It was nice breezy day at Lehigh and some cloud cover provided relief from what would have been the oppressive heat. A crowd of over 6,000 showed up on a Sunday to watch the second to last day of live hitting at camp. Later on, considerably less people stuck around for the special teams session...

Brian Westbrook returned from the viral illness that held him out of the previous days practice. He didn't take a ton of reps, but the previous reports from camp have said that Westbrook hasn't been taking a lot of reps period. When he caught his first pass the crowd a cheered and one guy yelled "Andy, give him his money!" drawing laughs from the stands and the sidelines.

After the jump catch my full report and observations

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via blogs.phillynews.com

I was perusing the Eagles practice blog over at the official site and got a kick out of this particular entry...

3:04 PM - The jovial, happy-go-lucky atmosphere does not last for long because Andy Reid notices that the team looks like they are "going through the motions."  The afternoon practice is supposed to be a run through of 10 offensive, 10 defensive, and 10 special teams plays.  Half way through the defensive set Reid tells the first team to come back on the field and g back five plays. He was displeased that the defense was not making the interceptions.  "Get your hands on the ball," he says. "I don't care about the ball on the ground, I want the ball in the air."  He is loud enough for the fans to hear him and they love it.  The coach sets the tone and the players responded.  Stewart Bradley, Sheldon Brown, and Quintin Demps all picked off passes following Reid's instructions.

I can not wait to get out to Lehigh this weekend!

34 year old Jon Runyan was downright giddy in his assesment of Andy Reid's newly formed "30+ plus club" which is intended to give some older veterans extra rest.

"Can I get my years retroactive?" he said, jokingly. "I wouldn't have to practice at all; I'd take the whole year off."

"Just going through it myself, there's a limit to what your batteries have left in them," Runyan said. "You liken it to the whole rechargeable battery. You keep trying to recharge it too many times, it doesn't come back the same."

Kevin Curtis was also happy, having just celebrated his 30th birthday

"I just turned 30" on July 17, Curtis said. "I never thought I'd be so happy to be 30."

Curtis was asked whether Reid knew he had just turned 30.

"If he doesn't, I'll remind him," the Eagles' No. 1 receiver said.

Brian Westbrook showed up on time for camp, but left no doubt as to his unhappiness with his contract

"I'm here," Westbrook said. "Whether I'm reluctant, I'm still here. I'm coming here to be here with my teammates, to compete for a job, and do everything I can to help this team win."

Shawn Andrews' reason for not showing up to camp remains a mystery, but his agent is adamant it has nothing to do with his contract. It also seems that the Eagles do know what that reason is.

"It's for personal reasons," agent Rich Moran said. "He's been in contact with the Eagles, and we're working on getting him there. This has absolutely nothing to do with his contract. He talked to Andy Reid, and we're working through it."

Andrews also missed the final week of the Eagles' spring camp at the NovaCare Complex for what the Eagles described as personal reasons.

"I can say this is a little bit related to that," Moran said. "It's not 100 percent related, but there's a little tie-in."

Sheldon Brown spoke about the crowded corner situation.

From my standpoint, the key is coming out of training camp with three guys," Brown said of the logjam at cornerback. "There's always injuries. You need depth. That's how I look at it from my personal standpoint."

"You have to put your ego aside," he said. "It depends on the player and how long the player will accept that. Anything's possible as long as we continue to communicate."

I couldn't agree with Sheldon more. The last thing we want is a failure to communicate.

GCobb has a couple of notes up today about the Bird's defense.  In one, he reminds us that the Eagles were last in the league in turnovers last year.  In the other, he takes a look at the defensive assistants.  I've spent some time considering the defense recently myself and noticed some things about Jim Johnson's defense last year compared to years past that seemed oddly incongruous.

At first glance the Eagles defense last year seemed to be pretty good.  They were 9th in the league in points allowed, 10th in total yards, 7th against the run and 18th against the pass.  They even were tied for 9th in the league in sacks.  The thing is though, when you compare the Eagles to the rest of the league they look pretty good, but when you look back and compare the Eagles last year with Jim Johnson's defenses of years past...

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In an article that more or less claims that the Eagles should give Lito Sheppard everything he wants in the interest of team unity, Bob Grotz did capture this pretty solid quote from Sheldon Brown about what role he'd accept this year.

"Would I be willing to lose snaps for one year to try to win it all?" Brown said rhetorically. "I would be willing to do that for one year. I’m trying to win a title. Do I think we’re better with me on the field? Oh, no doubt in my mind. And if they don’t think that me being on the field is not helping them win, I don’t need to be here. And I’ll tell Coach Reid that. ‘If me being on the football field is not making you better, than I’m not doing you justice being on this football team.’ "

Gotta love that... Although I am somewhat disappointed that Sheldon didn't refer to himself in the 3rd person, which he has in almost every interview for the past 2 years.

Later in the piece, in discussing the Lito situation, Grotz wrote something that caught my eye...

It will take a lot less hammer, a lot less arrogance and a lot more communication and compassion to heal the relationship that has fragmented the locker room and spawned enough ugliness to blow up into a Chad Johnson-type spectacle.

Really? Now, obviously I'm not in the locker room every day. I don't cover the team from the inside... but by all reports I've read, this description of the situation appears to be grossly overblown.

Somewhat lost in Lito's absence from yesterday's OTA was that guard Scott Young also decided to skip the voluntary camp.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said he had been warned by Smith that Sheppard would not be attending this camp. He received the same warning from Young's agent, Jeff Courtney, but still seemed miffed about the decision of his fourth-year guard from Brigham Young. Reid said he didn't know why the second-string guard wasn't in attendance.

Young, a fifth-round draft choice in 2005, is entering the final year of his contract and is scheduled to be paid $520,000 this season. After playing in 12 games in 2006, he dressed for just one game last season. If his intent is to get released, he may have helped his cause.

It does seems like Young's intention must be to get cut. With the Eagles pick of Mike McGylnn and Mike Gibson in this year's draft, both guards, he's probably seen the writing on the wall. Getting cut now rather than at the end of camp would probably give him a better shot at catching on somewhere else. That said, it's pretty rare for no name career backups to hold out...

Jon Runyan was asked about Young, a 5th round pick of the Eagles in 2005. His response was classic.

In the Eagles' media guide, Young lists Runyan and Hall of Famer John Hannah as his favorite offensive linemen.

But Runyan had no idea Young was not at practice Tuesday. "Who?"

"I don't think I've spoken 10 words to him my whole life,'' Runyan said.

Sheldon Brown was equally as surprised...

So we got the answer to the question about whether anyone would notice if Scott Young didn't show up at the Eagles' voluntary minicamp.

"Scott Young?" cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "He's not here? Why?"

Mike Gibson got a little taste of what Eagles fans are all about.

Mike Gibson found out first hand the other day just how passionate fans are when it comes to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.

Gibson was taking a subway train to the downtown area with some of his new teammates when a few of the passengers asked if they were football players.

It wasn’t a bad question, as Gibson, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 305 pounds as a rookie offensive lineman for the Eagles, definitely stands out in a crowd.

“They just started singing the (Eagles’) fight song,” Gibson said.

“It was pretty cool. There are die-hard Eagles fans. They definitely love their sports out here, which is really cool. They were very encouraging, saying, ‘Go Eagles.’

“The people are awesome. I like everything about this place.”

"DeSean, everybody knows you’re an electrifying returner. What are the odds of you being a somewhat Devin Hester-type player and what do you think about the criticism of you being a ‘raw’ receiver – that you don’t run routes very well?” Booker asked, doing his best to imitate a television reporter.

Coolly, calmly, Jackson replied: "The best thing I can say is that I just want to be like Lorenzo Booker. That’s my hero.”

Moreover, only Al Harris of the Eagles/Green Bay Packers and Nate Clements of the Buffalo Bills/ 49ers have more career starts at cornerback to begin their NFL career than Brown's active streak of 96 in a row.

"That was a little name that the fans gave me for coming out and playing hard," Mays said following yesterday's workout at the Eagles' camp for rookies and selected veterans. "When you're playing hard, you get in some good hits and sometimes it's the best hits that you can ever imagine. So I got the nickname, but I just try to keep living up to it."

It takes more than a catchy nickname to grab the attention of the Eagles, who made Mays a sixth-round pick (No. 200 overall) in last month's draft. Not only did he hit hard, he also hit often, leading the Bison of Fargo, N.D., in tackles with 90 in 11 games.

"He has good intensity," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. "You can tell that he likes the game. He's a take-charge guy. That's what you want as a middle linebacker. He's still learning the system. He's going to make a few mistakes, but he's into his book. He's a very physical linebacker."

“How many times in a 20-year period does one coach,” Vermeil said, “coach anywhere for 10 years? There’s Jeff Fisher and Andy Reid. I think it’s a real great reflection on the strength of the man and the quality of the guy. He has great ability to keep the thing in proper perspective, especially having gone through the family problems at the same time. You’ve got to respect him for that. I think he’s one of the great coaches.”

The Sporting News named their top 10 players likely to make their first pro bowl in 2008 and Mike Patterson was on the list.

4. Mike Patterson, DT, Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia has done a superb job of rebuilding its defensive line. Trent Cole made the Pro Bowl with a career-high 12 1/2 sacks, but it's time to recognize the talent the Eagles have inside. Patterson excels as a quick penetrator, and he disrupted backfields enough to produce four sacks and a forced fumble last season. It will be difficult for him to displace either Williams in Minnesota, but he should be considered for a reserve spot.

I think Mike Patterson is a guy that will make the pro bowl bow when/if the Eagles are good.  We see this every year where a team plays well and gets a bunch of guys in the pro bowl that maybe aren't necessarily pro bowl locks on a bad team. Good players, but not exactly household names. Dallas was a great example of this last year. Chad Lewis is a great example of an Eagle who made the pro bowl more for his team's success than his own personal stats, which were always pretty average.

Fox Sports thought Mike Patterson was overlooked for a pro bowl spot last year.

Defensive tackle: Mike Patterson, Philadelphia. Chicago's Tommie Harris was named a Pro Bowl backup despite having just 32 tackles. Patterson was more productive (62 tackles) and a better pass rusher than Harris, who hasn't regained the same form since suffering a season-ending leg injury in 2006.

Good to see Patterson getting some national respect.

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, I came across this article on the Sporting News entitled "Sheppard worth the price for Eagles". The gist of the article is that having 3 corners is important, the Eagles could have the best trio, they should make Lito happy blah blah... But this particular line caught my eye...

Sheppard lost his starting job when the Eagles signed Samuel. But Sheppard is not a luxury. As much as the Eagles use nickel coverage, coordinator Jim Johnson estimates Sheppard will still take at least 60 percent of the defensive snaps.

"There are going to be times when all three are on the field," says Johnson. "I look forward to it every day. It's like having two Big Browns in the Kentucky Derby. I walk out there, I see Lito, I see Asante, I see Sheldon. Those are good players."

No where in that JJ quote did he say Lito Sheppard wasn't the starter. The Eagles have never said Lito "lost his starting job." The only guy that Reid has proclaimed a starter right now is Asante Samuel. Andy has said Asante will start on the left, which is previously where Lito played. However, Andy was quick to say that the reason Asante will start on the left is that it's the only place he's ever played, whereas Lito and Sheldon have moved all around. Basically, we don't know who will start opposite Samuel. At this point, if healthy... I'd have to say the favorite is Lito. Sheldon is obviously more durable, but Lito is the more talented playmaker and a better pure cover guy.

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.''