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Businessman Jimmy Haslam—a minority stakeholder in the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2008—has agreed to terms on a deal that will make him the new owner of […]

Want to know where Mike Kafka’s improved arm strength is coming from? Buckle up.

The search to discover the origin of the quarterback’s newfound zip led us to his trainer Jay Schroeder, who has been working with Kafka since his sophomore year at Northwestern. A simple question about Schroeder’s methods put us on a twisting path that led into an almost supernatural realm.

In a troubling scene on the Lehigh fields Monday, Eagles wide receiver Ron Johnson sustained a dislocated left ankle and possible fracture, according to head […]

With a full season under his belt, we still know very little about Dion Lewis. That’s because we were all busy learning so much about LeSean McCoy.

“That is probably my mistake,” said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. “I always went into game wanting to use [Lewis] a little bit more and then you get into a game and every play is important, and LeSean was so good last year, it was hard to take LeSean out. And it will still be hard to play LeSean out, but certainly would like to play the other fellas a little bit more. Dion has earned that role up to date.”

When the first training camp fight of the year began to spread like wildfire, Michael Vick decided to step in and try to restore order. He immediately regretted his decision.

“Not no more. That’s over and done with. Can’t play peacemaker no more,” said Vick, fresh off one of the more spirited practices in recent memory. “I try to keep everything pretty much diplomatic around here but you can’t always do that. Tempers are going to flare and there’s a little attitude sometimes when you’re in the trenches, so I’ve got to stay out of there. I’m not strong enough to be in there.”

It wasn’t long into Sunday’s afternoon practice before a heavyweight bout broke out.

A little hazy on just how Michael Vick and Jason Kelce plan to split the responsibilities at the line of scrimmage this season, Birds 24/7 caught up with Kelce after Sunday’s walkthrough to get coached up.

Thanks to a detailed explanation, we learned that Vick – while maintaining final say – has been relieved of a good chunk of responsibility. Much falls on the shoulders of the second-year center.

We’ve been so consumed with other questions about Brandon Graham  (Can he get past the knee injury? Was he a mistake? Can he make a comeback?) that we have forgotten to ask something very important.

Is he a fit for this system?

He was drafted before Jim Washburn got here, after all. Some men are Wide-9 guys, and some aren’t. What category does Graham fall into? Depends who you ask.

These long afternoon practices in the burning Lehigh sun are going to take some getting used to. Just ask DeSean Jackson.

During 7-on-7 drills, Jackson took off on a fly pattern down the left sideline, locked in a battle with Nnamdi Asomugha. Michael Vick overthrew Jackson, who returned to the pack out of gas. He lost his lunch, then spent the next few minutes on bended knee with a cold towel over his head.

Later in the practice, the scene repeated itself.

The Eagles had quality receivers in name only last season. Jackson wasn’t himself because of the contract situation and Jeremy Maclin didn’t hit his stride until the last handful of games following his health scare.

Consider: Maclin’s touchdowns were cut in half, scoring five in 2011 after finding the end zone 10 times the year prior. Jackson gained almost 100 yards less than the season before despite catching 11 more balls, and his four receiving TDs were the lowest for him since his rookie season.

As I noted earlier, wide receivers coach David Culley believes Cooper also would have flourished a good deal more if not for the lockout, and says he has benefitted significantly from this offseason.

In a season full of expectations dashed, the wideouts took a back seat to no one. The group should return to its non-distracted form.

DeSean Jackson used his first media session of the 2012 season to voice his displeasure over the Giants being crowned Super Bowl champs. “To see […]

Juan Castillo and Todd Bowles sat just a few feet from one another under the field-side tent Tuesday, one entertaining questions about the other during a media session with reporters.

It is easy to paint a picture where Bowles’ shadow creeps into Castillo’s personal space. He is the rising star, after all, the man coming off several head coaching interviews after taking over the Dolphins down the stretch of the 2011 season. The Temple alum was a defensive back  in the NFL for eight seasons, and has been coaching that side of the ball in the bigs since 2000. You get the sense that it is about his time.

We all know Castillo’s story and the tale of the lost season, where the defense had to put together  a late push just to finish 29^th in red zone success. There was a whole lot of learning on the job, and it cost them. Things improved down the stretch and the defense vaulted to eighth overall statistically. But if this team stumbles out of the gate, won’t this fan base be calling immediately for a changing of the guard?

The Eagles pursuit of a tight end upgrade just got a whole lot more interesting.

According to a league source, the Eagles are showing interest in former Giants and Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey. They are taking a look at Visanthe Shiancoe as well, and are scheduled to bring him in for a workout Tuesday.

Running backs coach Ted Williams had a connection to Bryce Brown — someone with an eye, apparently, for exceptional talent.

“I have a friend who lives in the town where he grew up and knew him as a child. I have a lot of faith in this person,” said Williams, his smile growing, “because he also lived in the same town where Albert Pujols grew up. He knew Pujols when he was a high school junior. When he said Bryce Brown can play and he’s the real deal, take that to the bank.”

We should probably start with the feedback.

Since the announcement that we would be partnering with Philly Mag to bring you Birds 24/7, we have been overwhelmed by the support we have received. A big reason why this blog exists is because the idea of Sheil and Tim made simple sense: Combine two distinctive styles that could serve as a genuine complement to one another, and use the synergy to create a full-service home for Eagles fans. It is comforting to know that so many of you are warm to the idea.

So, thank you. We’ll work to meet your expectations.

The goal is to create a one-stop site that will bring you breaking news and original analysis while throwing a lasso around the web and pulling in all the pertinent info about your team. The coverage will be original and all-encompassing. It will be intense. We’ll be sentenced to the sofa more than once, undoubtedly.

What a great season to jump into this venture. The Eagles are coming off a devastatingly disappointing season and the head coach, ring-less for 13 years and counting, is in full fight-out-of-the-corner mode. Joe Banner has been exiled, the organization is potentially on the verge of a significant restructuring but no worries, says the quarterback, the Eagles have what it takes to create a dynasty. You get the feeling, one way or another, something big is about to go down.

So much to get into. So much on the line. So much fun to be had.

So let’s start it. We are extremely excited about this project and glad you will be a part of it. Big things ahead.

For updates throughout training camp, follow Tim and Sheil on Twitter. And e-mail them here: tmcmanus@phillymag.com and skapadia@phillymag.com.

–Tim McManus and Sheil Kapadia

A couple things to clear up surrounding the Mike Patterson situation.

I have heard the latest news referred to as a “setback,” but that’s not entirely accurate. The healing in the brain is not the issue. Instead, it’s the bone graft on his cranium that still needs some time to heal. The estimated time for recovery is six months, but it can obviously take longer. According to his agent, J.R. Rickert, Patterson will still participate in conditioning exercises but won’t take part in any contact drills during training camp.

The news came down on Friday, as Dr. Robert Spetzler made it known that he wasn’t comfortable clearing Patterson. By the sounds of it, they are being very cautious. Rickert, who has been in communication with the doctors, said that the only risk of Patterson returning to action is if he lost his helmet on the playing field and sustained a direct hit on the area of the head where the bone graft took place.