Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Report
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by Christof
Today, I had the opportunity to attend the Philadelphia Eagles training camp. This is the sixth time in the last seven years that I have attended. I remember the first time, back in 2001. It was the afternoon practice and there was a crowd. The crowd, however, was not large.
This year, the crowd was huge. Traffic was backed up a distance, and the parking was tight. That was the first of many surprises today. As far as the team, here are my thoughts on Eagles players and the team itself.
Donovan McNabb – McNabb’s 2006 season ended last November when he blew out his ACL. Since then, McNabb has been rehabbing. At this time, in my opinion, he is no where close to NFL regular season shape. Mentally, he is way too timid with decision making in regards to passing. Mind you, I am making this comment even after seeing him run on a broken play during live tackling. In addition, his passes are not crisp. McNabb is back to throwing above the receiver’s head or at his feet.
At this time, I do not expect McNabb to be the starting QB for the Eagles against the Green Bay Packers. In the best scenario, McNabb would not play until after the Bye week, which is week 5 for the Eagles. By doing this, McNabb will have an additional two months to rehab his knee and get his mind into the game.
By the way, what is McNabb thinking by going out of his way to voice support to Michael Vick?
A.J. Feeley – Feeley is the back-up QB and starter if McNabb is not ready for the season. Sadly, his performance today was worse than McNabb’s. His passes were just plain awful. The guy is still trying to shove the football into double and triple coverage. Feeley can be a serviceable QB in the league, if you surround him with talent and have an easy schedule. Luckily, for the Eagles, they have both – at least during the first quarter of the 2007season.
Kevin Kolb – Kolb has NFL talent, but he will have no impact on the Eagles season this year. Today was the second full day of training camp for the Eagles, and you could see that Kolb is doing everything to keep his head above water. This is because the Eagles employ a West Coast style offense. Kolb is pretty much in kindergarten when it comes to this offense. It will take some time for Kolb to learn. With that said, look for Kolb to be the Eagles starter in either 2009 or 2010.
Jevon Kearse – Like McNabb, Kearse season ended early because of a serious knee injury. The Freak has rehabbed himself fully, however, he still looks awfully skinny. For Kearse, this is a critical year for him. He has not lived up to expectations that the Eagles had for him when they signed him as a free agent. He also has a high salary. Therefore, if the Freak does not get it done this year, he may be done in Philly. At this stage, it could go either way.
Jeremiah Trotter – Trotter looked slow in coverage. Actually, he looked snail slow. I realize that he is a leader on this team, and because of this, he needs to be a starter. Lets hope that Trotter is simply a token starter. If he is anymore than that, opposing offenses are going to burn him to pieces. No matter what, this will be Trotter’s final NFL season, if he can last the entire season.
Sav Rocca – Sav is the Australian Rugby player who is trying to make the team as the punter. The guy is built like a linebacker. He sure can kick the ball as well. Unfortunately, consistency is the issue. I don’t think Sav will make the team, but he does have a cool name.
Overall, the Eagles are quite loaded. The defense will, however, carry the Eagles early on during this season. McNabb and / or Feeley as starter will be a work in progress. The Eagles offense will be much more dangerous in the December then it will be in September.
The Eagles defense looks good. This, however, may change if the club plays Trotter a lot. This may pain Eagles fans to read, but Trotter legs are done. Put him in for a passing play, and whom ever Trotter will be covering will be wide open.
Look for the Eagles to not only win the NFC East, but to contend for home-field advantage this year. The team will slowly build momentum, before peaking in January and February.
