UPDATE ON SHAWN ANDREWS
The Eagles have no comment regarding numerous reports that a resolution to the Shawn Andrews situation was close.
After his press conference Monday morning, head coach Andy Reid said that he had recently talked with Andrews but didn't know when he would report. Reid simply said that Andrews was battling through some personal issues.
Shortly after the press conference, the Philadelphia Daily News published a report on its web site stating that Andrews is battling depression and would report to camp after meeting with a doctor this Thursday.
In Andrews' absence, Max Jean-Gilles has taken the first-team reps at right guard and has earned praise from coaches and teammates for his performance to date.
"Well as long as Max is playing good, no," said Reid when asked if there would be a point where Andrews' absence is critical to the team. "And Max is playing real good."
Andrews, a two-time Pro Bowl guard, was quoted in the report as saying that he is "in top shape" weighing in at "335 pounds."
POST-MORNING PRACTICE INJURY UPDATE
Head coach Andy Reid addressed the media after the morning workout. Cornerback Asante Samuel is still sidelined by the hamstring injury, however it is his goal to play this Friday night in Pittsburgh according to Reid. Cornerback Lito Sheppard is day-to-day with a groin injury. Safety Quintin Demps left practice early with an Achilles injury that has bothered him the past few days.
As for Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews, Reid said he talked to him again. There are no new developments. His absence is still unexcused, according to Reid. The reason for the absence is still deemed as personal issues.
AFTERNOON PRACTICE
3:24 PM -Howard Eskin's here. He's getting some mixed reviews from the fans in attendance. Some "Hi, Howard!"s are heard, while other, less favorable remarks can be made out, too. He shakes them all off, though. I guess polarizing the populace is Howard's job, and he's really good at it.
3:13 PM -The horn sounds for the offense to assemble once again. This time, the goal is to run through some no-huddle schemes. Looks like one of the ideas is to try to throw defenses off-balance (maybe forcing timeouts?) by creating potential mismatches with Brian Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker.
3:05 PM -Oh, THAT must have been what was blotting out the sun -- King Dunlap was standing next to me. Juan Castillo pulls him aside to work on technique, and I'm back to suffering. Boooo!!!
3:04 PM -The special teams unit is working on reacting to a fake punt, both pass and run. They're going at about quarter speed.
3:02 PM -The sun (my absolute No. 1 enemy) finds its way behind a cloud. It can stay there for all I care. With the beautiful shade comes a calming breeze.
3:00 PM -During defensive teams, the offense has a strange role. Its job is to practically invite the defense to intercept passes or stuff running plays. It's so the defense can get adequate reps in on making proper reads and making plays on the ball.
2:45 PM -Practice starts. Offense assembles.
Hey everyone. Joe here. I'll be providing you with some of the interesting goings-on from the 10/10/10 session.
MORNING PRACTICE
9:45 AM -One-on-one- Offensive line vs. defensive line. Trent Cole, coming off a Pro Bowl season, is the measuring stick, no question about it, When analysts say a guy has a "non-stop-motor" and you don't know what they mean, watch Trent Cole. The guy will literally crawl his way to the quarterback if he has to.
9:40 AM -Great play by Lorenzo Booker (again). He catches a deep ball in double coverage from Quintin Mikell and Omar Gaither.
9:35 AM -Here is your "off the beaten path" observation of the day: The team must be staying hydrated because players are jogging over to "Mr. John" in flocks. Or it was taco night yesterday.
9:26 AM -I'm planning out the day with Chris McPherson in the media tent, and, on the field, Kevin Curtis comes out of absolutely nowhere to haul in a pass. He looks a lot faster when you don't see where he started from.
9:22 AM -Tony Hunt gets a screen pass, breaks a couple of tackles, and cuts upfield for a first down. Good to see from him.
9:17 AM -There are some military veterans in full uniform walking around the fields. Now is as good a time as any to say:
THANK YOU TO ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE AND ARE SERVING OUR COUNTRY.
9:16 AM -New play installs: One defensive set places Chris Clemons at left end, Trent Cole at right end, Darren Howard at defensive tackle, and Juqua Parker roaming as the Joker. The corners in the nickel package are Sheldon Brown (covering the slot), Joselio Hanson, and Nick Graham.
9:14 AM -Lot of autograph seekers here today, as well. After all, McNabb is in the tent (and he'll be on Training Camp Live later). Everyone's asking me (Joe) questions about the autograph policy. I've had to educate myself pretty well today in order to answer the questions.
9:12 AM -Brian Dawkins almost gets his turn again to take a crack at the wide receivers but the horn sounds. The fans groan in disappointment but McNabb shrugs his shoulders and gives them something to smile about. A reporter on the sideline sarcastically says, "5 is in rare form today." That's McNabb, enjoying the game and playing to the crowd.
9:10 AM -More one-on-one action between the defensive backs and receivers. Shaheer McBride draws the praise of receiver coach David Culley. "Let's a good release." McBride makes his way under the deep pass and Culley says, "He is in good shape." After the completion Culley even throws in a little fist pump celebration. * *
9:08 AM -Tight ends, fullbacks, and running backs go against the linebackers in pass protection. Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley, and Chris Gocong are really sharp guys and are more than qualified to rush the passer. Gocong especially with his defensive end background.* *
9:02 AM -Really big crowd here today, and Donovan McNabb knows it. Never one to squander an opportunity to be noticed, McNabb dances through the crowd on the sidelines as he switches fields.
9:00 AM -L.J. Smith looks sharp just a few days after injuring his calf. He makes a nice juke to get a little bit of separation from Brian Dawkins, and hauls in a pass. Tight end action continues a bit later when A.J. Feeley drops a great ball into Brent Celek's hands.
8:57 AM -Another one of those shrug-your-shoulders, live-another-day plays for Therrian Fontenot. Fontenot has really been impressive in the battle for fifth corner, but receivers seem to be making really nice plays when he's in coverage. Here, Fontenot deflects a pass only to have Michael Gasperson pull the deflection out of the air. Athletic play for Gasperson.
8:55 AM -One-on-one drills now.* *DeSean Jackson's making plays for the big crowd here. He runs a flag route here, and pulls in a really nice deep ball from Kevin Kolb. The coverage from Kyle Arrington was tight, too.
8:44 AM -An interesting gentleman just walked by the PE.com tent, and said "NICE TENT." Ryan McCann, our resident mini-DV guru, thanked him heartily.
8:42 AM -Wide receiver drills are far more interesting with coach David Culley's syrupy, drawling commentary over the top of it. Culley is a blast to listen to. "Good hands, DeSean! Now BURST."
8:38 AM -Team owner Jeffrey Lurie is patrolling the sidelines, as well. He's watching the offense install some packages for today. The field seems a little slick today. Brian Westbrook, Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown all slip a bit.
8:35 AM -A trio of corners is watching practice with shorts on - Lito Sheppard (groin), Asante Samuel (hamstring) and Jack Ikegwuonu (knee). As a refresher, Sheppard and Samuel are both day-to-day, and Ikegwuonu's injury is quite a bit more serious (ACL, which he suffered before the Draft).
8:23 AM -Our friend, lovingly known as the "Good Morning, Harold!" Guy, is back today. Harold Carmichael told us this guy has been well-wishing him for a good 25 years.
8:15 AM -Practice starts. As we learned in our **Blog Head** section, today will be the final day of live hitting at training camp. As a matter of fact, the Eagles are one of the last teams to take part in live hitting at all during camp.
6:20 AM -This is going to be a wild day here at Lehigh. After the morning practice, we will hear from Andy Reid, Brian Dawkins and Jeffrey Lurie. If you come down, the quarterbacks, tight ends and specialists are in the autograph tent. After McNabb signs, he will be Dave Spadaro's guest on Training Camp Live! We will have a complete recap of today's practices here, as well as, an injury report. If there's someone you want us to keep an eye on, let us know.
