INJURY UPDATE:Defensive end Victor Abiamiri dislocated a bone in his right wrist during Sunday morning's practice. He has consulted with team physician Peter DeLuca and team hand specialist John Taras today. An update on further treatments and status will be announced at a later time. In addition, DeSean Jackson left the morning practice with a tweak to the same hamstring he injured during June OTAs. He is listed as day-to-day. Additionally, linebacker Rocky Boiman missed practice with a lower leg contusion.
AFTERNOON PRACTICE
4:00 PM -Andy Studebaker shows his versatility, taking some reps with the third team as a defensive end.
3:55 PM -Chris Clemons, anxious to get into the backfield, jumps offsides. I'll take this minute to introduce you to the nickel defense. Sheldon Brown lines up inside, with Joselio Hanson filling in for Asante Samuel. Chris Gocong goes to the sidelines, and here's the D-Line from left to right: Chris Clemons, Juqua Parker, Mike Patterson and Trent Cole.
3:52 PM -Bam Childress gets his hands on the ball and - WHAM. Kyle Arrington just levels him. Remember, this is not a full-contact practice. "You the one asking for that, Bam!" Lito Sheppard yells. From across the field, Greg Lewis mocks Lito.
3:47 PM -Take note - Trevor Laws is taking reps with the second team.
3:40 PM -Seven-on-seven scrimmage, and the first play is a flea-flicker from Donovan McNabb to Kevin Curtis.
3:33 PM -Here come the one-on-one battles: Mike McGlynn vs. Kimo von Oelhoffen, the rookie against the vet and McGlynn was able to hold his own very well. He has a strong base and positions his hands well on his opponent. King Dunlap held Darren Howard when he tried to come inside, but Howard was able to use his speed on the outside. Chris Gocong took some reps with the defensive line vs. Stefan Rodgers and showed his quick spin and agility. Trevor Laws was the most impressive out of this group, maybe because he is fresh. He showed a nice spin move, rip, swim, you name it going up against Scott Young.
3:25 PM -Brent Celek makes a nice diving catch over the middle on a 20-yard post route.
3:21 PM -The defense is bringing out the blitz packages. They've been rather conservative with these in the full-contact practices, but they're bringing them here in shorts.
3:20 PM -Almost a great catch here. Remember that insane grab Kevin Curtis made in Minnesota last year? He almost duplicates it on Brian Dawkins here, but Dawkins just gets enough of the ball to throw off his concentration.
3:19 PM -Omar Gaither seems to be going full-out in shells even if no one else is. He blasts right through the middle to put pressure on McNabb.
3:12 PM -A lot of people have been asking me about Kevin Kolb's deep ball. Earlier in camp, you couldn't get a read on the guy. But he seems to be a little more consistent. This ball he tosses on a flea-flicker is a perfect dart to Reggie Brown. On the next play, Kevin Curtis catches a beautiful deep ball, this one from A.J. Feeley.
3:11 PM -Kevin Curtis seems a lot surer of his footing today, after the muddy conditions really screwed him up yesterday. He makes a nice cut back inside, then pulls in a McNabb pass.
3:05 PM -Horn. Group drills are under way.
3:04 PM -Linebackers and defensive backs work on coverage and defensive signal calls.
3:01 PM -The fullbacks and running backs work on blocking. It doesn't matter how good a runner you are, if you can't pick up a blitz you won't be on the field.
2:57 PM -The defense does something called "fire drill" which strictly focuses on turnovers.
2:52 PM -The field conditions are much improved from this morning. The puddles and mud affected a lot of the players' footing but this is football, preparing for the elements is a necessary part of the game. The tempo is quick. Players either sprint or jog quickly from one drill to the next.
2:47 PM -The members of the "30-plus club" are back on the field, wearing shorts along with the rest of the team, after they had the morning off.
2:41 PM -Hey everyone, almost time for the afternoon session. One big note: defensive tackle Trevor Laws is practicing for the first time in training camp. We'll keep you updated on his progress.
MORNING PRACTICE
10:15 AM- Practice is over so Joe and I (Chris) will head to Brian Westbrook's and special teams coordinator Rory Segrest's press conferences. We will have a full report on what both men had to say soon.
10:09 AM -A ball goes through Frantz Hardy's hands and Kyle Arrington is rewarded for his proper positioning with an easy interception.
10:07 AM - Since the passing game is unable to click, the team is running the ball more and Buckhalter was able to find the seam nicely.
10:03 AM - On two consecutive plays the defense gets to the quarterback. Andy Reid tells Kolb that he is holding the ball too long.
10:01 AM -A lot of people have asked about Chris Clemons, so I decided to watch him specifically for a few plays. Today, he's taking reps with the first-team defense with three DEs not practicing (Abiamiri, Parker and Howard). On some plays, he got the best of Winston Justice and got to Kevin Kolb. On others, Justice contained him very well. Then, he gets fooled on a play action pass, but recovers on the next play to get right in A.J. Feeley's face, past Franklin Dunbar.
9:58 AM -Quintin Mikell is involved in yet another scuffle, as is Winston Justice. Stewart Bradley gets into it, also.
9:54 AM -Considine remains fired up, and he snuffs out a Greg Lewis reverse perfectly and makes a great open-field tackle. He then strips the ball from Lewis and just stares at him. "Way to get fired up, Sean!" a fan yells.
9:51 AM -We've got another fight! At the end of a play, Max Jean-Gilles levels Quintin Mikell, which angers Sean Considine. Considine, about half of ol' MJG's size, lays a shoulder into him. Then, Winston Justice comes in and plows Considine. The fans absolutely love it.
9:48 AM -Big cheers for Sheldon Brown as he makes a diving deflection against Greg Lewis.
9:46 AM -Deranged fan time. This guy, in particular, is great. He's decked head to toe in what seems to be midnight green gladiator armor, and he's hauling around an aluminum-foil Lombardi Trophy. He starts up at least five huge "E-A-G-L-E-S" chants, and shouts to Andy Reid repeatedly. "Right, here, Andy! WOOOO!" as he points to his faux-Lombardi hardware.
9:34 AM -Time to practice special teams in a last-minute situation. The receiver falls in bounds, the clock is still running so Feeley spikes the ball. McGee puts the 30 yarder through with the "game" on the line.
9:30 AM -The special teams take the field to practice field goals. Richmond McGee has some trouble putting it through the uprights. It may have to do with his holder, Jason Avant. Rocca and Akers both have the morning off as earlier reported ("30 plus club").
9:26 AM -The offense continues to look sharp this morning, in both the run and the pass game. That is until Chris Clemons gets on the field. Without Runyan and Thomas at the tackles Clemons is having a field day. The pass rush specialist has NOT (sorry for the confusion) disappointed with his speed of the edge. The entire defense has picked it up towards the end of the 11-on-11 drill.* *
9:24 AM - Ladies and gentlemen, I (Chris) bring you the play of the day. I am confident that this will not be topped for the rest of the day. Booker on a reserve, makes one guy miss, now two, three. He spins past another, gets wrapped up by two more defenders and somehow stays on his feet, fighting for every yard. 60 yards to the endzone, Lorenzo Booker just made the play of the day. * *
9:20 AM -Lorenzo Booker has a nice 15 yard run to the outside but wait for it ...the first flag of the season is thrown and the run will have to come back.
9:15 AM -Asante Samuel is working with the conditioning coach on the sideline along with Trevor Laws, Bryan Smith, and Jack Ikegwuonu. * *
9:14 AM -"Livin' it up,"*Andy Reid said before the 11-on-11 drill and the players responded. Our first scuffle of the day, Michael Gasperson and Stewart Bradley. A couple shoves to the face and the crowd goes wild. It's bound to happen when guys play with this kind of intensity. *
9:10 AM -Rough morning for Therrian Fontenot. Though he's only been truly beaten once or twice, some receivers have made incredible plays on him. Jason Avant continues his great practice with a one-handed grab on a ball behind him, and Jamal Jones simply jumps over Fontenot's head to pull in a ball on a curl route.
9:07 AM -There is a ton of great plays being made here in these wide receiver-cornerback drills. Jason Avant makes a beautiful double move on Joselio Hanson, but Hanson unbelievably recovers to force Avant to cut back inside for a minimal gain. On the next play, Nick Graham blankets Greg Lewis, but Lewis pulls in a deep ball with one hand while falling over.
8:58 AM -Kevin Kolb looks sharp early on today. Great deep ball here to Bam Childress. On the next play, however, Kolb's shut out as Sheppard and Brown provide perfect shut-down coverage.
8:56 AM -Great coverage from Lito Sheppard on Jason Avant here. The ball is thrown over Avant's head to even give him a chance, but it sails out of bounds. A ball boy, just doing his job, goes to retrieve it, but Avant hadn't yet given up. The ball boy gets absolutely trucked. As he lays on the ground, he starts to smile. Avant helps him up. "You all right, baby?" Lito asks.
8:54 AM -Lito Sheppard is enjoying the attention he's getting from the female populace at Lehigh here today. "Lito, wave!" a group of girls yells. He turns around, smiles and happily obliges. On the next play, Lito is called for an incidental facemask. "You must be out of your mind," he jokes to the official.
8:48 AM -We have two-on-twos here, wide receivers versus cornerbacks.* *Nice move from Jason Avant to make a play against Sheldon Brown. He gets a bit of a push off of Brown's shoulder. Brown, not one to hold his feelings in, implores the referee to consider throwing a flag. "It was good," the ref says.
8:35 AM - Todd Herremans has filled in at left tackle in the absence of Tra Thomas. Winston Justice is playing right tackle for Jon Runyan. Scott Young has taken over for Herremans at left guard for the time being. * *
8:28 AM -Eagles fans are out in full force today. It looks like it could be the biggest crowd to date. The center of the Eagles universe is Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
8:24 AM - Officials are on the field today, getting their reps in before the preseason starts.* *The receivers are checking that they are lined up onside before the snap, a simple task that could be costly if not done properly.
8:20 AM -Today is the first day of the "30 plus club." The exclusive members are Donovan McNabb, Tra Thomas, Jon Runyan, Brian Dawkins, Kevin Curtis, Kimo von Oelhoffen, Montae Reagor, Darren Howard, David Akers, Sav Rocca, Juqua Parker and A.J. Feeley. Sorry to Correll Buckhalter and Matt Schobel who are only a few months away from enjoying the morning off.* *
8:15 AM -Practice is underway! Warmups are over, so it's time for individual drills. Stick with us. We'll have an update on Victor Abiamiri's status in a few minutes.
Practice gets underway at 8:15 AM. Click here for action from Sunday's practice, including an update on cornerback Asante Samuel.
