by Jordan Raanan of www.eaglesville.com
7/23/2008 AM
Let’s play a little game here. Who was the only Eagles player left on the field Wednesday morning as Andy Reid addressed the media in a tent behind the practice field?
Hint No. 1: It wasn’t some player you never heard of working his butt off trying to make the team.
Hint No. 2: It wasn’t a rookie trying to impress the coaches and organization.
Hint No. 3: It’s someone with a propensity to occasionally throw-up when he’s fatigued.
Maybe hint No. 3 might have given it away but it was quarterback Donovan McNabb running suicides on the field by himself after Wednesday’s morning workout. (Let’s call it a workout right now instead of practice since there are barely enough players to field a full team.) And while there was no actual regurgitation this time, it sure looked like McNabb was close.
The 31-year-old veteran looks to be in good shape. He slightly leaner than in the past and a bit more chiseled, especially his upper body. But if you work hard enough, fatigue is inevitable.
McNabb was definitely working hard. After each round he was hunched over in the end zone, hands on his knees looking like there might be some flying projectiles from his mouth. It didn’t happen. Maybe it’s a sign of maturity. Or maybe it’s just a sign that he’s in the best shape of his life.
What else is going on here at Lehigh? Not much. It’s just sit back and wait for the veterans to arrive, if they will arrive. (Check back later for more on Brian Westbrook’s situation and the history of training camp holdouts in the Reid era.)
Reid did throw some praise on backup quarterback Kevin Kolb, saying he’s progressed plenty in the past year. “He’s well ahead of what he was last year,” Reid said.
Kolb agreed with the assessment. He sees himself as a completely different, and better, quarterback. But just to put it in perspective, Reid also said similar things about running back Ryan Moats. That’s the point they’re at right now at Lehigh. Everybody is doing great and looking good.
7/23 Afternoon
The afternoon practice was short and the heavy rains came immediately at its conclusion. So it’s probably best to move forward and think about the future. The future being Brian Westbrook’s contract situation and how it will unfold.
All indications are the All-Pro running will be at Lehigh Thursday evening with the rest of his teammates when veterans are due to report. But until Westbrook’s Mercedes parks in front of the Lehigh University dorms, there is the chance he may holdout and not show on time.
Opinions vary on whether not arriving on time would be a good negotiating tactic. Some say it would pressure the Eagles to keep their best player happy; others believe it will infuriate the team and damage Westbrook’s chances of getting the lucrative new deal he so desperately craves.
Just as a frame of reference, here are how some of the past holdouts — including rookies who failed to sign their initial contract in time for the start of training camp — under the Andy Reid era fared:
· Brian Westbrook 2005 — Westbrook missed a week during the T.O. saga and eventually received a five-year extension that he is now unhappy with and wants to rework.
· Corey Simon — Simon took a while to get his rookie deal done and seemingly wanted a new contract every year after he signed it. He never received another long-term deal from the Eagles. He was shipped out of Philadelphia soon enough.
· Deuce Staley 2003 — The bruising back was looking for a new contract and more money. He received neither. Soon enough, he wasn’t an Eagle.
· Brodrick Bunkley 2006 — Bunkley wasn’t asking for a new contract, he was looking to sign his first contract. Still, it took several weeks of training camp before getting resolved and Bunkley never seemed to catch up during his rookie season.
History in the Andy Reid-Joe Banner era shows that not many positives come from missing training camp. The one exception was Westbrook the first time around. Maybe he’s just a special case and a holdout can be just as productive a second time. We’ll find out Thursday if Westbrook thinks so.
