Chip Kelly doesn’t like assumptions. He said as much earlier this week.

“It’s never safe to assume, just in general,” Kelly pointed out, interrupting a reporter’s question.

That belief is at the foundation of his football philosophy. The new Eagles’ head coach wants to use practice time to prepare for as many scenarios as possible. That means simulating fake field goals and trying offensive players like Jason Avant at defensive positions like cornerback just in case there ends up being an emergency situation.

Which brings us to today’s topic: How will the pace of his offense affect the guys on the other side of the ball?

LeSean McCoy has been as candid as anyone when it comes to  Riley Cooper. Where several of his teammates rallied around the receiver publicly after his racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert went viral, McCoy allowed his raw emotions to show and admitted that he had lost some respect for his one-time friend.

According to several Eagles players, including Cooper himself, the scuffle between Cary Williams and Cooper was unrelated to anything that went down this summer, and was more about two competitors getting after it. However, according to a report from Jeff McLane, Williams said to Cooper more than once, “I’m not a n- you [mess] with” during the spat.

Either way, the conversation has bubbled back up to the surface. And once again, McCoy took it head on.

Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis was asked today about what he’s expecting Monday night in Washington.

“I am very anxious for the Redskins to show us who we are and where we are,” Davis said. “I don’t know what’s coming. The truth will be at the end of that game we’ll know defensively how far along we are.”

You’ll notice no hint of confidence or bravado in Davis’ response. He seems more than willing to be completely honest about where his defense is and the challenges that await in the next four months.

Riley Cooper and Cary Williams had a heated exchange during practice Thursday morning.

Williams was covering the receiver during one-on-one drills. After the play, they stood toe-to-toe jawing at one another. It turned physical and some slaps were thrown at each others’ helmets. Brandon Boykin jumped in to help separate the two.

We have seen the invested DeSean Jackson and we have seen the detached DeSean Jackson, and we understand just how different those two players can be.

When he is engaged and confident and feeling the groove, he can be a lethal weapon. A Pro-Bowl caliber difference-maker. When he falls into a funk, his game follows suit.

The good news for Eagles fans is that Jackson has been clear-eyed this spring and summer. He has had a much lighter air about him than in years past and has been generally scowl-free. He seems happy and– most importantly for this team — dialed in.

Michael Vick is 6-1 lifetime against the Redskins. He completed 62 percent of his throws in those seven games  (six percentage points above his career average) and posted 10 touchdowns to two interceptions, good for a 110.5 quarterback rating.

Is he just comfortable playing against Washington?

“You’re never comfortable playing any team in this league,” said Vick following Wednesday’s practice. “You could play a team that is 1-14 and you could lose that game easily. I guess I just had some good teams that I was surrounded by at the time and we did whatever it took to win. By no means is the Redskins an easy opponent to beat.”

Vick made it look easy back in November of 2010, when he went off en route to a 59-28 Eagles win. He was 20-of-28 for 333 yards with four touchdowns and scored two more times on the ground. It was arguably the best performance of his 10-year career.

Earlier this afternoon, Chip Kelly said that Nate Allen would start at safety opposite Patrick Chung.

But in the end, that might not end up mattering much.

Kelly conceded that Earl Wolff would see time too, and the rookie safety echoed that sentiment after today’s practice.

“I honestly feel like me and Nate probably will get almost an equal opportunity on the field Monday night,” Wolff said. “He [Chip Kelly] told me I’m gonna play every quarter. Like I said, I don’t know exactly how much I’m gonna play. I’m just gonna be ready to take advantage of every opportunity.”

Of the 61 spots on the Eagles’ roster (practice squad included), five are occupied by guys who played their college ball at Oregon.

Today, Chip Kelly was asked if his familiarity with the former Ducks can help him build his program with the Eagles.

“If we were gonna sing the Oregon fight song, it would,” Kelly joked.

Robert Griffin III talked with Philadelphia reporters Wednesday via conference call. The topics included his health, Michael Vick and even bounties.

Some highlights:

All eight practice squad spots are now accounted for, as the Eagles signed defensive end Brandon Bair on Wednesday morning.

The 6-6, 285-pound Bair played college ball at (you guessed it) the University of Oregon, posting 106 tackles (25.5 for a loss) and five sacks over four seasons in Eugene. He spent some time with the Chiefs and Raiders after going undrafted in 2011 but has not appeared in an NFL game.

Dennis Dixon has practice squad eligibility remaining but the Eagles decided to go in a different direction for now since they are carrying three quarterbacks on the roster.

Linebacker Emmanuel Acho, who originally made the 53-man before being released in favor of Najee Goode, cleared waivers. He could be an option down the road if he stays on the market.

Here is how the rest of the practice squad looks:

With kickoff just five days away, the Eagles have released their Week 1 game notes, which come complete with an unofficial depth chart.

Here are some thoughts on various positions.

Danny Watkins signed a new deal with the Dolphins and met with the Miami-area media today.

He was asked to respond to comments made by Howie Roseman about how Watkins’ toughness never translated from college to the NFL.

“I got to Philadelphia and it was just a rough go from the get-go,” Watkins said, per the Miami Herald. “I felt like it just got broken down to bones and never got built back. It was more a mental thing. I was very disappointing to myself that it never panned out the way it could. Because I know I can play physical and tough football but it just never … I think it was more a mental aspect than anything.”

Preseason predictions, along with wide-ranging opinion on Chip Kelly in our latest roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles.

From the Eagles’ use of multiple tight ends to expectations for DeSean Jackson, here are 10 numbers that matter.

Chip Kelly is big on versatility. That is no secret. It has been the big buzzword since he took office. He wants his starters to be malleable, and he insists that his reserves are capable of performing multiple duties.

 “When you only have 46 guys active on game day, you’ve got to have versatility in your non‑starters, because there’s just not enough numbers,” Kelly explained.  “If you’re two deep at every position, you know, that’s 44 excluding specialists.  And at some positions, you’re going to carry a third, a third running back, so where does that spot come from?  It’s got to come from somewhere.”