Opening remarks: "Injuries real quick here. The three guys here who will not practice this afternoon (are DE) Jason Babin, (WR) Riley Cooper, and (LB) Casey Matthews. Casey went back and (he received) an MRI and he has a high ankle sprain. Not a really severe one but he does have a high ankle sprain so he is working through that but he won't practice. (G) Brandon Washington will practice today. He's been cleared with the concussion and (CB) Nnamdi (Asomugha) will practice today.
"It's good to be back at the NovaCare Complex (but) it's important that we all understand we are still in training camp. We are still going to work hard and at the same time we've got a Monday Night game against New England that we are going to prepare for. Today's practice is going to be very similar to a Wednesday (during the regular season) as if we were playing on Sunday. Tomorrow will be like a Thursday and so on. The ones will get the majority of the work in this game so they'll at least play a half and possibly into the third quarter. This will be the game they play the most in, in this preseason. After this game we really just have one day of practice before we move on to play Cleveland. That's the reason behind that. When you go out to practice today you'll see the ones getting the majority of the reps during the offensive team period. The one offense will get the majority of the reps and likewise with the defensive period."
On whether there will be more team specific game planning for the New England Patriots: "Well, you do a little bit more. You will do a little bit more. Not quite what you do for a regular season game. You're still trying to get a few things knocked out that we need to prepare for but it will be more than what you had last week."
On how the quarterback rotation will look during the game against New England: "(QB Nick) Foles will be two and (QB) Trent (Edwards) will be the third one."
On what Foles has done well so far in the preseason: "Well, listen, I think what you look at with any rookie is, are they getting better every day. He seems to be doing that and is more comfortable. We've got a load of plays in for him and he's able to recite those properly. Now it is just making sure he's got everybody down and that comes with reps but I would tell you we knew he was smart coming in and he hasn't disappointed us in that area. He's a pretty sharp kid, very diligent, works hard, and all of those things.
On what players need to do to catch the coaching staff's attention without live hitting: "Some of it is just the reps. They're going to go fast enough (and) there are going to have the pads on. Today they will. They'll be going fast enough and see what they can do. That is the important thing. Every day is another evaluation. Every play is another evaluation for them whether you're running the scout team or what you perceive to be the scout team or you're with the ones."
On how Edwards has handled increased reps since QB Mike Kafka's injury: "He's got a great attitude throughout this whole thing even when he wasn't getting many reps. I really think what it's done is allowed him to get his arm back slowly as opposed to jumping in and wearing that thing out. Every day it looks like his arm has gotten a little bit stronger. He's got a little bit more workload and added a little bit more the next day and so on to where now he's back to where he can function at a very high level throwing the football. I think that's a plus for him when you come off of a major injury to your throwing arm."
On how well RB Bryce Brown and RB Chris Polk have looked blocking: "They're getting better but that is a place that they need work. If you just took one area, and I remember talking about Brian Westbrook this way and (RB) LeSean (McCoy) this way, I would tell you the same thing with these kids here, that they need work in that area. They need to get going. Polk is probably a little bit ahead in the pass protection area just because he was asked to do more of that in this type of an offense in college. They are both very capable guys but they both need work."
On how RB Dion Lewis has performed this summer compared to last season: "Dion is getting better. You can tell he's been here a year and has worked on it. He has a better understanding now than he did last year coming in. He's more willing to stick it up in there. He has a technique. When I say willing he was always tough enough to do that. That wasn't the question but there is a technique that goes with that and a confidence that goes with that. He's worked on his technique very hard over the last year. It's shown up in the games and the practices too."
On whether there is enough experience in the running back group: "I'm okay there. I think you have quality there. I think we're okay there as long as they continue to progress. Bryce is probably the furthest one away from the pass protection but he's working very hard at it. He's a big physical kid so between the reps that he gets on special teams and in the offense that helps him. The more reps he gets there that also helps on the offensive side so he's got a double dip there with a bunch of reps per day."
On whether LB Jamar Chaney will take any reps with the first team defense: "We're just trying to get him in there and through a practice where he is comfortable. We know he's a real tough kid. He had a little bit of a strain down there so he is trying to work through that. That's my primary concern right now. Getting him where he feels comfortable where he can go as fast as he can through a whole practice and until then there won't be any moves made. We'll just leave everything where it's at right now."
On when DE Jason Babin will return to the field: "There's a chance he's ready for that last game and we'll just see since he's a veteran. The one thing you don't want to do is see guys rush back from these calf injuries and they strain it again. You don't want to put them in that position where that happens."
On what he would like to see from his secondary against New England: "You're looking for that continuity back there and communication and playing together against a good football team. I tell you that really for all of the positions but playing as a unit and the good communication."
On whether Kafka will play at all during the remainder of the preseason: "There's a chance he is ready for the last preseason game. There's a chance there. They re-X-Rayed his hand and it looks like it is healing well and it hasn't displaced at all and that was one of the concerns here early. There's that chance. It is a little bit of a stretch but we'll see. That is something that the doctors will continue to look at and we'll go from there."
On how well CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has performed during the summer: "Every day he looks more comfortable with it so I would tell you he's done a pretty good job this camp. I've been pleased with that. Every day is a good day for DRC. He's out dancing and playing and doing all that. He's a unique personality but he loves to play and that's important. He makes a lot of plays and you've seen that at camp."
On what things FB Stanley Havili does well: "Is he a viable ball carrier, yes. Viable receiver, yes. Can you move him around and is he smart enough to handle that, yes. I mean he can do all of that stuff and we saw this the last preseason game last year where he got kind of a feel on special teams. That player has to play on special teams and be a factor there so he looked like he had a pretty good feel as he caught on last year during the preseason. He's just got to keep coming but he's making progress and doing a nice job with it."
On whether the team will keep a fullback on the roster: "Well you need a fullback. In our offense you need a fullback."
On whether he is comfortable with Kafka as the backup quarterback if he does not get any more playing time during the preseason: "I've got to see how that goes. I have a pretty good feel on what he can do in this offense."
On how much T King Dunlap has improved since first arriving in 2008: "He is a big man. I mean he is as big as anybody in this league. The one thing you do notice is that he can bend and move. He has the hip flexibility to be able to do that and the athletic ability to be able to do that. He's a good basketball player (and) he's turned into a pretty good football player here. He's had some pretty good tutors. He's a smart kid (too)."
On the importance that Tra Thomas had to the offense during his playing career: "I was hoping we were going to get to that. He was very important. He's still very important but he was very important with the way we started things off here and the success that we had here before he decided to retire. Not only that but I saw him grow from a little college kid that was 6'8" to this mature father and husband. I am very proud of him for that."
On what strides Thomas made in the beginning of his tenure with the Eagles: "I remember the second day of OTAs when I came in and he asked me that same question. He had already been here a year and he goes, 'What do I need to improve on?' I said, 'Not much. You're pretty good (so) just keep a level head.' There were a couple little fundamental things but there wasn't a whole lot. He was a great pass blocker (and) loved to play the game. All the important things, he had that. He was tough in the run game. Total package."
On whether Thomas knew how well he could play: "I think he found that out probably his first year when he was able to play and at some point he probably thought, 'You know what, I can handle this.' A lot of players will take that and become complacent especially when they get playing time in their rookie year. Other guys try to work on their game and get better so that's what he did. (Defensive Coordinator) Juan (Castillo) was his coach and Juan was very demanding. Juan didn't have to go drag him out of the room there to get him out on the field. He was always out on the field early, always worked his game, and that was the important stuff."
On how Thomas helped changed the Eagles fortunes with picking quality offensive linemen: "There were some picks that didn't quite work out. I was very aware of those. I had a chance to play against some of those guys when I was in Green Bay and so I understood that coming here. For his position, that's a very important position in this league. Protects your quarterback's blindside particularly if it is a right handed quarterback and then you normally have that best defensive end on your side or outside linebacker on your side. You're going to ask him to solo that guy every week. Not only as a coach do you want that confidence but most of all, that guy playing the quarterback position has to have that confidence. He's the one playing the game. Tra was able to solidify that. That led into Jon (Runyan) coming here and knowing that Tra was here. I always told them they were in a different stratosphere than the rest of us. They're sniffing different air up there. It's a different world where they play and live. They are big men. Both of those two played off of each other and challenged each other and were great friends on top of that."
