Philadelphia Eagles

WR Damaris Johnson could be more involved in the return game and in Chip Kelly’s space-oriented offense in 2013 I picked a relatively good week to miss, but I am still behind on Eagles news. Here’s my take on what happened these past few days: Ron Jaworski concluded that Chip Kelly’s offense will not translate to the NFL after intensive tape study. Plenty of knowledgeable analysts would disagree with him and nobody knows exactly how similar the Eagles’ offense will look to Oregon’s. Top-notch defenses like Stanford and LSU gave Chip Kelly’s offenses immense trouble, though, and Kelly will have to win without a distinct talent advantage at the pro level. The Eagles offense is a complete wild card at this point, and we will only know whether or not it works once the season starts. WR Damaris Johnson stated that he is running as the first-team kick returner. Brandon Boykin was nothing special in 2012, and Johnson was an electric returner in college and took a punt to the house as a rookie. He could carve out a nice niche as a return specialist and gadget player on offense. TE coach Ted Williams envisions rookie Zach Ertz as an in-line blocker as opposed to a slot receiver/James Casey-type. Together, they are focusing on Ertz’ blocking skills. This is an indication that Ertz will eventually replace Celek, perhaps before the end of the 2013 season. Right now, though, Celek remains the far superior blocker. While defensive coordinator Billy Davis insists that Trent Cole and Brandon Graham are transitioning to the OLB position seamlessly, the Philadelphia Inquirer calls Cole “a fish out of water.” While Davis certainly isn’t a reliable source and would never throw his own players under the bus, it’s tough to tell how Cole and Graham will adjust to their new roles before the pads even go on. TE James Casey underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out until training camp. Add him to the increasingly long list of Eagles with potential injury concerns heading into the season. Don’t expect the surgery to become a major concern, but practice time is valuable in a new system. Casey will be the team’s starting “move” tight end and could catch upwards of 50 passes if he stays healthy. On Monday, Nick Foles took more first team reps than Michael Vick. Vick is the most talented quarterback on the roster and the best fit for the scheme, but Chip Kelly does appear to be giving Foles a fair shot at winning the job. The odds for the week 1 starting QB are still heavily stacked in Vick’s favor. CSN Philly pegs DE Damion Square as the likeliest rookie free agent to make the team. The Eagles need more talent along the defensive line, but Square must beat out the likes of Vinny Curry, Clifton Geathers, and Antonio Dixon for a roster spot. Square is undersized and a mediocre athlete, but is regarded as an excellent technician and productive interior pass rusher. ILB Jake Knott, C Kyle Quinn, and P Brad Wing are all better bets to make the team, although Square has a legitimate shot at the final 53 as well. Cedric Thornton is the team’s projected starter at DE across from Fletcher Cox. An undrafted free agent in 2011, Thornton took his game to a new level as a second-year player and has starter potential. He has a great frame for the 5-technique position (6’4″, 309) and is continuing to improve as a player. He still has a ways to go, but fans should be excited about Thornton’s development. C Jason Kelce still isn’t 100 percent. He wasn’t expected to return until training camp, so fans shouldn’t be too worried. However, he remains a question mark until he is able to suit up, and the Eagles don’t have very appealing options should he be unavailable into the regular season.

The typical quiet New York Giants have been experiencing a bit of drama this week as both their starting WRs have opted to skip the team's OTAs. The reason for both is the same... money. That Victor Cruz is not present is no surprise given that he's currently not under contract. Cruz, who has played on a bargain basement undrafted rookie contract is a restricted free agent this year and was given a one year tender offer by the Giants valued at under $3 million a year. For a guy that's been an All Pro and Pro Bowler in his young career playing for peanuts, that's obviously a joke but it's a standard tender amount. Reports are the that the team has a real offer on the table worth upwards of $7 million a year. The two sides have been talking, but despite reports that a deal was close nothing has happened. More: Big Blue View reacts to Nicks, Cruz absences One of the reasons some Giants fans have been talking themselves into being ok with the possibility that Cruz could be gone this year or next is the fact that team was also going to have to pay Hakeem Nicks next year. Suddenly, next year is right now. Nicks was also a no show at the team's OTAs and is also looking for a new deal. However, unlike Cruz, he is under contract for this season. Despite that fact that Cruz has been the healthier and more productive player over the last two years, Nicks is expected to get the bigger deal. For the Eagles, this will be very relevant next season when Jeremy Maclin is up for an extension. Maclin & Nicks were both first round picks in the same year and while at this point I think most would agree that Nicks is the overall more talented WR, the fact that he's been injury prone has really kept him from outproducing Maclin to this point. Maclin actually has more career receptions, while Nicks has just one more career TD. If Nicks is able to strong arm a contract out of the Giants this offseason, you can be sure Jeremy Maclin's agents will be looking for something similar. If the Giants pay both their WRs this year, that will certainly set the market for a guy like Maclin next year. As for the Giants, I would guess that they aren't going to pay both of these guys. They did recently spend a 2nd round pick on Rueben Randle, so they could very decide to rely on him and pay only one of Nicks or Cruz. The Giants, who are already near the cap thanks in large part to enormous money they pay Eli Manning, will also have to pay Jason Pierre-Paul at some point in the next 2 seasons. So there's certainly some long term planning to take into account here. This is sort of the curse for being so good at drafting over that span. Eventually, all those good players want megabucks and in this flat cap NFL that gets tough. Personally, if I were Victor Cruz, I'd take the deal the Giants have on the table now. He won't have Nnamdi Asomugha around to rack up such gaudy stats twice a season anymore...

Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports Yesterday, the Philadelphia Eagles made it known that TE James Casey, their brand-new 2013 free agent signing, underwent arthroscopic surgery earlier this week in an effort to clean out loose and damaged cartilage from his right knee. After spending his first four NFL seasons with the Houston Texans as a tight end/fullback, Casey signed on with the Eagles as a free agent almost immediately after the FA signing period began. Casey received a three-year deal that is worth up to $14.6 million. While it is never comforting to see an athlete undergo surgery, especially so soon after a new contract, I don’t think that Eagles’ fans should get too bent out of shape just yet. In Casey’s first four NFL seasons he has only missed a total of three games, and has proved to be incredibly durable. This durability is even more impressive for a player like Casey who plays multiple positions, considering he is constantly lining up in different stances and executing different maneuvers. Along with Casey, the Eagles have plenty of competition at the tight end spot this off-season as Brent Celek and Clay Harbor remain Birds to date, and former Stanford University TE Zach Ertz was also brought aboard with the Eagles’ second-round pick in April’s 2013 NFL Draft. The Eagles also signed TE Will Shaw this week after releasing free-agent rookie RB Miguel Maysonet. Casey will miss the remainder of the Eagles’ 2013 organized team activities (OTAs), but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp at the end of July. Using Casey’s injury-scarce track record as a template, I expect the massive, versatile and incredibly talented offensive weapon to be just fine throughout the Eagles’ 2013 campaign. You can follow Joe on Twitter @EaglesRant for all Philadelphia Eagles/NFL insight.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports Ever since QB Michael Vick burst onto the scene as the first-overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft, he has been largely regarded as the fastest, and most athletic, quarterback in professional football. Well, when the Washington Redskins decided to snatch up Robert Griffin III (RGIII) with the second-overall pick of last year’s 2012 NFL Draft, the previously stagnant conversation of the NFL’s single most athletic signal-caller began to heat up. This debate is even more intriguing because it deals with fierce NFC East rivals, with RGIII on the ‘Skins and Vick currently the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting QB. Vick’s speed has been the topic of conversation as of late after he allegedly burned teammate LeSean McCoy in a 40-yard dash earlier this month. McCoy has since claimed that Vick cheated, but witnesses of the race assert that it was a fair-fight, and that Vick won by a significant margin. Perhaps this victory is what prompted Vick to state earlier this week that he is still the all-around fastest quarterback in the entire league. “I really don’t feel like there’s a quarterback in the league who can beat me in a 40-yard dash,” said Vick. He went on to say that he is willing to accept a challenge from anybody, even RGIII or San Francisco 49ers burner-of-a QB Colin Kaepernick, if they wish to take on the ole vet. Vick gave both of these QBs a vote of confidence, referring to them as “fast” and “fast as well.” So who is the fastest quarterback in the NFL? Vick? RGIII? Or even Kaepernick? While some might believe that RGIII has quickly taken over as the league’s speediest QB, it is incredibly hard to compare raw game speed when two quarterbacks are never on the field at the same time. And it goes without saying that Vick still shows incredible explosiveness in his running, and Kaepernick also displays mind-blowing acceleration and escapability. So until these three sultans of speed meet up off-the-clock and test their wheels head-to-head, there is no credible answer to the question of the NFL’s fastest quarterback. You can follow Joe on Twitter @EaglesRant for all Philadelphia Eagles/NFL insight.

(Nick Laham/Getty Images)via www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com Every year for decades devoted sports fans around the country sit and ponder about whether or not their favorite sports teams' former or current star athlete is, or will be, an NFL Hall of Famer down the line. Many have questioned whether or not former Philadelphia Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb is a Hall of Famer . Simply put: McNabb, within his professional career, had his good moments, & his not-so good moments. Off-the-bat, McNabb's career was marred by controversy- through no fault of his own. When he arrived in Philadelphia, after being drafted second overall (behind Tim Couch) in the 1999 NFL draft, he was soon booed by Philadelphia radio-station WIP anchor Angelo Cataldi's formed group "The Dirty 30," due to being picked over Texas running-back Rick Williams. At times he looked like he could carry the Eagles to great heights. At other times, not so much. His resume: six-time Pro Bowler (2000-2004, 2009), NFC Champion (2004), NFC Player of the Year (2004) and he played in five NFC Championship games- including four straight from 2001-2004. During the 2005 NFL Postseason, the Eagles finally reached the top plateau of the football world; the Superbowl. McNabb's QB rating during that postseason? 99.7 - in three games vs. Minnesota, Atlanta and New England. In that same postseason, he threw seven touchdowns to just three interceptions, with a 62.6 completion percentage. via blog.debate.org Additionally, McNabb, at times, proved that he could be accurate and smart behind center, while proving to be a huge running threat as well. He is compared in this facet to Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick, especially to Cunningham considering that both QBs could run and pass the ball very well so. Vick and Cunningham are first and second all-time among QBs in rushing yards, respectively. McNabb is sixth on that list, with 3,459 yards, to go along with 29 rushing TDs. Ironically, all three played for Philadelphia. He currently stands at 22nd among QBs all-time in touchdown passes, with 234, which has him wedged in between Hall-of-Famers George Blanda and Steve Young. Despite his frequent health problems and injuries during his playing years, part of the reason why McNabb was so successful statistically speaking was because of his ability to stay on the field and thus stay within rhythm. Between 2000 and 2010, for Philadelphia, Washington and Minnesota, he started 161 games and only missed 23 games in that time span due to injury (he was rested in the 2004 season after clinching home field advantage for the Eagles, and benched in 2009 and 2010 in favor of younger quarterbacks on Washington/Minnesota team getting playing time). Looking at McNabb's career from a pure football perspective, and disregarding stats, he was a relatively poor pocket passer with bad pocket presence, when he wasn't able to run and succeed the pass rusher(s) that is. Most of the time, when hurried by a pass rusher or blitzed by the opposition's defensive line, instead of throwing the ball away he would usually panic and do something stupid or dangerous. This was especial during clutch/playoff situations/scenarios. Over the span of his 11-year career he had 17 4th-quarter comebacks and 25 game-winning drives, but he wasn't considered by football fans and sports analysts as a clutch performer by any means. Out of the five NFC Championship Game appearances McNabb made as a starter, (all of which were with the Eagles) he only made it to the Super Bowl once. In those four NFC title game losses he threw at least one interception in all of them, including three vs. Carolina in 2004. Taking a further look at his poor postseason performances within his career and comparing them to his regular season numbers, within the aforementioned four NFC title game losses he threw 6 INTs to just 4 touchdowns. This translates to an interception percentage of 4.1, which is nearly double to the INT % within his regula

As the Eagles assistants met the media for the first time this week, the overall theme appeared to be one of resisting labels. Yesterday we noted how defensive coordinator Billy Davis refused to label the D a 3-4 or 4-3 preferring instead to call it a "multiple" defense. On the offensive side of the ball, it was much the same thing. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said that whatever you want to call the offense, they're really not teaching fundamentals that are so much different than what they've done his whole career. "I like to say when we, as coaches, look at plays there's a lot of things that are familiar. Some people call it navy suits. Some people call it blue," Shurmur said. "When I look at it, there's a lot of things that we're going to do that we hope are exciting, but right now we're just teaching the offense and the basics and the fundamentals and try to get the guys up and running." When Shurmur was brought in, the general consensus was that he would work with Kelly to install an NFL style West Coast based passing offense to go with Kelly's already run based system. You'll remember that a lack of NFL passing concepts is what concerned Ron Jaworski about Chip Kelly's offense in the NFL. Shurmur says you're not going to get the Eagles offense by looking at Oregon. "We hope that you're seeing an offense that's extremely effective running the ball and throwing the ball. That's what we're hoping to do," Shurmur said. "I think, again, people are trying to paint this that what Chip did in college and say, 'It's this and they'll do that.' I don't think that's the case. They were very effective at running the football. It was a no-huddle-based offense. It was also a very effective passing offense. We'll see." Perhaps the biggest issue that Shurmur and Kelly will face on the offensive side of the ball this year will be who gets the start at QB? He says he's hoping that the choice will be obvious when the season begins. "What we'd like to hope is it's going to be very obvious who the starter is," Shurmur said. "Again, we've got a lot of training sessions left. We've got a full preseason, four preseason games. I think as we go through it and we add more and more to what we're doing; we're hopeful it'll be obvious to everyone who the starter is." On a team where the job is truly up for grabs this does seem to be the most sensible way to do it. Last year, the Seattle Seahawks traded for Matt Flynn, drafted Russell Wilson and basically just let the two battle it out all summer. Wilson came out on top and the team obviously benefitted as a result. The Eagles QB competition is a bit different given that there's the veteran Michael Vick in the mix. But Nick Foles & Matt Barkley make for a similarly intriguing pair of young guys like there were in Seattle.

Feeling the pressure, Graham 'ready to erupt' for Eagles | Comcast SportsNet PhiladelphiaYou know the story. Graham was off to a decent start as a rookie before suffering a knee injury that not only shelved him for the rest of 2010 but rendered his 2011 season useless. He barely played early last year before his late surge. “To end like I did last year and to know what I could have done if I had been playing last year, it lit a fire under me,” he said. “And I’m going to make sure I’m going to keep that fire lit.” Todd Lyght: Eagles' frenetic practices will make games easier | Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia“Coach Kelly does a great job of keeping tremendous pressure on the defense with multiple sets and spreading the ball around, and anybody at any given time can have the opportunity to make a big play. “That’s the entire key. You pretty much have to defend the entire field. You can’t really focus on one or two players because then the back side of the formation will get exploited. It’s not a situation where you can roll the field and leave the back side exposed, because Coach Kelly will find a way to exploit that. “It’s very difficult. The best way to do it is to have a lot of good players on defense.” Michael Vick of Philadelphia Eagles says he's still fastest quarterback - ESPN New York"These guys are young and they're fast and they're quick; the thing I do have is a very quick get-up," Vick said. "I really don't feel like there's a quarterback in the league who can beat me in a 40-yard dash. If somebody wants to set something up, I'll be more than glad to accept the challenge. But as of right now I'm going to say me. But Colin Kaepernick is fast and RG III is fast as well." Don't jump to conclusions about Philadelphia Eagles' offense, Pat Shurmur says | PennLive.comThink you know the Philadelphia Eagles' offense under first-year coach Chip Kelly? Guess again, says offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Tight end position becomes a numbers game - phillyburbs.com: EaglesPHILADELPHIA — Seven may be a lucky number in Atlantic City, but not if you are a tight end on the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles. DeSean and Derrick Gunn Part II: Jackson's documentary | Comcast SportsNet PhiladelphiaDerrick Gunn recently sat down with DeSean Jackson to discuss the wide receiver's thoughts on Chip Kelly's new offense, Jackson's career thus far, his relationship with his father, his tweets and his upbringing. Here's Part II of Gunner's three-part interview with Jackson: DeSean and D-Gunn Part III: Tweeting, philanthropy | Comcast SportsNet PhiladelphiaDerrick Gunn recently sat down with DeSean Jackson to discuss the wide receiver's thoughts on Chip Kelly's new offense, Jackson's career thus far, his relationship with his father, his tweets and his upbringing. Here's Part III of Gunner's three-part interview with Jackson:

Much like Chip Kelly's offense here in Philadelphia, there's been a lot of speculation about what his defense will look like without a whole lot of concrete answers. Yesterday was the first time the Eagles have made their assistant coaches available to the media since they were hired and immediately defensive coordinator Billy Davis was pressed on exactly what his defense will be? 3-4, 4-3? "Multiple is the best way of saying it, and I know you guys are tired of hearing about it," said Davis. "What we're doing here, guys, is we're taking that Wide 9, 4-3 and we're moving in the direction of the 3-4, but where we stop has yet to be determined by the players we have." "We're not eluding the question. I'm not trying to. But that really is the fact of maximizing the players we have and what they do best." His answer is consistent with most of the speculation. Chip Kelly's preferred defense is a 3-4, but the fact is that the Eagles aren't going to be assemble all the pieces to run a 3-4 in a single offseason. In the meantime they're not going to try and shove a square peg in a round hole with the personnel they have. That said, this year isn't about just waiting until they can clear out current vets and bring in more 3-4 guys. It's also about seeing if these guys who have only played in a 4-3 can make the transition. The two most notable of those are the starting defensive ends from last season Trent Cole & Brandon Graham. They're now being expected to go from hand in the dirt defensive ends to stand up outside linebackers. Davis he's seen them improve the more work they've gotten. "I've seen seven weeks of them standing up and going in a three-point [stance] and they can do either one," Davis said. "At first, it looked unnatural to them because it was, because they haven't done it. Now they have done it for a couple weeks." Fixing this defense is a big job. The unit was just as bad as the offense last year, but it didn't really have injuries to blame and it doesn't have the same base of talent. You can see how with some better injury luck and smarter scheming, the Eagles offense can be turned around quickly. That was certainly never something I thought watching the defense last year.

The St. Louis Rams added some, um, size to their offensive line this offseason in the form of 400-pound Terrell Brown out of Ole Miss.

(Howard Smith/USA Today Sports) After finishing 4-12 last season, the Philadelphia Eagles will be looking to bounce back in 2012, but if there’s any chance of that happening–they’re going to need Michael Vick to stay healthy and come up big for the offense. Vick’s been no stranger when it comes to dealing with injuries over the years and while many believe he’s far from the effective quarterback he used to be, it appears No. 7 still thinks he’s one of the best in the league. In fact, if you ask Vick, he still strongly believes that he’s the fastest quarterback in the NFL–which would be an interesting debate heading into the 2013 season. A couple of years ago, this would have seemed like a no brainer, but when taking his age into consideration along with the fact that he hasn’t been nearly as effective makes this a debatable topic. With other quarterbacks like Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton capable of pulling off incredible runs, one would think Vick wouldn’t stand a chance considering these players would seem to have an advantage over the veteran due to age. However, keep in mind that this is the same Vick that recently beat out running back LeSean McCoy in a 40-yard dash–so he could end up being right. Either way, the important factor for Vick should be focusing on staying healthy as that’s been the main problem over the last couple of seasons. If Philadelphia is going to have any chance of bouncing back, it could come down to the health of Vick–which means he’ll hopefully do so and have every opportunity in the world to prove that he still is the fastest quarterback in the league. “Like” Dan Parzych on Facebook Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych