Day 1 of training camp practice is in the books. It’s actually a stretch to call what was taking place Tuesday on the fields at Lehigh University a real practice. It was more like a minicamp workout with rookies and quarterbacks. That did mean the Eagles’ biggest name, Donovan McNabb, was back on the field after missing the final week of organized team activities earlier this summer due to a tender shoulder. Make sure you get that right, McNabb sternly noted it was “tightness … not tendonitis.”
Unless you wanted to see McNabb exit flanked by guys named Frantz Hardy and Franklin Dunbar, Day 1 was uneventful on the field. Sprinkle in a newcomer (linebacker Rocky Boiman) and some players returning from injury (safety Sean Considine, running back Ryan Moats and tight end Brent Celek) with the rookies and quarterbacks and that’s who participated in the first official practice of training camp.
There were so few players in these “practices” that there wasn’t a single, solitary defensive lineman. Not one. That was because rookie draft picks Trevor Law and Bryan Smith were placed on the physically unable to perform list due to injuries. Both are expected back in “in the next few days.”
Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson even joked that it was the best he’s seen the defensive linemen look. They didn’t make a single mistake. Johnson teased that defensive line coach Pete Jenkins was given the day because he was in the “Over-60 Club,” a spinoff of the “Over-30 Club” Andy Reid has instituted this training camp to give veterans extra rest.
As always, McNabb was the star of the show. He threw bullets in the morning without any sign of pain and then sent tremors with his press conference comments. (For more check out the previous training camp update.) This much is certain after McNabb and coach Andy Reid spoke at Lehigh: The Eagles are confident. Very confident. Possibly overconfident considering the team’s lack of success last season.
