DeSean Jackson and his teammates had grown accustomed to doing things a certain way at the NovaCare Complex.
From 1999 to 2012, it was the Andy Reid way.
But change has now arrived in the form of Chip Kelly. In the coming weeks and months, players will be asked to step out of their comfort zones and embrace change in a variety of football-related areas.
“First day, we had the team meeting, you could kind of sense the urgency,” Jackson said. “This is what it’s going to be, and it’s on you guys to get the information and dissect it and make the change and make the difference. One thing I can say, he’s letting us be professionals. We have to take accountability to do our jobs.”
Nnamdi Asomugha isn’t making excuses for his two down years in Philadelphia, but insists that the dip in production had nothing to do with age.
The newly-minted Niner took part in a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday night, and was asked why his two seasons with the Eagles did not work out.
“I tried my hardest for it to work out. I believed all the way up until the end that it was going to work out. I wanted it to work out so badly,” said Asomugha.
A few new names to add to the Eagles’ list of official visits: Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel, Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner and San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar.
For DeSean Jackson, change can be good.
The sixth-year wide receiver isn’t sure exactly how Chip Kelly plans on using him offensively, but he’s looking forward to finding out.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity,” Jackson said Wednesday. “Whatever the role is, hopefully being able to play multiple positions, being moved around is something I’m looking forward to as well, so I have a lot on my shoulders. I’ve got to get that playbook down. I’ve got to learn it and am looking forward to it.”
During Nick Foles‘ session with reporters Wednesday, Jason Kelce and Todd Herremans — up to no good — ducked their heads in to check out the scene.
“Tell them how fast you are, Nick!”
“Yeah, tell them how fast you are!”
That got the normally straight-faced Foles to smile. He quickly reverted back to his stoic self, pushing through questions about how he, as a square peg, will fit Chip Kelly’s round world.
Oregon defensive end/linebacker Dion Jordan will visit with the Eagles Wednesday and Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport.
Chip Kelly was asked at the owners meetings if he would have to use one of the allotted 30 visits on Jordan, given his familiarity with him.
“No. But there are some situations with certain guys that you wanna find out medical information on … if we were to bring Dion in, it would be to find out how his shoulder is, not what he is like as a person,” Kelly responded. “A lot of our evaluations are medical deals where you get some information on them.”
West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith is in town for an official visit with the Eagles, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network.
The 6-foot-2, 218-pound signal-caller spent yesterday with the Kansas City Chiefs and has been at the center of draft conversation the past couple of days. A Pro Football Weekly report earlier this week slammed Smith for his work ethic, among other things. As Tim noted this morning, Smith stood up for himself, calling the labels “untrue.”
Others refuted the claims as well.
Nothing but positive vibes emanating from the NovaCare Complex at the moment, as you might expect. The Chip Kelly era is still drenched with that new car smell. Players are energized and eager to impress the new head man. His ideas are fresh and untapped. Optimism and anticipation rule, as they should.
Where it gets interesting is when theory becomes practice, when the players get knee-deep in the process of changing their training, their approach and their mindset. Kelly is introducing a whole new operation to the Eagles, and in some respects, the league. He will ask veteran players, who have made it this far doing things one way, to buy into his methods even though they haven’t been tested on the NFL level.
The opening of the offseason program marks the very beginning of this experiment. The entire NFL community is watching intently to see how it plays out.
The question posed to Brandon Graham was a simple one: Are you now an outside linebacker?
“I don’t know,” Graham said. “There’s been a lot of talk around a lot of things, but I don’t really know where they want to put me at. All I know is wherever they put me, I’m going to go full out.”
Of course, just last month, Graham told Birds 24/7 that he was preparing for the position change. And he basically backed up that notion today, saying he’d like to get down to 260 pounds (from 270, where he is now).
Had the 2012 season played out differently, Jason Peters says he could have returned to his usual spot at left tackle.
“I could have, but I didn’t want to risk it with a losing season,” Peters said. “The coaches kind of held me back a little bit.”
“Since January, end of December, I’ve been 100 [percent].”
With sweat dripping down his face after a Tuesday morning workout, Peters addressed the media for the first time since injuring, and then re-injuring, his Achilles’ during the 2012 offseason. Last year was difficult for the 31-year-old. He was coming off his best season as a pro, but was forced to sit back and watch as the struggling offensive line played a major role in the team’s 4-12 season.
Here’s this week’s roundup of mock drafts, along with projections for who analysts have the Eagles taking with the No. 4 pick.
