Draft Review: DE Victor Abiamiri

Some people wonder, why the Eagles would select a defensive end in the second round., but not me. Jevon Kearse is now 30 years old, coming off a serious knee injury, and has been pretty much average on the field. Darren Howard is also 30, dealing with nagging injuries, and has not played well since the 04-05 season. Juqua Thomas is more of a situational pass rusher, and Jerome McDougle is just a flat out bust. The only young talented DE on the roster, is Trent Cole, and that is not very good for the future.

So looking ahead as the Eagles often do with the draft, the Eagles selected Victor Abiamiri with the 57th pick in this years NFL draft. I like this pick a lot, and I hope he will be a force to deal with for many years. Abiamiri already brings has more of one thing, than any other defensive end on the team, and that is size. At 6'4" 270 lbs, he is the biggest of the group. That will hopefully improve the Eagles run defense, as he seems stout against the run. He will also be able to provide a pass rush, as he had 11 sacks this past season at ND. He is the balanced player the Eagles have really lacked at end.

Undrafted Daniels Has a Shot to Start

by Andrew Zuckerman
ComcastSportsNet.com Contributor

When you hear an NFL player with a nickname like “Tank,” your first thought might be about how big or strong he is.

That’s not the case with the Eagles’ Torrance Daniels though.

Known to everyone as “Tank,” Daniels was no older than five when he received his nickname – from his older brother and his older brother’s friends, who noticed Daniels had an oversized head for someone so young.

“Man, you got a tank head!” one of them blurted out.

The nickname has stuck ever since.

“Many times people think it’s because of something to do with sports, and it’s mainly because my head was huge as a little kid and my brother’s friends were just calling me tank head,” Daniels said, laughing.

You wouldn’t expect someone with such an intimidating nickname to go through his playing career as an underdog. But Daniels has been doing it since college, and it is continuing now during minicamp.

He played football at Division II Harding University, a private school in Arkansas with an enrollment of about 6,000, known more for religion than athletics.

When Daniels, an undrafted rookie, stepped onto the field wearing an Eagles uniform last season, he became the first player from Harding to compete in the NFL.

Daniels started out on the practice squad and slowly worked his way up to special teams. In just six games, he made nine tackles on special teams, including three in the Eagles’ playoff win over the Giants.

“For me, it had a lot to do with my hunger and my excitement about just having
an opportunity,” Daniels said. “So many guys never even get the opportunity, so
when my number is called I just really take advantage of it. The old cliché,
‘Play like it’s your last time’ – I just really felt like you never know when
exactly could be your last time.”

Now, Daniels has an outside shot at seeing time as the Eagles’ strong-side linebacker.Chris Gocong is the starter, for now, and the Eagles drafted Stewart Bradley in the third round, but Daniels could sneak up on the depth chart, especially since neither of the two in front of him is a proven player.

In fact, Daniels is the only one of the three to play in a regular-season game. Gocong spent last season on injured reserve and Bradley is a rookie.

It’s not quite like trying to win a spot from Jeremiah Trotter or Takeo Spikes.

“Of course, anytime you don’t have a Pro Bowl player in front of you, you feel like you have a better opportunity,” Daniels said. “But either way, you have to work so hard. Everyone is so good on this level.”

The focus on the strong-side has been on Gocong and Bradley, leaving Daniels in yet another underdog role.

“Honestly, that doesn’t bother me, not having my name mentioned with who’s going to play SAM,” he said. “I just want to do what I can do. I can play football, and I want to be the best SAM linebacker I can be. If that means people don’t know about me until I break out, that’s fine by me. I don’t have to have my name mentioned. It doesn’t bother me being the dark horse.

“I kind of like being the underdog. I actually prefer that better than being the man, so to speak.”

He isn’t the man yet in Philadelphia, but when he returns home to Arkansas, he is. When Daniels visits Harding, he is treated like a king.

“I go back to my little school and I’m like a rock star,” Daniels said. “It’s still just football, but everyone expects me to have all these exciting and wonderful stories to tell them. It’s kind of fun. It’s exciting to be where I am.”*
E-mail Andrew Zuckerman

Tank seems like a great kid, and I hope the best for him. In theory he does have as good a chance as anyone on this team to win the starting job at SAM linebacker, because of the lack of experience, and there being an open competition. Realistically, I am not so sure he can actually win the job. He would have to really impress the coaches, and both Gocong, and Bradley would have to play very bad. I guess anything is possible in the NFL. My guess is, that he becomes very big for the special teams this season, and plays limited defensive snaps as a backup.

Smith Out After Hernia Surgery

By CHRIS McPHERSON

Tight end L.J. Smith will not participate in the team's Organized Training Activities (June 5-14) after undergoing successful surgery to repair a sports hernia Wednesday.

The surgery was performed on the 6-foot-3, 258-pound Smith by Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia. Smith's status will be evaluated over the next several weeks to determine whether he will be ready to practice at the start of training camp. Veterans are scheduled to report to training camp on July 30.

Tight end L.J. Smith had five touchdown receptions in 2006 With Smith's absence at the OTAs, the Eagles will have Matt Schobel, Lee Vickers and fifth-round draft pick Brent Celek. Mike Bartrum remains on the roster, but his status remains unclear after a season-ending neck injury was incurred in November.

A third-round pick in 2003, Smith has played in 63 games (43 starts) and has 172 career receptions for 1,991 yards and 14 touchdowns. Last season, Smith had 50 catches for 611 yards and a career-high tying five touchdowns. He also improved as a blocking tight end as he helped running back Brian Westbrook rush for a career-high 1,217 yards. This season is a pivotal one for Smith who is in the final year of his rookie contract. The two-time Pro Bowl alternate has expressed his desire to remain a Philadelphia Eagle after this season.

Smith is the not the first player to deal with a sports hernia injury. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was placed on Injured Reserve due to complications of a sports hernia in 2005. Punter Dirk Johnson had surgery prior to training camp in 2005. *

Another hernia? At least they caught it now, and not in September. I just hope this does not become a recurring problem. Let's all hope for the best. On the bright side, this will give Celek, and Vickers plenty of work. That should be a good camp battle to keep an eye on.

Celek on board too

Celek Agrees To Terms, Barksdale Signs 4-Year Deal

By CHRIS McPHERSON

At this rate, the Eagles could have their draft picks all signed and accounted for before the veterans report next week for organized training activities (OTAs) let alone training camp.

The Eagles are making quick work of signing their draft picks as tight end Brent Celek agreed to a four-year deal and cornerback Rashad Barksdale signed a four-year deal on Wednesday. Celek, a fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati, and Barksdale, a sixth-round pick out of Albany, are the fourth and fifth of the Eagles draft picks to agree to terms on or sign a contact. Linebacker Stewart Bradley and running back Tony Hunt, both third-round picks, and safety C.J. Gaddis, a fifth-round pick, were the other members of the Class of 2007 to sign their rookie contracts.

CB Rashad Barksdale The only remaining players left for the Eagles to do business with are both their second-round picks - quarterback Kevin Kolb and defensive end Victor Abiamiri - and seventh-round pick, running back Nate Ilaoa.

The 6-foot-4, 261-pound Celek led all Big East tight ends as a senior in receptions (35) and yards (481), while adding three touchdowns, including an 83 yarder which helped upset previously-undefeated seventh-ranked Rutgers. A two-year Big East All-Academic team selection, the 22-year-old Celek finished his career ranked third on the school's all-time list among tight ends in receptions (91) and touchdowns (14), while amassing 1,135 yards. A second-team All-Conference USA recipient as a sophomore, he set a Bearcat single-season record for touchdowns (8) by a tight end.

Barksdale Signs 4-Year Deal

By CHRIS McPHERSON

It took only one year of college football for cornerback Rashad Barksdale to earn what almost every football player dreams of - an NFL contract.

The Eagles are making quick work of signing their draft picks as Barksdale, a sixth-round pick out of Albany, became the fourth Eagle to sign his rookie contract on Wednesday joining linebacker Stewart Bradley and running back Tony Hunt, who were third-round selections, and safety C.J. Gaddis, a fifth-round pick.

CB Rashad Barksdale Without a first-round pick, the Eagles hope to have all of their picks signed well before training camp. The only picks not yet signed are second-round selections - quarterback Kevin Kolb and defensive end Victor Abiamiri, tight end Brent Celek - a fifth-round pick and running back Nate Ilaoa, the team's seventh-round pick.

After playing baseball for two years at I-AA Albany, the 5-11, 208-pound Barksdale decided that with one year of college eligibility left to give the football team a try. Wanting to walk on as a running back, Barksdale was moved to the defensive side of the football. He started out at safety before being moved to cornerback. Barksdale started in 10 games and registered 37 tackles, three interceptions and three knockdowns. His best game came against No. 11 Delaware where he had two interceptions to help the Great Danes to an upset.

With good size and speed (just a shade over 4.4 in the 40-yard dash), Barksdale will have time to learn behind veterans Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and William James. Despite his lack of college experience, Barksdale doesn't think of himself as a project.

"I think I can go in there and compete like everybody else," said Barksdale. "Football comes so natually to me in life. I have athletic ability to do what I have to do and compete."
And apparently the Eagles agree, as they rewarded his one year of football at the college level with a four-year deal.

Draft Review: LB Stewart Bradley

The Eagles finally outdid the Patriots in something. By selecting Stewart Bradley in the 3rd round, a player the Pats really coveted. After Bradley was gone, they then traded away their pick to Oakland.

Bradley is a big physical SAM LB, and he is exactly what this team has needed ever since Carlos Emmons left. Dhani Jones was a black hole on the defense, and Bradley made him expendable.

For a Rookie Linebacker, It’s Like Going to Work

The first day on the job is always a little scary, even if you are a professional football player.

Much like the rest of his fellow collegians preparing to enter the work force, Stewart Bradley had concerns: fitting in with his co-workers, getting to know his bosses and dealing with the anxiety of starting a new career.

Though he puts on a helmet and pads instead of a suit and tie, it is still a job.

“Someone asks you where you were today, you’re like, I had to go to work,” Bradley said last week, putting in a little overtime after his first N.F.L. minicamp. “It’s your job.”

It is not a bad career for someone who walked on at Nebraska because a rash of injuries in high school ruined his senior season. But Bradley, like any driven young professional, knows he cannot rest on his laurels.

“You can’t get too hyped up in this ritzy lifestyle that everyone talks about and reads about,” he said, “because when it comes down to it, you’re just a regular guy going to work.”

A third-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in last month’s draft, Bradley had his first N.F.L. day when the team assembled the night before minicamp. As in any other workplace, it was hard to figure out where to fit in on his first day.

“You really feel like, when you first come into a team and try to become one of them, it’s hard to really integrate,” he said. “They all know each other and have common experience and have played games with each other.

“When you go to war with someone like that, when you get on the field and battle other teams with a player, you become close.”

Bradley, the 87th overall draft pick, led Nebraska with 76 tackles as a senior after sitting out 2005 with a knee injury. A three-year starter a strong-side linebacker, Bradley had 175 tackles and 4 sacks in 43 games for the Cornhuskers.

A good attitude and an active imagination conjuring up worst-case scenarios can ease the transition.

“You can’t duplicate or prepare someone for the experience of coming to a new team until they actually do it,” Bradley said. “Until you actually come here and experience it, there’s some anxiety of the unknown.

“The good thing is that you always build it up worse than it is. It couldn’t be as bad as you could possibly imagine it. You could always imagine it worse.”

The uncertainty a new player feels is hard to grasp, Bradley said. “It’s not as black and white,” Bradley said. “It’s more ambiguous.

“You don’t even know what you’re really worrying about. You don’t even know enough to know what could go wrong.”

Bradley might push for playing time right away at the strongside linebacker spot. The Eagles released Dhani Jones before minicamp and placed converted defensive end Chris Gocong, who missed his rookie season last year with an injury, at the top of the depth chart.

If Bradley wants to get on the field early, he must master the playbook of the defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, known for its baffling number of blitzes. To ease the learning process, Sean McDermott, Bradley’s position coach, has been working with him, breaking down the Eagles’ scheme.

“As you put all those little pieces together, you start to build the whole thing as a little mosaic of little puzzle pieces,” Bradley said. “And as you complete them and really know them, you can build on them.”

But his transition from a collegian to a young professional is still a work in progress.
“I’ll know more about the transition after the first year is really complete,” he said. “The whole year you’re still a rookie.”

Being an N.F.L. rookie has one big advantage over most other jobs: the paycheck. A former walk-on, Bradley signed a four-year contract with the Eagles last Thursday.

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.

Barksdale gets noticed at small school

By GEOFF MOSHER
Gannett News Service
PHILADELPHIA

Right there in Newark. Near the end zone in Delaware Stadium. With 22,000-plus shell-shocked Blue Hen fans staring back and the ball planted firmly under his armpit.

Right then and there, the greatest memory of Rashad Barksdale's football career.

"I remember every single detail about that game," said Barksdale, the Eagles' sixth-round pick in last month's draft. "It was a like a movie."

Kind of like a "Rocky" flick, with Delaware playing the role of indomitable prizefighter and Barksdale's University at Albany squad the obscure wannabe getting its one shot at acclaim.

Barksdale picked off the first two passes of his collegiate career, including a last-gasp attempt by Blue Hens quarterback Joe Flacco at the 3-yard-line to secure one of the most unlikely upsets of the college football season and stun a partisan home crowd that couldn't possible have believed puny Albany could pull off a 17-10 shocker.

After the interception, Barksdale gazed into the jam-packed crowd and placed his pointer finger over his lips -- the universal sign for quiet.

He was too late.

"It was like somebody pressed the mute button on the fan crowd," Barksdale recalled.
He never had the chance.

Though he had just one year of eligibility, Barksdale was playing just his fourth college football game.

After two years of playing junior college baseball, two more at Albany and a couple failed attempts to go pro, Barksdale abandoned his first love and approached Great Danes football coach Bob Ford about a chance to play the sport he always believed was his best.

"I just wanted to play football, stay busy," he said.

Albany might not be Oklahoma or Penn State, but the fledgling I-AA club still had a couple of legitimate pro football prospects.

Ford had his doubts about the impact Barksdale could make.

It took a few practices before Barksdale changed Ford's mind. By the season opener, Barksdale had climbed his way from third-string cornerback to starting. He also took over the team's top punt returner job.

"I said to my people it was Christmas in July," Ford said.

By Albany's fourth game, Barksdale had showed signs that he could more than hold his own.
Recalled Blue Hens offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca: "When the game was over, I remember watching film on Sunday and saying, "This kid's a pretty good football player.' I hope it works out for him."

Barksdale is hoping to go the route of Rich Gannon, whose heroics at quarterback on Saturdays at Delaware Stadium for the Blue Hens served as the launching pad to a career in the National Football League.

Soon after the upset, pro scouts who had been evaluating Albany's other NFL-caliber players had inquired about the 5-foot-11, 208-pound overnight prospect. At Albany's Pro Day, Barksdale unveiled another gem unknown known to Ford -- blazing 4.38 40-yard-dash speed.

"I couldn't freefall in 4.38," Ford marveled. "Every scout could see his tremendous upside."

Gaddis Agrees To Terms On 4-Year Deal

May 25, 2007

By CHRIS McPHERSON

C.J. Gaddis has the challenge of learning the toughest position on the Eagles defense, according to coordinator Jim Johnson - safety. Complicating matters is the fact that while Gaddis played safety at Clemson, the fifth-round pick (the 159th overall) also had a lot of snaps at cornerback and some at strong side linebacker. With just over two months before the kickoff of training camp at Lehigh, Gaddis has at least one concern taken care of - his rookie contract.

The Eagles and Gaddis agreed to terms on a four-year deal Friday. In the last two days, the Eagles have completed deals with three drafts picks. On Thursday, the Eagles agreed to terms with a pair of first-day picks - linebacker Stewart Bradley and running back Tony Hunt, both third-round selections.

The 5-11, 203-pound Gaddis, who can play both safety positions, has shown "good explosion" in the post-draft minicamp and the rookie camp, according to Johnson. At Clemson, Gaddis recorded 117 tackles in 34 games. What doesn't show on the stat chart is his performance against former Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who was selected No. 2 overall by the Detroit Lions this year. Johnson amassed 76 catches for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, but against Gaddis he had the following numbers - zero, zilch, nada.

FS C.J. Gaddis "He is a physical player who showed he can be a versatile guy at Clemson," said Johnson on draft weekend during PhiladelphiaEagles.com's broadcast of Eagles Draft Live! "We're going to look at him at safety and see how he picks things up. He played at a high level in college and does a lot of things that we like."

Gaddis, however, understands full well the steep learning curve that is ahead of him.
"I'm still making a mistake here or there, but it's something that I'm definitely getting better at. Every day it is going to get a little bit better," said Gaddis after Thursday's practice. "It's more comfortable now, but they're putting in more and more stuff, so you have to stay with it or you get left behind."

Even though Gaddis came out of school after his junior year, he has been presented with a grand opportunity in Philadelphia. Currently on the roster, only three safeties have more than a year of experience - Brian Dawkins, Sean Considine and Quintin Mikell. Dawkins, a future Hall of Fame free safety, is entering his 12th season and Gaddis could potentially be his successor down the line. It would be fitting since Dawkins and Gaddis both played their college football at Clemson.

"B. Dawk is the man," said Gaddis after he was drafted. "I have met him a couple of times, and I'm just proud to have the chance to even follow in that man's shoes. We're not quite that familiar with each other, but he definitely knows of me and we've greeted each other a couple of times. First and foremost, I'm just a big fan of his, so it's just a pleasure to even go into the same secondary with this guy. It's a dream come true; it's a blessing."

But first, Gaddis has to learn the defense's toughest position and during the rookie camp, which runs through June 1, Johnson said that what the players are learning right now is mainly "base stuff until the veterans get here."

"Everything's going to be doubled and tripled (once the veterans arrive)," said Johnson after Friday's practice. "They're doing a good job. They're picking it up. Everyday there's more stuff just like the offense. We're just trying to give them the whole piece of the pie right now, break it down and give it to them again. We want to make sure to get pressure on them to study, hit their books and try to learn the whole thing as fast as they can."