Could a former first round bust be rising from the ashes thanks to what looks like a new 2nd round bust?

Speaking of McDougle, he was matched up a lot against Winston Justice, Jon Runyan having the morning off as a 30-plus club member. In one sequence, McDougle beat Justice badly on three of four snaps.

If Jerome McDougle not only made the team but actually contributed this year... it would be one of the most unlikey comeback stories in NFL history. Considering everything this guy has gone through in his life and career, I don't see how anyone could be rooting against the guy. As for Winston Justice... I just don't know what to say with that guy.

It's good to be the King

As we all cringe upon hearing the news about former 2nd round pick OT Winston Justice and his struggles, we can take solace in the good about the news we're hearing about 7th round rookie OT King Dunlap.

The other day, Dunlap was matched against defensive end Trent Cole in one-on-one drills. Cole, a Pro Bowl selection last season known for wide-eyed ferocity even in drills, kept finding himself steered wide of the imaginary pocket by the big rookie's long reach.

"He's going to find a place on this team," Cole predicted yesterday. "D-ends hate people with long arms."

As devastating as it would be to have a 2nd round pick like Winston Justice end up a bust... what a coup it could be if the Eagles found their LT of the future in the 7th round. It will be very interesting to watch those 2 in preseason.

Andrews update

Since Shawn Andrews  publicly revealed that it was depression which was keeping him away from camp, the media has tried to paint Andy Reid as callous for his public handling of the situation over the weeks. Reid refused to comment on the specifics of the situation and repeatedly only referred to Andrews' absence as "unexcused." Andrews' agent Rich Moran revealed that Andy has been anything but callous.

It may have seemed at least a little bit callous when Eagles coach Andy Reid kept referring to Shawn Andrews' absence as unexcused, especially since the guard revealed Monday that he is being treated for depression.

The truth, according to Andrews' agent, is that Reid has been as supportive as anyone during the troubled player's 13-day absence from training camp.

"You could talk to Shawn, and he'd tell you the same thing," Rich Moran said during a phone interview from Orlando, Fla. "Andy has been nothing but sensitive to Shawn's situation. He didn't disclose this personal issue even though he has been peppered with questions about it."

Moran also said that upon hearing the news that Andrews would not be reporting to camp 24 hours before camp opened, Reid asked Moran to fly down to Arkansas and get Andrews to see doctor. Andy has been in contact both with Shawn and his doctor throughout the course of this ordeal. Reid spoke with Andrews yesterday and gave him Brian Dawkins' phone number, suggesting that Andrews give Brian a call. Yesterday Dawkins spoke about how he battled depression early in his career.

If Andrews is indeed fined 15k per day thanks to his unexcused absence, fines that could accumulate to over $200k, Shawn has offered to donate the money to a mental health charity. So far, the Eagles have never said whether or not Andrews will be fined.

Andrews issued an apology to the team and fans on NBC10

Andrews apologized to the Eagles, his teammates and the fans on several shows for the way he has handled his situation. "The way I handled things initially with the organization, I apologize for that," he said. "To my teammates, I apologize how I handled things. To the fans that care and to those that don't care, I apologize to everybody. The whole city of Philadelphia and every Eagles fan across the world."

Kevin Kolb is impressive, young

Yesterday was a day off for the 30+ club which mean Kevin Kolb was taking reps with first team. Several media sources at camp gave him praise

With McNabb off, Kolb got to run the first-team offense, minus the 30-something tackles Thomas and Runyan. The second-year QB had one of his better days.

Two plays that stood out: A perfectly thrown 50-yard pass to Greg Lewis for a touchdown that was threaded between cornerback Therrian Fontenot and safety Quintin Mikell, and a nicely placed end-zone pass to Hank Baskett after the quarterback had sprinted hard to his right.

Donovan McNabb checked in on his blog yesterday to fill us in on what he's up to Arizona this week.

Just wanted to check in from Arizona again. I've been out here this week working out with a few guys including Brian Dawkins, LJ Smith, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and Lorenzo Booker.

We have been getting after it from sunup to sundown. We start at Fischer Sports, a place I have been working out at most of the offseason. Brett Fischer – an Eagles fan from Bucks County - is a physical therapist, certified athletic trainer and strength and conditioning specialist. He has helped me through what he calls functional training. We mimic the motions that we use on the football field. For me it might be an emphasis on using my abdominals, hips and lower body to create torque when I throw the ball. For some of the other guys it might be trying to get explosion out of their cuts.

If I remember correct, usually Reggie Brown would head out to Arizona to work with McNabb. I'm somewhat surprised he's not there this year... that said, I don't read much into it.

In his latest blog over on yardbarker Donovan McNabb gave his thoughts on all the goings on Philly sports these days(watch out Enrico!). He's made no secret of his intention to get into broadcasting when his playing days are over so it was pretty cool to hear insights on the Sixers signing of Elton Brand and the Soul heading to the Arena bowl title game. However, for Eagles fans he did finish up with something we should all be happy to hear...

Speaking of the Eagles, fans might be happy to know that I'm in Arizona working out with Brian Dawkins. Next week some other players will come out and we'll work together for a few days before training camp opens. I'm feeling great, the shoulder is fine, and I can't wait to get started this season.

This is basically what he told Sal Pal last week, but it's always nice to hear from 5 himself.

Recently there have been several notes about the Eagles Defense.  Mark Eckel wrote this weekend about the linebacking corps, Igglesblog had an interesting take about the defense's supposed speed and Tommy Lawlor had a nice homage to Buddy's 46. 

I personally find it easier to come up with defensible things to say about the offense because that is the side of the ball which gets emphasized during network broadcasts.  Prior to the snap the camera is focused on the offense and afterward it follows the ball.  It's only during shows like NFL Matchup where we get to see any coaches tape showing the whole field.  

NFL Network recently rebroadcast last year's Cowboys victory and I rewatched their highlight reel a couple of times.  Several plays stuck out.  Three of the Eagles eleven interceptions on the season came in that game.  Unfortunately one of them resulted in an immediate turnover (screw on your head before buttoning your chinstrap Quintin), the second, Lito Shepard's pick before halftime, led to the games only TD, and and the last, which turned into Brian Westbrook's infamous knee, was Dawkins' only pick of the year.  Certainly you can't generalize based upon a sample size of one, but this example sure seems to say something about turnovers.

These plays were great, but one play - a 9 yard pass reception by Jason Witten - was the one that really got me thinking.

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via Flickr

I happened to catch a few quotes that I found pretty funny in a recent article about a charity golf outing Brian Dawkins put on. As it turned out, Dawkins scheduled the outing at the Saucon Valley Country Club which is too close to Lehigh for some players...

''On the way up [from South Jersey], I was like 'This is a bad drive. I remember this road,''' safety J.R. Reed said.

''I wasn't even there last year because I didn't sign with them until later, but I remember it from the year before. It's a gloomy ride. But you're excited when that time [to report to camp] comes.''

''No -- I don't want to see those fields for a while,'' safety Quintin Mikell said. ''If I could get away with not coming up for camp, I would. But it is a necessary evil.''

I gotta say, I was sweaty and tired after a day just watching practice up there... So I can understand why some of these guys are dreading it.

That said, it can't come soon enough!

For more info on Brian Dawkins' work with the Burn Prevention Foundation, check out their site.

First, everyone wanted to know whether McNabb thought the Eagles got the "playmakers" he asked for.

“I said playmakers, I didn’t say receivers,” McNabb said. “I said guys that can come in and make plays for us. We brought in Asante, who led the league in interceptions two years ago, and last year had a lot of interceptions as well. That was a start.

But did he like the offseason?

“(The offseason) wasn’t about my liking, it was for the team,” McNabb said.

Could the Eagles have been any more aggressive in the offseason?

“I think they did a great job,” McNabb said with a smile.

Can they win the Super Bowl this year with the players they have?

“I think we can win the Super Bowl every year,” McNabb said, this time without the smile.

If McNabb is bluffing, he’s doing a great job of it. He seemed upbeat, joking in the locker room and laughing with teammates.

Brian Westbrook was a bit more frank when he was asked about playmakers

"We added some guys that can play," Westbrook said. "At this point I guess you have to go to war with the guys that you have ... unless they add someone else. Me being satisfied doesn't mean too much. I want to add the best players to our team and I think we have some very good players already that can get the job done."

But ...

"If we can get a big-time receiver, a big-time runner, or whatever we can get, that's what I want as a player," Westbrook continued. "Coach (Andy Reid) made a point that he was going to get some playmakers on this team. I think he tried to. A lot of those (potential) trades and acquisitions didn't really go his way."

Westbrook on his contract situation.

"I'm paid," said Westbrook, who led the NFL with 2,104 yards from scrimmage last season. "I signed a contract that was fair at that (time), so there's no sense in me crying about it now."

Westbrook continued to deliver the goods on the topic of player compensation and his personal dealings with the Eagles' front office.

"All players want more money," Westbrook said. "I think the team's job is to not pay all the money that the player wants. I think that's where the conflict comes into play. I think this organization is a very good organization and they try to do things the right way. That doesn't necessarily mean that it al ways ends up the right way all the time, either."

I must say, I really love hearing Westbrook speak. He doesn't try to be controversial or even all that diplomatic either. He just comes off as honest and business-like. What more can you ask for?

Lito on his contract situation?

I'm not talking, so I don't know why you are all hanging around," a good-natured Sheppard told the horde of reporters gathered around his locker. "I'll answer a couple of questions on Monday."

Asante Samuel did his best to stay out of it.

"That's got nothing to do with me," Samuel said. "I just do what my coach tells me to do. It doesn't matter what I am used to. Whatever my coach tells me to do, I'm going to do it."

Sheldon Brown chimed in with his thoughts on the Lito situation

"I don't really know how Lito's situation is being handled," Brown said. "Obviously, Lito and me are close, but he doesn't really share that. As far as I know everything is OK. He's straight. He hasn't come to me and said they're doing it wrong. So, I just worry about my business. If we can play together and stay together, I'm cool with it. Hopefully we can stay together and win the (Super Bowl) and then all of us will get what we deserve."

And would Sheldon mind playing with Lito and Asante on the field?

  ``To be honest with you, I love it. Because I get to move into the slot. I get to rush the quarterback (from the slot). I get to do all that stuff. I hate it outside. It's boring out there.''

Brian Dawkins continued his defense of Lito

'It's different,'' Dawkins said of seeing a displaced Sheppard working as the third cornerback.

''[Sheppard's] play speaks for itself. When he's healthy, it speaks for itself. You have exactly what you need in a cornerback when you have Lito on the field. And when he gets the ball in his hands, it's almost six points.''

But he also defended the addition of Asante

'We were 32nd in the league in turnovers, so it doesn't surprise me they got playmakers on our side of the ball,'' free safety Brian Dawkins said. ''If we just hold onto some of the [turnover opportunities], we're not an 8-8 team.''