Bryce Brown heard something pop and he thought he had broken his left ankle.
A lineman stepped on the foot during practice Monday, keeping that leg stationary while the rest of his body carried forward. It twisted.
“I felt it. I heard it. Everything,” he said.
He was assisted off the field by a pair of trainers. Turns out it was just a scare. Brown was able to put pressure on it and after a brief once-over from the medical staff, he had the ankle taped up and was sent back on the field. He needs to be further evaluated, but plans on playing Thursday in New York.
Crisis averted, and onto the next relevant topic — his fumbling tendencies.
If Michael Vick stayed between the painted lines during the first two preseason games, he did a little more off-roading against the Jaguars on Saturday. There were more risky decisions.
DeSean Jackson says that just comes with the territory.
“Mike is always out there trying to do the best he can in any way possible,” said Jackson. “He just tried to extend some plays where he probably could have gotten out of bounds or threw the ball out, things like that. But that’s Mike Vick. That’s what you’ve got to deal with when you’re dealing with Mike Vick.”
Chip Kelly‘s first-team offense looked different against the Jaguars than it had in the previous two preseason games. Not as rooted in the run game. Fewer quick strikes and bubble screens. Longer-developing plays. The offensive line was decidedly less effective. So what happened?
A few things.
JACKSONVILLE — The smooth, quick-strike option offense that we saw in the first two preseason games was nowhere to be found in the first half Saturday against the Jaguars. In its place was an erratic style of sandlot ball that resembled the 2012 Eagles just a little too much.
At the controls was newly-crowned starter Michael Vick. The 33-year-old was not helped out by his line, which yielded seven QB hits and a pair of sacks in the first two quarters. But we also saw some old habits creep back in. Vick held onto the ball too long, had happy feet in the pocket and made some ill-advised throws.
Tim and Sheil will have updates and observations as the Eagles take on the Jaguars Saturday night at 7:30.
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Vinny Curry was asked what he has learned about himself since being drafted by the Eagles last April.
“Patience,” he said, drawing laughs.
The third and most important preseason game is almost upon us. Saturday’s game in Jacksonville will be the final tune-up for the starting units before the season opener against the Redskins. It also represents some players’ last chance to impress the coaches before the roster gets trimmed to 75 on Tuesday. (The number goes all the way down to 53 by Aug. 31.)
Here are five Eagles that we’ll be paying close attention to:
In Chip Kelly‘s world, time of possession is a bogus stat. He paid it no mind in college, and doesn’t intend on making it a focus now that he’s in the NFL.
“It’s about plays run. I have heard the question about time of possession…Time of possession is how much time can the other team waste,” said Kelly. “Most games we lose the time of possession, but it’s how many snaps do you face?”
Less than three weeks from the opener, and still so many questions about the secondary. Let’s try to answer some of them with the help of Billy Davis and several of the players:
Now that we know Michael Vick is the starting quarterback, let’s take a look at what it means for Vick and the team from a financial perspective.
Michael Vick has won the quarterback competition. Chip Kelly named Vick the starter at a press conference prior to Tuesday’s practice at the NovaCare.
“We’ve evaluated the situation, and Michael Vick is going to start for us against the Washington Redskins,” said Kelly. “I met with all the quarterbacks this morning. They understand the plan and know where we are going forward.”
Kelly clarified that Vick is “our starter for the season. It’s not a one-game trial basis.”
Yes, I defeated Sheil in the 53-man projection contest last year. Yes, it was as easy as it looked.
I’ve been called many things since then — champion, Nostradamus, King 53 — but honestly, I’d really prefer it if you just call me Tim.
Kapadia is back for more. He took a shot at the 2013 roster last week. My turn this week.Teams must trim their rosters down to 53 by 6 p.m. on Aug. 31. On Aug. 30, we’ll release our final versions, matching our projections up vs. the Eagles’.
Kapadia has already written his concession speech.
Without further ado, let’s get to the award-winning projections.
Prior to the draft, Tra Thomas was asked to pick between the top three tackles in the class: Did he prefer Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel or Lane Johnson?
“I definitely would take Lane Johnson,” Thomas, now a coaching intern with the Eagles, told 97.5 The Fanatic. “I’ve watched all of these guys. I’ve watched their personal workouts, I’ve watched some game film on them.
“When I look at Johnson, he can play left and he can play right. He’s an athletic guy. I’ve watched him play: he’s got long arms, great athletic ability and I think because he has experience playing at that right side, he’s a perfect fit.”
As it turned out, Fisher went No. 1 to the Chiefs, Joeckel went second to the Jaguars and Johnson landed with the Eagles at 4. Now that he works with him every day, what is his assessment of the rookie?
Jason Peters practiced in full Saturday after missed the previous two preseason games with a hamstring injury. He declared himself ready to go for the Jaguars game.
“Yeah I’m suiting up this week,” said Peters. “I’m going to go out there and get myself some good work against Jacksonville and get ready for Washington.”
Generally speaking, Michael Vick and Nick Foles have split first-team reps down the middle since the quarterback competition began this spring. Sunday was a different story.
Vick, fresh off another strong preseason performance on Thursday, worked with the first team for the majority of the team drills. Foles got a look in the latter stages of the session.
Signs continue to point to Vick being the starter on September 9 against the Redskins. Chip Kelly, though, is not ready to crown a winner. And he said that the plan for next week’s preseason tilt with the Jaguars (rotation, etc.) will not be hammered out until Monday.
