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| Tuesday, July 15 Updated: August 20, 10:25 AM ET Eagles: Training camp report Pro Football Weekly |
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In Pro Football Weekly's third and final installment of training-camp reports, we look at the good (biggest positive), the bad (biggest disappointment) and the ugly (injury update) factors surrounding every team halfway through the 2003 preseason. We also set our sights on a rookie to watch on each team, for whatever the reason. Aug. 19 Biggest positive: Defensive end, which was thought to be a potential trouble spot with the loss of Pro Bowl DE Hugh Douglas, appears to be one of the deeper spots on the defense. Derrick Burgess has vaulted to the top of the depth chart ahead of Brandon Whiting at left end. On the other side, N.D. Kalu will probably start, but rookie Jerome McDougle is progressing well after a late start because of his holdout. Biggest disappointment: It has to be RB Duce Staley, who continues to shoot himself in the foot while holding out. His questionable strategy has cost him time with Correll Buckhalter and Brian Westbrook, who are running well. Although team leaders Donovan McNabb and Brian Dawkins say the team needs Staley to get to where they want to go, there had been no recent communication as of presstime, and the situation does not appear to be close to over. Injury update: Nothing major here. Westbrook's knee ailment turned out to be just a bruise, not the ligament injury the team feared. After missing two weeks of camp with a hamstring injury, Whiting is back running at full speed. The team is in good health. Rookie to watch: Undrafted free-agent C Alonzo Ephraim out of Alabama has looked very good in limited duty and could pass Scott Peters, a 2002 fourth-runder who has disappointed. Although Ephraim has let very few blockers by him, he is working mostly with the third-team offense. His chances of making the roster are getting better each day. Part 2 -- Aug. 12 Veteran to watch: While first-round pick Jerome McDougle missed the opening of camp, DE Derrick Burgess impressed the coaching staff by coming into summer workouts in shape and committed to earning a starting spot. He is the starter right now, and despite missing most of last season, Burgess is an every-down player who has shown off his speed and strong moves. Player on the verge: Although there is no way CB Lito Sheppard supplants either Troy Vincent or Bobby Taylor in the starting lineup, Sheppard is showing people why he was a first-round pick a year ago. He will be the first corner off the bench and will play in nickel situations. He could also make an impact as a returner. Strongest position: When Donovan McNabb is healthy, quarterback perhaps is one of the deepest units in the entire league. Last year proved that the Eagles are bigger than no individual player -- including McNabb -- when backups Koy Detmer and A.J. Feeley came in and did marvelous jobs in relief. For good measure, fourth-string QB Tim Hasselbeck is also a decent option. Weakest position: Linebacker is not as much a weakness as it is an unknown. Carlos Emmons is the only starter from the past two seasons still around. He is playing next to MLB Mark Simoneau, who is only 11 pounds heavier than McNabb, and Nate Wayne, who hasn't gotten quite into the flow of things yet. It could turn out to be a solid position, but the transition is off to a slower start, even though defensive coordinator Jim Johnson doesn't appear worried. Part 1 -- July 18 Most significant change: The wholesale losses in free agency -- defensive end Hugh Douglas, weak-side linebacker Shawn Barber, return specialist Brian Mitchell and more -- will set the defense and special teams back a few notches. But this team's mantra is that no player is bigger than the team, and it has replaced many players in the past. Reason for optimism: The system should continue to keep the team competitive. The Eagles have gone to the NFC championship game the past two seasons and could make a return visit in a wide-open NFC. With one of the league's best coaching staffs and quarterback Donovan McNabb back, the Eagles are still major threats. Cause for concern: The losses on defense leave a number of questions among the front seven. Except for McNabb, the offense lacks any real playmakers. And the return game will depend on second-year players Lito Sheppard and Brian Westbrook to replace Mitchell, one of the best return men in NFL history. Training-camp battle to watch: The defensive end spots promise to provide some different looks. N.D. Kalu, Brandon Whiting, Derrick Burgess and rookies Jerome McDougle and Jamaal Green will all see time at either end, but the competition of the starting jobs -- and how much time each will see -- should be played out in camp. Don't be surprised if: Rookies Billy McMullen and L.J. Smith take playing time, if not starting spots, away from wide receiver Freddie Mitchell and tight end Chad Lewis, respectively.
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Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Waiting for Duce
