Philadelphia Magazine’s own Richard Rys recently sat down with Donovan McNabb for a wide-ranging Q&A that covers everything from the day he was drafted to the day he was traded — and the hard feeling that followed. Plenty of good nuggets in there. Here’s a sample:

Did your time with Washington and Minnesota give you a different perspective on the Eagles?

I never forgot what happened in Philadelphia. Those were great years. I would have loved to have had another couple years after that and just say “Thank you, I’m done.” But it didn’t happen that way. I sold my house when I got traded. Never even touched foot in Philadelphia until I played there as a Washington Redskin. I hadn’t even been back to the facility until Brian Dawkins retired. It was a sour day for me. I was pissed off to go, but [Brian’s] like my brother. I went for my brother. I felt the same as Brian—you turned your back on me. You basically pointed the finger at me. Things haven’t been right in Philadelphia since [I left].

There’s a reason the Eagles’ new defensive coordinator goes by Billy in league circles.

Davis was 26 when he got his first shot at an NFL job as the defensive quality control coach with the Steelers. But the name Bill had already been claimed by a new coach in Pittsburgh, who went by the last name of Cowher. And so the low man on the totem pole decided that Billy would be just fine by him.

James Casey lined up with his hand on the ground, waited for the imaginary snap, exploded out of his stance and started into his pass route.

This was last Thursday, a full week before the Eagles’ new tight end was required to be at the NovaCare Complex. But there he was, all by himself on the practice field on the hottest day of summer (98 degrees).

When the Eagles signed Casey back in March, Chip Kelly referred to him as a tempo-setter. And this is exactly what he was talking about. Casey doesn’t seem to care much for the offseason. Entering his fifth year in the league, he has developed a routine: show up to the facility three weeks before camp starts, get settled and be one of the players to set the tone when everybody else shows up.

On Tuesday, when Eagles’ rookies practiced for the first time, the only veterans in attendance (other than the quarterbacks) were Casey and Jason Kelce.

Inevitably, Chip Kelly will stumble a time or two as he continues his transition from college to the pro game. Some lessons can only be learned through experience.

Longtime NFL reporter Sal Paolantonio believes that the former Oregon coach is on the verge of making his first notable mistake.

Here are a few notes (and photos) from today’s Eagles practice with rookies and selected veterans.

There was a time when Michael Vick would have scoffed at the possibility of being the backup quarterback.

But those days are over.

The 33-year-old knows that he’s part of a QB competition that will play out on the fields at the NovaCare Complex and during the preseason in the weeks ahead.

Vick was asked today what his reaction would be if he lost out on the starting job and asked to be the backup.

“I would continue to support this team,” Vick said after a short pause. “I’m here for one reason, to help this team win football games. And like I just said a second ago, by any means necessary. Whatever it takes. If I have to watch film with all the quarterbacks, if I have to coach the quarterbacks one day, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Running back Matthew Tucker and punter Brad Wing spent the first day of training camp on a separate field, barred from participating in practice after failing their conditioning tests. It’s not easy to get in a coach’s doghouse before practices even start, but showing up out of shape is one way to do it.

“Your goal in life is to play in the NFL, and you have to get past a conditioning test to do it,” said Kelly following practice Tuesday. “Ball’s in their court.”

Running back Matthew Tucker and punter Brad Wing failed the Eagles’ conditioning test on Monday. They have been placed on the non-football injury list.

That is not a great start for two players that are far from locks to make this team.

A freshman at Pittsburgh-Titusville, Michael Bamiro sat in front of the TV on fall Saturdays nearly five years ago and had a thought.

“In college, sitting there watching Pitt play… everyone around me, they were all Pittsburgh fans,” Bamiro said. “Seeing myself, I’m just as big as these guys playing. I feel like I can do some of the things that they can do. That really pushed me to say I want to go back and play football. This is something that I can do. I know I can do this.”

And so the roundabout journey began. Bamiro had to sit out a year before joining the Stony Brook program, where he played three seasons. The plan was to play a fourth, but the NCAA ruled that his first year at Pittsburgh-Titusville counted against his eligibility. The problem? The final ruling came down a few weeks ago, nearly three months after the draft.

When was the last time you were tackled to the ground?

This is one of the few professions where that is a relevant line of questioning.

Wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah said technically the answer is last week, when he was home with his brothers (He is the youngest of four children.). But not since 2011 has he taken a hit with the pads on. September 3, 2011 to be exact — Boston College’s opener against Northwestern . The 6-7, 240-pound wideout went off for eight catches and 171 yards in that game, but the senior tore the ACL in his left knee along the way and was done for the year.

Still working back from the injury, he was not drafted or signed  by an NFL team last season. But he drew interest this offseason after running a 4.40-40 (He reportedly ran a 4.39 privately for the Eagles) and was scooped up by Howie Roseman and Chip Kelly back in March. The Greenlawn, New York native did not stand out this spring during OTAs and minicamp, though the long layoff probably had something to do with it.

Lane Johnson is not thinking about upside or considering how long it might take him to reach his potential.

As the No. 4 overall pick, his rookie contract is signed, and he expects to contribute right away.

“Oh yeah,” Johnson said, when asked if he thought he’d be ready to start from the get-go. “That’s what I got drafted for, to play some football. And I want to go out there and compete.

“I expect to play at a high level from Day One. Going into this season, I want to start and compete every day.”

Greg Cosell of NFL Films recently joined Doug Farrar’s Shutdown Corner podcast to review the drafts of all four NFC East teams.

Cosell talked about several of the Eagles’ rookies, including fourth-round pick Matt Barkley. During the pre-draft process, he questioned Barkley’s arm strength, but Cosell identified another issue with the Eagles’ rookie.

“A bigger concern I had with Barkley when I watched him on film… I did not think he had really quick feet,” Cosell said. “And that bothered me almost as much, if not more, than the fact that he doesn’t have a great arm. Everybody knows that. But I didn’t think he had really quick feet. And I think that that’s a hindrance because I think in this league, especially if you don’t have a big arm, you need to have explosive lower body movement, and I didn’t see that with Matt Barkley.”

The quarterback competition in Philadelphia is generally viewed as a two-man race between Michael Vick and Nick Foles. Clearly, those are the two that start the competition out in front. But lurking not far out of focus is Matt Barkley. He is gunning for the starting gig, and has not been told that it is off limits.

“I don’t think it matters how I see it, just that I’m in it,” said Barkley. “That’s all that matters. Coaches have said that [the open competition] is kind of there, and I’ve got to do everything to prove to the coaches that it’s mine.”

This year’s different than last. Nick Foles doesn’t have to take a back seat to Michael Vick or anyone else. He’s no longer a rookie trying to learn the ropes and adjust to the NFL game. He actually has a legitimate chance to win the starting job if he outperforms his peers in the next seven weeks.

“I have all the confidence in the world in my ability,” Foles said. “But I still respect the players around me and I know what they’re capable of doing. But at the end of the day, I’m not here to be a backup. I’m here to be the guy. I don’t think we play this game to sit on the bench. We play it to play, and I’m here to play.”

Howie Roseman addressed the media Monday afternoon as rookies and selected vets reported to the NovaCare Complex for the start of training camp.

When the Eagles last gathered — at minicamp back in June — Michael Vick made it known that he would like Chip Kelly to name his starting quarterback prior to camp opening. That obviously did not happen.

The Eagles general manager was asked if the idea of an open competition was discussed with Vick when the two sides were working on a restructured contract.

“Every conversation I’ve had and everyone in this building has had with Michael about competition, he’s all for it,” said Roseman. “He wants the best players to play and he’s not shying away from competition in any aspect. He knew that when we signed him — he knew there was going to be competition at every spot — and he said nothing other than he wants to compete.”