS FRIDAY MORNING
Finally, the litany of free agents added by the Eagles will have a chance to practice Friday morning. The likes of Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Vince Young and Ronnie Brown, among many others, will don the pads for the first time of the 2011 season. To a man, they've been chomping at the bit to get to work.
"The talent we have here is tremendous, it's just a matter of bringing it all together," Jenkins said when he joined Dave Spadaro during Training Camp Live! "Once we build that camaraderie, that trust with each other, the sky's the limit."
Training Camp Live! returns Friday at noon with practice highlights, interviews and a full report from what promises to be a very interesting morning.
