Eagles Fry Fish 17-7

McNabb Hurt Again:

After throwing two early interceptions, Donovan McNabb got knocked out of the game by a take down from a blitzing Dolphins corner. McNabb sprained his right ankle, almost exactly one year away from when he tore his ACL in the same leg. X-rays were negative, but Donovan sat out the rest of the game. Right now his status for next week is uncertain.

Feeley Gets Revenge:

A.J. Feeley stepped in for the injured McNabb, and threw the third Eagles interception of the game. After that mistake Feeley settled down. He completed 13 of 19 passes, for 116 yards, and 1 touch down. Feeley did a good job of spreading the ball around, hitting eight different receivers.

A.J. was traded to Miami in 2004 for a second round pick(ended up being Reggie Brown), and was once considered the franchise QB. Feeley struggled in Miami, and was traded away to San Diego. After a brief stint there Feeley was released in 2006, and the Eagles quickly brought him back to Philadelphia. Now Feeley got his chance to stick it to his former team, and succeeded in defeating them. Dolphins fans must really hate him.

Another Huge Goal Line Stand:

For the second week in a row, the Eagles defense was put to the test. The Dolphins had a first-and-goal from the one yard line, and things looked bad for Philadelphia.

On first down they ran Jesse Chatman up the middle, but the Eagles defense burst through the line, and tackled him for a 1 yard loss. On second down John Beck dropped back, and made a pretty nice pass, but Takeo Spikes was able to break it up. The Dolphins chose to run again on third down, and the Eagles gang tackle Jesse Chatman.

After a timeout, Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron decided to go for it on 4th-and-goal down 10 points late in the fourth quarter. The play was an outside toss to Chatman, and DE Juqua Thomas was all over it. Chatman danced backwards, and was tackled for a 13 yard loss.

The Eagles took over on downs, and this great defensive series basically sealed the game.

Career Day For B-West:

Brian Westbrook is just amazing. He continues to show how valuable he is to the team every week. Andy Reid fed Westbrook the ball early, and often. So much so, that he rushed for 148 yards, a career best. Westbrook broke a few big runs, and is simply just the best player on the team. I don't know where this team would be without Westbrook.

Kearse Deactivated:

The news had come out earlier in the week, that Juqua Thomas would be starting over Kearse, but I really did not think they would not play Kearse at all. He may be a little banged up, but it seems he has completely fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. It will be interesting to see if Kearse plays next week against New England.

Starting in his place, Juqua Thomas has done a nice job. He really has become a great pick up for the Eagles. Thomas was on the streets looking for a job a few years ago, and now is a starter. Ironically it was Jevon Kearse who convinced the Eagles to try out Thomas, as Juqua was an old friend of his back in Tennessee.

Stupid Penalties By Smith:

On the Eagles first possession, Andy Reid called a flea-flicker play, that was perfectly executed for a touch down to Reggie Brown. Except the play was called back by a stupid holding penalty on L.J. Smith. Smith had help outside from Brent Celek, and there was no reason to grab onto Jason Taylor's jersey. The drive then ended in a McNabb interception.

Later in the game Smith made another bonehead play. A.J. Feeley fired a touch down pass to wide receiver Jason Avant, and after the play L.J. was called for a 15 yard personal foul penalty. Luckily the penalty was after the play, and enforced on the kickoff, but it still hurt the team. The Dolphins then got great field position, and were almost able to score on that drive.

If L.J. wants more money, he needs to stop killing this team with stupid mistakes. A big fumble last week, and this week he makes 2 stupid penalties. That is just unacceptable.

Special Teams Still Suck:

The special teams coverage teams showed that they still suck today. Early in the second quarter, speedy return man Tedd Ginn made one man miss, got some good blocks, and out ran the punter for an 87 yard punt return touch down. It was Ginn's first return TD of his short career.

The special teams has been terrible at covering kickoffs, and punts most of the season. I don't get how it has gotten so bad, because they used to be great at it(a few years ago). Now I see why Dawkins went out to cover the kickoff against Washington. Even he knows they suck.

A Stand To Save A Season

It was three plays to save a season. Yes, even if the Eagles had lost in Washington this weekend they would have had a chance to make the playoffs, but realistically, every member of the defense knew what was at stake.

With its back against its own end zone – and the wall – and the Redskins only seven yards away from all but putting the game out of reach, the Eagles defense had to make a stand.

Three plays to save a season.

Eventually, three plays turned to six. Six snaps from inside the 10-yard line. Six times the Redskins attacked the goal line, trying to put the game – and maybe the Eagles – away. Six times, the defense stood firm, setting up Philadelphia's dramatic 33-25 win on Sunday.

"When all of the odds are against you and you are still fighting, that's character. You develop that when nobody is looking," linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "When you look back at the film you'll see a whole lot of guys doing the little things right and that was the emphasis this week. Doing the little things."

When the Redskins got the ball back after a Donovan McNabb fumble with 8:03 remaining and two point lead, the Eagles defense hadn't been doing too many of the little things right.

Washington had physically imposed its will upon the Eagles for much of the afternoon, and when Clinton Portis gashed the defense twice to set up 1st and 10 from the Philadelphia 7-yard line, he moved past the 100-yard mark.

The Redskins were counting on him to get seven more, but the Eagles defense simply wouldn't allow it.

"I was proud of our goal line defense. I thought they did a heck of a job. You don't like being down there but if you are down there you really have to get it after them," head coach Andy Reid said.

First and goal from the seven. The Redskins tried a toss left to Portis that was strung out by defensive tackle Mike Patterson, gaining only one yard.

Second and goal from the 6-yard line. Portis bulls his way off of right tackle Todd Wade, but meets defensive end Trent Cole and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley after only a gain of 1 yard.

Third-and-goal from the 5-yard line. The Redskins tried their one and only pass of the entire series, and drew a defensive holding call which gave them a first down.

With a new set of downs and the ball on the 3-yard line, the Eagles defense had to do it all over again – with the pressure of a nasty running attack, a two-point deficit, a rapidly declining clock and a potential 3-6 record resting squarely on its shoulders.

"Everyone knew it. You could tell in guys' eyes," Bunkley said. "Even when they got the first down we knew that we could get back on the ball and make something happen and we did."

First and goal from the 3-yard line. Portis went off of left tackle Chris Samuels but is pulled down by Spikes and Darren Howard after only a gain of a yard. Timeout Eagles.

Second and goal from the 2-yard line. Howard and Jevon Kearse met Portis in the backfield for a loss of one. Timeout Eagles.

Third and goal from the 3-yard. A false start penalty on Chris Cooley was followed by a draw play that was snuffed out three yards short of the end zone by Spikes and cornerback Joselio Hanson. Third and final Eagles timeout.

Spikes said that he thought the timeouts, while called to leave as much time as possible for Donovan McNabb and the offense, actually helped the defense immensely.

"When you have a defense backed up against the goal you never want to give them a chance to breathe; get a chance to get together," he said. "We did, so we were able to kind of talk to each other and realize what was at hand."

What was at hand was a defining moment of the season so far. The Redskins settled for a 21-yard Shaun Suisham field goal. Two Brian Westbrook touchdowns later and the Eagles returned home to Philadelphia with a win, and hopefully much more.

"I hope that goal line stand will snowball for us," Spikes said. "I'm not just saying defensively but team-wise."

In the end, they could quite literally turn out to be, six plays to save a season.

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Saints Love Ex-Eagles

The Saints signed linebacker Matt McCoy on Sunday and threw him onto kick coverage teams against the Jaguars, where he made a good late tackle to draw welcoming applause.

McCoy, a starter for the Eagles since he was drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft out of San Diego State, lost his starting job and was cut by Philadelphia last Monday..

McCoy drew a $7500 fine for a late hit on Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. McCoy missed time last year with a neck stinger and in 2006 due to hip and shoulder injuries. Undersized at 5'11", 230, McCoy makes up for his lack of bulk with a non-stop, motor. Aggressive sometimes to a fault, McCoy was a fast riser in the 2005 draft but was made expendable with the ascension of Omar Gaither and the trade for Takeo Spikes.

The Saints placed LB Alfred Fincher (concussion) on injured reserve, and McCoy took the place of the Saints' 2005 third round pick on kick coverage teams.

Thoughts on the Pre Season

The pre-season is winding down, and I thought I would give some of my honest opinions about some players on the team. Outside of the two turnovers forced, the Eagles defense did almost nothing right against Pittsburgh. Jim Johnson's aggressive blitzes, seemed to get destroyed by screen plays. Overall I think the team has been average during the pre-season, and they need a lot of things to come together for this season to be a success.

Things that worry me:

Chris Gocong- He had a terrible game against the Steelers. He took bad angles, missed tackles, did not move well laterally, and just seemed very lost at linebacker. This is very disturbing to see, because he is expected to be a starter, and Jim Johnson has praised him all camp. Maybe he just had a bad game, and he can work some things out for the regular season, but right now he is making me very nervous. I also don't like the fact that his backup is a rookie. They could move Takeo Spikes to SAM, and possibly start Matt McCoy at WILL.

Sean Considine- Did anybody ever explain to Sean how to wrap up, and tackle? I keep seeing this guy jumping on opponents backs, and be taken for a ride. That was terrible, and so was that wimpy hit on tight end Heath Miller. It looked like he hurt himself, more than he did Miller. To his credit, he did have two nice blitzes, one that caused an interception, and the he tipped a pass on the other. I heard all this talk, of Sean bulking up, but it does not seem to make a difference on the field. Every time I even look at him out there, I remember Duece McAlister running him over in the playoffs.

Mike Patterson- Mike got pancaked on that Willie Parker touchdown run. A lot of guys were at fault for Parker to go untouched into the end zone, but it all starts up front, and you can't get pushed around that easily. They paid Patterson a lot of money last year, and I think they may have jumped the gun on this one. Not only has he been a liability against the run, but I have not seen much pressure on the QBs from him. Time to step it up.

Jeremy Bloom- After a good game at Baltimore, Bloom has not played well since. Reports are that he is slowed by a toe injury, and John Madden proclaimed that Bloom "did not belong on the field". Ouch. Rumor is that Andy Reid is fed up with Bloom, and he is on the way out. It was a very bad sign for him, to see Greg Lewis returning punts, and Correll Buckhalter returning kickoffs for the entire first half. Bloom had better do something great on Thursday, or he is out of here.

Deep Threat?- Where is it on this team? Kevin Curtis has looked fairly good so far, but he, and McNabb have not hooked up deep yet. I also have not seen Curtis get any big separation, on any of the deep routes he has run. Reggie Brown has had a very poor pre-season. It almost seems to me like he is disinterested. Jason Avant has done a good job, but he is a possession receiver. The only deep pass, has been that big play to Matt Schobel. I wonder if maybe losing Stallworth is a huge loss for this team. Even though he was injured some of the time, and caught only 37 balls, you always had to respect his speed on the outside. So far I have not seen anybody on the team show they can do that.

Shawn Andrews- How bad is this injury? Are the Eagles just taking the cautious approach? I definitely know that the offensive line has looked really bad without him. Scott Young has looked really bad, and Nick Cole did not seem much better. Right now if Andrews could not go, I would feel best with Max Jean-Gilles in his spot.

Things I am glad to see:

Donovan McNabb- Five is healthy. I don't care if he says he is 75%, or 85%, he looks fine to me. He is throwing fairly well, he is moving fairly well, and most importantly he seems to have no problem planting that right leg. It was also good to see him bounce right back up from getting hit. While the national media may focus in on Donovan's health being a major issue, I think there is nothing to worry about.

Brodrick Bunkley- Despite the defensive woes, Bunk has been impressive. He made yet another tackle for a loss, and got passed All Pro Guard Alan Faneca. I think now that he has his head on straight, we will start to see a big impact from Bunkley on this defensive line.

Takeo Spikes- Some People have ripped Takeo Spikes, but I think he has played really well. I've seen him shed blocks to make tackles, he forced a fumble at the goal line, and has been the best linebacker the Eagles have so far. It is also great to see that he looks 100% healthy, and is running full speed all over the field. I think Spikes is going to be a play maker for this team.

Young Guys Who Have Impressed:

Kevin Kolb- He has really come a long way in such a short time. The kid is accurate, seems very poised, makes smart decisions, goes through all of his reads well, and spreads the ball around. I have have come a full 180 with Kolb. At first I hated the pick, and did not understand. Now I see that whenever Donovan McNabb's time comes, they will have a good QB follow him. I would like to see Kolb connect with somebody deep, but really no receivers have been able to do that so far this pre-season.

Brent Celek- This guy seems for real. Every game he makes some nice grabs, and he has now been running with the first team offense. Celek has made the team, and should be rotating in every now and then with the starting unit this season. This pick falls into the Eagles history of taking risks on late round draft picks, on guys who have a lot of potential. Well this pick looks like it will be paying off big time. I wonder how this will affect L.J. Smith's contract negotiations. Will this be the leverage the Eagles need to get him signed, or is Celek good enough to make the front office just let Smith walk?

Punting Dual:

I am officially on the Sav Rocca bandwagon. The Aussie can just flat out boom the football. Dirk has played very well this pre-season, but Rocca has just been better. He barely even knows the rules, and he seems to be learning very fast. I heard that the winner of the punting job, will get all of the punting duties this Thursday. So if you see Sav out there, then you know he won. I feel bad for Dirk, because no matter how great he does, it seems like fans will hate him, if he wins this job. Andy Reid said it the other day, that no matter what Rocca will have a job in the NFL. If the Eagles cut him, somebody will definitely pick him up.

Birds Defense Rebuilt

Chris Gocong glanced at an old photo the other day and couldn't believe what he saw.

“I was at home and picked up last year's linebacker team photo,” Gocong said. “And it was unbelievable. I'm looking at guys and thinking, "Oh yeah, I remember him.' ''

Shawn Barber? Jason Short? Greg Richmond? Dhani Jones? Jeremiah Trotter?

Gone. All of them.

“And that was just last year,” Gocong said. “It just goes to show you how quickly things change in the NFL. Year to year and day to day.”

How quickly things change? With the Eagles' defense, change is constant.

None of last year's starting linebackers are starting anymore. Only one is still here.

No linebackers remain from the 2004 Super Bowl season.

Only one defensive lineman remains from 2004

And only four starters from the 2005 opening-day defense are still Eagles.

“That really is amazing,” defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. “That is something.”

The 2004 Eagles weren't bad. They won 13 of their first 14 games to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, they won the NFC Championship Game and they lost by three points to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.

From that starting defense, only defensive backs Brian Dawkins, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown and defensive end Jevon Kearse are still Eagles.

“It is pretty crazy,” said Quintin Mikell, now entering his fifth year with the Eagles as a backup safety. “I still consider myself a young guy and I look around and a lot the guys I came in with are gone.

“But that's how the league is now. Guys can make more money somewhere else and they're going to take it. The thing is, we have good schemes here, and you can find guys who fit the schemes. Not to be rude or negative, but we lost the Super Bowl, so obviously we needed to get better. If we won, maybe more of those guys would still be here.”

..Continue Reading at the Burlington Times>>

Kolb Inked

• All of the Eagles draft picks are in, now that Kevin Kolb has signed. Check out Kolb's interview. Great to have all the picks in before the start of Training camp.


• Sheldon Brown made the cover of Sports Illustrated.


• Sean Considine has been hitting the weight room hard.


• Micheal Gasperson hopes to make an impact in camp.


• There may be a roster spot open at WR.


• Brad Childress is content with his QBs. So much for that Kelly Holcumb trade.


• A new Holcumb destination rumor has surfaced. Pat Kirwan says Atlanta might be interested.


• Mike McMahon can't even cut it in the CFL. Why did the Eagles ever sign this bum?


• Will James is ready to start at CB. HUH?!?


• Reuben Frank has a lot of questions about the D. Ten of them to be exact.


• Takeo Spikes is ready to be a leader for the Birds.
  
  

Run Defense is Key to Success

I think more than any other area, the Eagles run defense will decide how successful they are this year.

Here's an interesting article by Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com about Jim Johnson and the Eagles run defense .

The Eagles will run the football well if they choose to do so. If they run it well they will destroy teams on the ground and in the air. McNabb has an outstanding group of young recievers, who I think will turn heads this year. I've got a lot of confidence in the Eagles offense. But the defense I'm not as sure about. They will destroy teams on 3rd down with their coverage and pass rush but they'll struggle if they can't stop the run, so I consider the run defense, the key to their season.

Jim doesn't plan on making any major changes when it comes to stopping the run. He's going to rely on bigger, better players doing a better job of executing their defensive assignments in order to stop opposing running games. Jim plans on rotating his defensive linemen and he'd better follow through with it. The run defense went into the tank when Johnson stopped rotating his smallish defensive line. If the Eagles defensive line unit gets tired, they'll get destroyed because they're undersized. Andy needs to look over Jim's shoulder and make sure he rotates that line each and every game.
..Read More at GCobb.com>>

Bills give up on Walker

According to ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli, the Bills are ready to "throw in the towel" on negotiations with Walker, who is scheduled to head back to Philadelphia on August 5.

Buffalo officials are about ready to throw in the towel on negotiations with Darwin Walker, the veteran defensive tackle acquired in the trade that sent linebacker Takeo Spikes to the Philadelphia Eagles in March. According to the trade agreement, the Bills can return Walker to the Eagles, provided he doesn't report to camp by Aug. 5, and take a sixth-round draft pick in lieu of the tackle. Walker has no intention of reporting until he receives a long-term extension, and the two sides aren't close on the numbers. Walker has two years left on his Philadelphia contract, at base salaries of $1.3 million for 2007 and $1.4 million for 2008. The Bills have offered to nullify the 2008 portion of the contract, but that hasn't swayed Walker, a penetrating-type tackle the Bills could really use.

Looks like Walker is coming back. I doubt he will be any happier here, but I think they should try to keep him, and release Ian Scott. That would be in a perfect world of course, and we all know that this world is far from that.

Chicago could use a defensive tackle, since they have cut ties with the problematic Tank Johnson. The Bears know the Eagles would most likely release Darwin, but then he would have to clear waivers before the Bears could claim him. That is a risk, that a trade could avoid, and maybe the Eagles get another 5th round pick for Walker.

The worst case scenario, is if the Bills send him back to Philadelphia, and the Eagles end up releasing him. They would then lose a 6th round pick to Buffalo as compensation, and have to absorb a cap hit.

This is an intriguing story that has many possible outcomes. I will be sure to follow up with any more updates as soon as I hear them.

Walker coming back?

Report: Bills Could Lose Walker Back To Eagles
Dave Buchanan - Friday, May 25, 2007 - 7:51 PM

Adam Schefter with Corey Griswold on Darwin Walker Exclusive WGR 550 Windows Media Audio

Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) - NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting that Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Darwin Walker can become property of the Philadelphia Eagles if he does not report to Bills training camp by August 5.If Walker does go back to Philadelphia the Bills would get the Eagles' sixth round pick in 2008. The Bills acquired Walker from Philadelphia back in March for Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb. Walker is holding out in hopes of getting a new contract. His current deal has two years left on it.

This is unbelievable. I'm not sure if the Eagles would want Walker back. Maybe they can move him again to another team, willing to pay his salary demands. Either way the Bills seem to be getting screwed in this deal. As long as the Birds got TKO, I don't care where Walker ends up.

Walker Wants More $$$

Walker wants new contract

By Allen Wilson

Updated: 05/11/07 7:47 AM

http://www.buffalonews.com/213/story/73300.html

The Buffalo Bills could be facing a holdout from recently acquired defensive tackle Darwin Walker.

Walker wants a new contract, and he won’t report to the club until he gets it, his New Jersey-based agent, Albert Irby, said Thursday.

Walker has two years left on his current contract he signed with Philadelphia, which granted his request for a trade after contract talks reached an impasse. In late March, the Bills sent linebacker Takeo Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb to the Eagles in exchange for Walker and a conditional 2008 draft pick.

Irby said the Bills knew his client wanted a new contract when they traded for him.
“They understood the conditions of the trade,” Irby said. “We spoke to the Bills prior to the trade, explained what we were looking for and it was their decision to make the trade or not make the trade. They decided to make the trade, so I can only assume they are going to give Darwin a new deal.

“They don’t have to do it. But if they don’t, they probably won’t see Darwin around there.”
There is no immediate urgency for Walker to be in Buffalo. The Bills are in the midst of their offseason conditioning program, which is voluntary. Besides this weekend’s rookie orientation, the team will have three minicamps (also known as organized team activities), but only the June 11-13 session is mandatory. The Bills open training camp in late July.

“Obviously, Darwin is the property of the Buffalo Bills due to the trade,” said Scott Berchtold, the team’s vice president/communications. “We have been in contact with the agent and we look forward to Darwin’s participation in the mandatory camp in June.”

Irby is hopeful an agreement will be reached soon, but added Walker is prepared to sit out the June minicamp if a new deal isn’t in place.

The Bills obtained Walker to add experienced depth at defensive tackle. The seven-year veteran started the last five seasons in Philadelphia and is a good fit in the Bills’ defensive scheme because of his quickness and ability to disrupt plays in the backfield.

Walker made 36 tackles in 15 starts last season, and he had more sacks (six) than all of the Bills’ defensive tackles combined. He added two more sacks in an NFC second-round playoff loss at New Orleans.

“He brings so much to the table for the Bills in terms of his production, experience and leadership,” Irby said. “For them to not do this deal does not make much sense to me. The trade was made because of need. They got what they wanted. I’m assuming they are going to do the deal, but they are dragging their feet a little bit.”
awilson@buffnews.com

No wonder the Birds traded this clown. Not only can he not stop the run if his life depended on it, but he thinks he should be paid more for the crappy job he does. Good riddance. I hope Buffalo takes a hard line approach with him, and fines him every day he does not show up. I'm sick of players holding out. You signed the contract, now be a man, and honor it!

Spikes Settles In On First Real Day As An Eagle

April 16, 2007He had finished his running, and then his lifting and lunch was barely settled when Takeo Spikes paused for an interview. Spikes was the new guy on Monday, his first day working out in the team's off-season conditioning program.
After the Eagles acquired him from Buffalo in a trade in March, Spikes spent some time attending to his personal business. Now it is time to be an Eagle, full fledged, and Spikes is already in the groove.
He spent Monday working out, learning some of the playbook and shopping for a new home.
"It feels good to be here," he says. "It feels right. I can tell already by meeting some of the guys and talking to people that this is a close-knit team. There is a family feel here. I like the vibe. It's new and that is probably part of it, but I can tell that the players know how to prepare in the off-season to win in the season.

"There is a really good feel here. I'm just starting, but I feel like things are
working out well."

Spikes dug into his playbook for the first time on Monday and said he expects, at this point, to be used at all three linebacker positions "depending on the deal, on the situation." The verbiage is different than what he has learned before, but the scheme is not all that much different than the bits and pieces Spikes has collected over the years.
"I like the aggressive nature of the scheme and I am sure they are going to move the pieces around from one play to the next," said Spikes.

"I don't think it is going to be hard for me to pick up. I've seen pretty much
all there is to see in the NFL. I'm going to learn all three linebacker
positions and we will see what happens."

That really is the intriguing part. While Spikes may indeed play all three spots, he is here to take somebody's starting position, first and foremost. The Eagles haven't committed -- publicly -- to where Spikes will play, so for now all we know is that they expect to get him on the field as much as possible.
Spikes will start; there is no doubt about that. Where he starts is the question unanswered.

"I don't know yet," he said. "I don't really care, either. Whatever they want me
to do, I'll do."

There are so many things that happen when a player is traded, and all the pieces must come into place for the player to enjoy success in his new home. The fans see the player on the field and don't add up all the other variables.
But when you see a player on his first day in -- the press conference day doesn't count, as it generally consists of a quick visit, a physical, handshakes, a press conference and then a limousine to the airport -- you realize how much is going on in his life.
For starters, there is the very notion of understanding the way the Eagles do things. They start their conditioning program promptly -- "I knew not to be late," said Spikes -- and the pace is extremely fast. Strength and conditioning coach Mike Wolf is highly regarded for the program he oversees, and the players are expected to keep pace with him, not the other way around.
There is the matter of learning teammates' names and finding out about them. Finding a new home is also tremendously important. Understanding how the Eagles run their programs, their meeting times, how the NovaCare Complex is configured ... it is all new for Spikes.
This is Spikes' third NFL team, so he knows a thing or two about fitting in.

"You just have to be yourself and get to know the players on a personal level,"
he said. "I'm not going to force myself on anyone. That isn't how it works.
We're all working together for the same thing, and that is what is important.

"Once I get into the groove of things, everything will be fine. This is exciting
for me. I know this is going to be a good team, so I have to be at my best. That
is what I plan to do."

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=67350