Do recent comments from a couple of the veterans suggest the team is not on board? When will a starting quarterback be named? We address those questions and more in the latest Twitter Mailbag.
We went over the defense yesterday.
Here is the projected depth chart for the Eagles’ offense, based on what we saw during spring practices. Explanations below.
Is Vick still on board with the quarterback competition? Will DeSean be a distraction? This and more in the latest Twitter Mailbag.
DeSean Jackson walked into Chip Kelly‘s office, wanting to know why he had been demoted.
It was early and it was all very new and veterans like Jackson were trying to figure out what their new head coach was all about. Curiosity turned to frustration when Jackson found himself in an unsettling position.
“There were times when I was going with the threes, times when I was going with the twos, things like that,” said Jackson in a one-on-one conversation with Birds 24/7. ” There was a point where I went into Chip Kelly’s office and talked to him face-to-face to see what was going on with that.”
DeSean Jackson has parted ways with agent Drew Rosenhaus, according to multiple sources.
Rosenhaus helped negotiate a five-year, $47 million deal for the wide receiver in March of 2012, $15 million of which is fully guaranteed.
According to two sources, the split is at least in part over money.
DeSean Jackson sat out practice Friday with an ankle injury.
The receiver was on the field with his teammates at the start of the session, but wore a visor instead of a helmet and was purely a spectator.
Kenny Phillips is about to become a new dad and was not at practice. A team spokesman seemed to think that the safety, who has been sidelined with knee issues, would have participated in practice otherwise. But who knows.
Meanwhile, Cary Williams was once again a no-show. The corner missed about a month of work as he took care of some personal business, which included getting married, having dental work done and tending to a house-build. The latest reason? His daughter’s recital.
LeSean McCoy was absent as well. The Eagles did not give an explanation. Todd Herremans was in attendance but did not participate. No details were provided.
Jason Peters continues to be absent for personal reasons.
These OTAs are voluntary. There is a mandatory minicamp coming up that runs June 4-6.
First, we would like to thank our service men and women for their bravery and sacrifice.
In that spirit: DeSean Jackson and other NFL players are taking part in a softball game with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team on June 1st in Bowie, Maryland to raise funds for amputee charities and awareness for amputees challenges. Further information can be found here if you are interested in attending or helping out in any way.
All proceeds of ticket sales will be donated to charities that directly impact the continued care and lives of wounded warriors with amputations.
Now onto some football-related links.
When Bob Bicknell found he out he’d be interviewing for a job on the New York Jets’ coaching staff, there was one person he knew could help him prepare: Chip Kelly.
This was back in 2006. Bicknell’s coaching experience up to that point had been with Boston University and NFL Europe. While at BU, he got to know Kelly, who was then coaching at New Hampshire, and the two kept up a relationship.
“As soon as I knew I was getting the interview, I said, ‘Alright, I’ve got to talk to Coach Kelly,’ ” Bicknell explained. “So I got in my car, I drove up and I sat with him for the whole day just to get ready for that interview. Now, it’d be a wonderful story if I got the job. But I did get the job a year later. It wasn’t that exact time.”
Now, Bicknell is tasked with getting his players up to speed on new concepts like option routes and a different way of play-calling.
Behind DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, there will be plenty of competition at wide receiver for the Eagles. Here’s a look at the names to keep an eye on.
From Chip Kelly’s success in the red zone to Mychal Kendricks’ tackling issues, here are three Eagles numbers that matter.
Even though he’s the wide receivers coach, Bob Bicknell didn’t need a football during a “teach” period at Monday’s practice.
The emphasis during this particular session was on blocking. It’s an aspect of playing the position that is often overlooked, and it’s not something that shows up in the box score or gets guys big pay checks.
But in Chip Kelly’s system, it’s crucial.
DeSean Jackson‘s relationship with Andy Reid and the Eagles got off on the wrong foot.
The receiver and his family were already in the midst of a stressful day. Their draft party back in April of 2008 turned tense as the projected first-rounder slipped and slipped…until finally he was taken 49th by the Eagles. The celebration that ensued was quickly dampened following Jackson’s call with his new head coach.
The second the previous play was blown dead, Chip Kelly’s assistant was already going through his routine.
Standing on the sideline in a grey hoodie, grey sweats and an Eagles visor, he quickly looked down at his cheat sheet on the grass before running through the motions.
An NFL-version of charades. One second, he was adjusting an imaginary telescope. The next, flapping his wings like a bird.
As soon as the whistle blows, Eagles wide receivers are asked to shift their attention to the next play.
That doesn’t mean jogging back behind the line of scrimmage and huddling up – not anymore, anyway. Instead, it means turning their attention to the sidelines, identifying the hand signals and hustling to the right spot in the formation.
However, that’s just the beginning of the process. It’s not only the quarterback’s job to make decisions based on the look of the defense. In Chip Kelly’s offense, wide receivers will have option routes – plays where they are asked to assess the coverage and adjust their path accordingly.
DeSean Jackson is looking forward to getting back to being a weapon on punt returns. And LeSean McCoy doesn’t know Matt Barkley’s name. Here are some notes from NovaCare today.
