INJURY UPDATE:Defensive end Chris Clemons was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital after Tuesday morning's practice because of dehydration. He was released on Tuesday evening and is back with the team at training camp. Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder and his staff treated Clemons on the field, but were not satisfied with how he responded so as a precautionary measure decided to send him to the hospital. When Clemons was put in the ambulance, he was stable and responsive. He never lost consciousness. He was also tested for a concussion to see if that played a part and no head injury was discovered.
Defensive end Victor Abiamiri had two screws inserted to fix the dislocated bone in his right wrist. The ligaments around the dislocated bone were also repaired. He will miss at least the remainder of training camp. He will return to Lehigh later this week, possibly Thursday.
AFTERNOON PRACTICE
3:10 PM - Andy Studebaker fills in at defensive end with the third-team defense. An area the Eagles said they were deepest at has quickly become shorthanded. Bryan Smith, Victor Abiamiri and Chris Clemons are all out for this afternoon's practice.
3:00 PM - Lito Sheppard appeases fans in the stands by waving to them. He gets a big cheer for it. When he makes a play, you can tell the fans still support him. Everyone says that he is in good spirits.
2:58 PM - The defense does a drill called "riverside" which is designed to work on returning interceptions. Stewart Bradley, Joselio Hanson and Lito Sheppard all make interceptions.
2:48 PM - During warmups the linebackers work on agility and hands. They weave in and out of cones and then try to catch a pass at the end. Stewart Bradley goes first, followed by Omar Gaither. They are the leaders of the group, no doubt. For some reason each player grunts ...a lot when it is their time to go. Maybe it makes you cut harder or maybe it is intimidating, who knows.
2:45 PM - Practice is about to begin. Safety Marcus Paschal is back on the field after missing this morning with a hamstring spasm. General manager Tom Heckert watches over practice to evaluate things. The players are in shorts once again and the tone seems to have mellowed from this morning. This is the first official 10/10/10 practice of training camp.
MORNING PRACTICE
9:55 AM -Here is your offensive and defensive linemen one-on-one report:* *Mike Patterson makes a strong rip move on Max Jean-Gilles. Juqua Parker and Jon Runyan play to a draw. Dan Klecko has a super motor, always moving. He is very active with his hands and feet, but he is undersized as everyone knows. Rudy, but with three Super Bowl rings. Trent Cole makes a great spin move on Tra Thomas. Winston Justice holds up Chris Clemons really well. Some mutual respect shown between Mike Patterson and Scott Young as neither gets the upper hand. Trevor Laws continues to do a nice job of getting under his opponents hands. You have to believe that his wrestling background helps him out a lot with his balance. Chris Gocong has tremendous speed and it shows when he faces off against these offensive linemen. Now, he has to track down running backs and receivers as a tight end.
9:49 AM-More extracurricular activities on the field as Scott Young is exchanging shoves with Stewart Bradley and Juqua Parker. Bradley hasn't backed down from anyone as of yet.
9:45 AM -Chris Clemons is getting more reps now in the absence of Victor Abiamiri. He swats down a pass at the line of scrimmage. Clemons is tall and lean, possibly one of the most all-around athletic guys on the defensive line.
9:43 AM - Play of the Day Candidate:Hank Baskett makes a leaping grab, going over the top of Sheldon Brown. Baskett was a state champion high jumper once upon a time, so it is not surprising to see he still has ups.
9:38 AM -Couple nice plays here from the second-team D. Joe Mays destroys Ryan Moats in the open field, and then Chris Clemons makes a nice move to get a "sack."
9:36 AM -First-team D on the field. They aren't there long. On the first play, Sheldon Brown picks off Kevin Kolb and runs it back the other way for a touchdown. Brown's finger is in the air the entire way.
9:34 AM -Joe Mays and Eagle Joe Brown share a couple minutes of conversation on the sidelines. "I'm hoping the weather stays like this. I'm praying," Mays said. I'll agree with Joe, so long as "the weather stays like this" means it cools down about 15 degrees and the sun hides behind a cloud permanently.
9:30 AM -Jason Avant has had quite a camp. He makes an incredible leaping grab while falling away on a ball about two feet above his head.
9:27 AM -Nice double move from Jamal Jones, and he burns Nick Graham.
9:26 AM -A meeting of the minds. Peter King and Merrill Reese are discussing the Eagles' chances. King thinks about 22 teams have a legitimate right to say they can be a Super Bowl contender, the Eagles included.
9:24 AM -Wow! Lorenzo Booker levels Therrian Fontenot coming on a corner blitz. Great block.
9:22 AM -Interception here from Stewart Bradley, undercutting Hank Baskett and picking off Kevin Kolb. On the next play, Luke Lawton takes a screen pass and bounces off of Sheldon Brown, but Bradley makes him play with a big blow. Then, Darren Howard records a "sack," meaning he got into the backfield. Obviously, he can't actually hit Kolb.
9:20 AM -Kevin Curtis has made a nice recovery from earlier. He runs a great route on a McNabb deep ball here for a touchdown. Time for the second team to get on the field.
9:18 AM -The offense works on their two-minute drill. It's called Special K.
9:15 AM -After a Kevin Curtis route, wide receiver coach David Culley repeatedly says, "There it is right there." Curtis is clearly an example for other receivers to follow.
9:11 AM -The "No. 1 matchup" if you will, Lito Sheppard vs. Reggie Brown. Sheppard doesn't give Brown an inch and the play results in an incomplete pass. That's a Pro Bowl corner for you.
9:10 AM -The star of the drill quickly becomes Therrian Fontenot. After he picks off a pass there is no stopping him. On his next turn, he swats down a pass then waves his finger like Dikembe Mutombo. The crowd and his teammates love it. He almost makes the exact same play on his next turn again, and follows with a new celebration but there is a flag on the play. Donovan McNabb applauds the ref.
9:05 AM -Receivers vs. defensive backs: Reggie Brown gets open on a curl route. Quintin Demps was playing off of him at the line. Kevin Curtis uses his quickness to juke past Brian Dawkins. Dawkins is so physical though, pushing Curtis to the ground. It most likely would have been considered defensive pass interference. Jamal Jones is a deep threat and it will be interesting to see if he is able to get open down the field in the preseason as well. Hank Baskett is another guy who catches a deep ball and could really stretch the field for this offense.
Quintin Mikell follows Dawkins' example, playing physical at the line of scrimmage but Lorenzo Booker is too elusive. Every time Booker lines up you expect to see a nice fake. Can you say mismatch? Jason Avant makes hard cuts and really uses his head fakes well. Shaheer McBride and Bam Childress both are able to make the drill look easy.
9:03 AM -Jason Avant makes a really nice one-handed catch, yet again. Receiver coach David Culley is not as impressed as everyone watching. "You've got two hands, use em' both," he says.
9:01 AM - The injured players flip tires as if they were in the World's Strongest Man Competition. These tires are significantly smaller though.
8:57 AM -In my opinion, this could be the biggest crowd yet at training camp this year. Really clear day, but the sun is absolutely brutal. If you decide to come, bring SPF 30 and water.
8:52 AM -Right into the fire for Trevor Laws. He's now taking reps alongside Mike Patterson with the first team.
8:50 AM -Nice move by Kevin Curtis. He completely fakes out Sheldon Brown, and McNabb's throw is perfect. But Curtis can't convert as the ball bounces off his fingertips. He has one bounce off his chest later. Very uncharacteristic of Curtis, who probably has the best hands on the team.
8:35 AM -A collective groan is heard from the large crowd in attendance. I didn't see it, but it must have been a dropped pass or something. Fans really live and die with every play, even in July. There is no denying the passion of Philly fans.
8:32 AM -Sports Illustrated's Peter King is on the sidelines today at practice. He'll target Kevin Kolb after Donovan McNabb's and Andy Reid's press conferences. "Sometimes, these trips are made for investment in the future," he says. King will be a guest on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption this afternoon and then will speak to journalism students at Penn State University.
8:26 AM -Kimo von Oelhoffen is taking reps with the first-team defense. Brodrick Bunkley is on the sidelines, riding a stationary bike. More on him later.
8:21 AM -Jason Avant, who is deeply religious, is singing gospel tunes during wide receiver warmups. He has a pretty pleasant voice, actually. He and the rest of the rceivers practice dragging their feet along the sideline while two refs make the decision of whether it was a catch or not.
8:20 AM -Not practicing today: Asante Samuel, DeSean Jackson, Rocky Boiman, Victor Abiamiri and Marcus Paschal. Jack Ikegwuonu and Bryan Smith are still on the PUP list.
8:15 AM -Practice is underway. The "30-Plus Club" members are back to work today. Jamal Jones uses the port-a-potty on the field, and A.J. Feeley bangs on the door when Jones is in there. Good for a couple laughs.
6:40 AM - We're getting ready for an exciting day here at Lehigh. Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb will address the media following practice. Stay tuned, we'll have everything covered.
