Weaver's versatility will be put to the test this season.


Leonard Weaver was brought to Philadelphia because of his versatility, but we could see that taken to new heights once the season starts.

With Cornelius Ingram tearing his ACL again, and most likely done for the season, Weaver could see some time at tight end, and in an H-Back kind of role. He can do everything that they ask of a tight end, so it just makes sense.

Andy Reid brought up the possibility of this during a press conference on Sunday, and if Reid brings it up it's usually because there's some substance to it. He's not a guy who will throw out hypotheticals that never come to fruition.

We may see Weaver line up at fullback and motion himself into the tight end position, or vice versa. He will be that guy that the defense will have to keep an extra eye on because he could be going anywhere.

A move like this could see the Eagles keep only two tight ends to make room for an extra running back, namely Kyle Eckel.

The Eagles could then line Weaver up at tight end, but still be able to play out of the I-formation with Eckel in front of Westbrook or McCoy. Eckel is a more-than-capable fullback and with him and Weaver on the field at the same time, the running lanes should be plentiful.

It remains to be seen what the Eagles true plans are, but at the moment they only have two tight ends with any experience playing the position. The other two guys, Eugene Bright and just-signed-yesterday rookie free agent tight end Rob Myers have no experience in the NFL, and it's likely that neither will be on the final 53-man roster.
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Hopefully Leonard Weaver blocks like this all year long.


As a former lineman, it’s painful to watch running backs and tight ends attempt to block. Backs and tight ends do the natural things like running and catching, so a skill like blocking is foreign to them for the most part.

First off, whenever we talk about backs blocking, everyone wants to know about LeSean McCoy and how he’s doing. He’s certainly improving with every practice, but he still has a long way to go.

The thing that really sticks out to me when I watch these guys block is that almost all of them want to stop their feet, and just attempt to push guys. Rather than getting into their man and moving their feet, they want to play patty-cake.

The key to blocking a man on the move like that is to engage him, and never stop moving your feet. If your feet stop, you become extremely vulnerable to a spin move, or having them simply run around you.

What a lot of the guys want to do is come up to the blitzing man, stop, and give him a forearm or shoulder shot, then move to wherever the guy bounces.

Attempting to block like this is going to get McNabb killed.

The discouraging part was that every single back and tight end was doing this, even a guy like Leonard Weaver, although it wasn’t nearly as bad. Weaver would come up, stop his feet, and throw the forearm and give the shoulder shot, but from there he was very good at recovering and sticking with the man.

The point is that there shouldn’t have to be a recovery time. If he would step up and engage the man, the guy blitzing loses all momentum, and will have a difficult time getting around.

Surprisingly enough, Lorenzo Booker probably had the best form of any of the backs. However, he just doesn’t have the power to stop most guys. A corner or safety he would probably be able to control, but a linebacker would plow him right over and keep moving.

Kyle Eckel and McCoy were probably the worst about stopping their feet. Eckel was made to look silly a couple times because he would stop his feet and watch the guy just run around him. Even diving at him, Eckel could barely get a hand on his man at times.

McCoy was a bit better than that, but was very susceptible to an inside move, and the defensive guys picked up on that right away, exploiting it on several occasions. He did, however, stop an inside attempt by Gaither, and was able to ride Demps around the quarterback.

Brent Celek was pretty decent at just riding the man around in a big loop, which at least shows that he’s keeping his feet moving, but also shows that he doesn’t know how to use his hands to punch at the guy, and must lack the upper-body strength to stop a blitzing man.

Eldra Buckley was not impressive, getting knocked over a few times, and Eugene Bright looked like he could hold his own.

My suggestion would be to send these guys to Juan Castillo for a day and let him show them the basics. Otherwise, McNabb could be running for his life.
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LeSean McCoy has the same style as his idol.


I’ve said it before, but let me say it again; You will remember the name LeSean McCoy.

The Harrisburg, PA native was electric in individual drills, as well as team drills. He showed that he has very soft hands and very good vision when running between the tackles, especially for a rookie.

On several occasions McCoy would start heading inside, and just that quickly would change direction and bounce to the outside, leaving even the starting defense left doing the Lord’s Prayer.

The kid idolized Barry Sanders growing up, which isn’t surprising because he moves just like him. At one point, he even pulled a signature Barry Sanders move. Making a cut his feet came out from underneath him, but he just put a hand down, gathered his feet, and kept moving.

Another guy looking like he belongs with this team today is Brandon Gibson. He’s a big guy who could make a really good possession receiver in this league. He turned some heads in this morning’s practice with his surprising soft hands and deceptive speed.

Some heads that were turning include the great Ray Didinger and Merril Reese, who were checking him out next to me from the sidelines.

He played in the west coast offense at Washington State, but was forced to switch to the spread during his senior year and played on a poor team (2-10). As Reese commented on Gibson, “He probably was pressing a bit in Mobile (Alabama, site of the Senior Bowl), and it caused a bad week and a bad game, making his stock drop.”

Gibson could be a diamond in the rough of this draft class.

Some other young guys who looked good were Danny Amendola, Eldra Buckley, Kyle Eckel, Cornelius Ingram, and Dimitri Patterson, a rookie free agent.

Patterson, a corner, played very physically with the receivers and was not afraid to bump and shove them a bit. In a one-on-one against Hank Baskett, he would have been called for pass interference, but it was great to see him getting physical with him anyway.

Later on a slant, run and caught by Brandon Gibson, Patterson finished the play by giving him a nice shoulder check and getting Gibson’s jersey a little dirty.
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The Eagles will apparently not be gaining "the edge."


Apparently the rumors, like most rumors surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles, are false.

The Eagles have no interest in bringing in a veteran running back at this time.

The move is a bit surprising, seeing as how the Eagles never put anything in stone. Usually if Banner was asked about bringing in a veteran running back he'd say something along the lines of 'Well, you just never know. We're always looking to improve the team and if that opportunity comes along, we'll investigate.'

I'd say that sounds more like the political answer that the Eagles will usually give.

Here's what Banner did say:

"We're a little inexperienced, but at this point, at running back, we think we have some real quality people there. We expect that we're going to go into camp and the guys we have are going to put us in a good position to be successful. Running back is one of those positions where younger players can step in and have success."

Now there is that key phrase of "at this point," but that really just means barring an unfortunate injury to one of our guys, then we'd look around.

The reports are coming out that Westbrook is ahead of schedule and should certainly be ready for the season, if not the back-end of the preseason, so that plays a huge role, I'm sure.

Another factor could possibly be the battle between Kyle Eckel and Lorenzo Booker for the third spot behind Westbrook and McCoy. The Eagles would love to see both of those guys get a substantial amount of carries, and with Westbrook out of training camp, that won't be difficult to achieve.

Booker has to be the favorite considering the Eagles just traded for him a couple years back, where Eckel was a mid-season waiver-wire pickup. However, Reid will keep the best player regardless of any other factors. He's shown that with the several undrafted free agents he's kept over the years.

So "at this point" the Eagles will not be signing a running back. Hopefully the reports on Westbrook hold up and this doesn't come back to bite them around Week 4.
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For a fan, there's nothing better than opening week. That first game ends months of frustration and hanging on to any kind of football fix he/she can get (i.e. the draft).

For a player, there's nothing better than being in a battle. A battle with a person you see every day, a person wearing the same colors as you. Going in every day knowing that if you're not at the top of your game on that practice field, you'll never see that playing field.

No player cares to know how that bench feels.

The stress is incredible, the mental toughness must be at its highest level, and your body must be at its peak.

It's that time from a couple weeks after the draft right up until the Saturday before that first game. It's that time that will make or break a season, a career.

Every season there are a few key battles during camps (mini-camp, training camp, etc.) that will shape the team for the coming year, and this year is no different for the 2009 Philadelphia Eagles.

In fact, there may be more for the Eagles this year than any prior year.

Old faces are gone, new faces are ready to step in, but how will it break down?

Free Safety - Sean Jones vs. Quintin Demps

Jones is the veteran, Demps is the young guy. However Demps has a year on Jones as far as seniority with the Eagles is concerned.

Jones has been highly underrated during his time in the league with Cleveland. If you've been an Eagles fan for more than five minutes, you've seen the stat that he's third in the league over the past three years in interceptions by a safety with 14 (behind Ed Reed and O.J. Atogwe).

Jones is a ballhawk. He's a guy who can change a game with that key interception or deflection. He played well on a bad Cleveland defense, so what might he be able to do surrounded by the third-best defense in the league?

Demps is coming into his second year after being drafted in the fourth round out of UTEP (Texas El-Paso). His key role with the team in his rookie year was in the return game, and he did a decent job. He had one return for a touchdown, but unfortunately it came in a game that will only be remembered for the benching of Donovan McNabb.

In some spot duty last season, Demps looked lost at times. He also made some dumb rookie mistakes.

For examples of both, just look at the NFC Championship game vs. the Arizona Cardinals. His late hit on Kurt Warner was wrong, stupid, costly, and if I were Reid he wouldn't have seen the field again.

Then there was the triple pass from Warner to Edge to Warner to Fitzgerald 60 yards down the field. Demps falls over himself and Fitz walks into the endzone. Can Demps be trusted this early in his career?

I don't believe so.

Starter: Sean Jones - Demps will be a starter at some point, but now is not that time. I think the Eagles keep him as a returner and maybe give him some time in the defensive backfield.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Rashad Baker, Victor Harris

Cornerback - Sheldon Brown vs. Ellis Hobbs vs. Joselio Hanson

Brown is the incumbent starter, but due to his recent contract squabbles may find himself out of favor with Reid & Co. That's not to say that he would be sat simply because he's complaining about his status on the team, but it could cause some mental lapses for him (like Lito Sheppard last year).

The key here will be if Brown can separate football from business and just shut up and play. If he can, he should be fine, but if not he'll be in trouble.

Hobbs is a guy who the Eagles just traded for over this draft weekend. Two fifth-round picks is a steal for a guy who has started for a team like the New England Patriots over the past few years.

The knock on Hobbs is his size. At 5'9" it will be difficult for him to cover some of the taller receivers. He, like Brown, also has issues with his contract and may or may not throw a fit as well. His contract was a main reason for his trade in the first place. Hopefully he doesn't bring it up until after the season.

Hanson is really a dark horse in all of this, but is a guy who cannot be overlooked either by the media or Brown and Hobbs. Since they both have contract issues and are looking to get paid, Hanson may be able to beat them out by simply focusing on only football and overplaying them in camp.

Hanson got his payday, so there's nothing to worry about on that front. He stepped up big time last year while taking advantage of Sheppard's situation. He got paid, and now looks to fight off new competition and keep his spot.

Starter: Sheldon Brown - I don't believe that Brown will allow his contract situation to distract him. I think he keeps his job for this year and probably gets unloaded next year. Look for Hobbs and Hanson to battle it out, but probably wind up splitting time in the nickel anyway.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Jack Ickegwuonu, Victor Harris

Linebacker - Omar Gaither vs. Akeem Jordan

Gaither has been a starter since halfway through his rookie season. He's taken over for a Philly icon in Jeremiah Trotter, and also was the reason Takeo Spikes was sent packing after only one season.

After being a fifth round selection out of Tennessee, Gaither has far outperformed his expectations. He's football-savvy, and a blue-collar, hard-working player. However after the debacle vs. Baltimore last season, Gaither was inexplicably deemed the scapegoat and benched in favor of Akeem Jordan.

Jordan was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2007 out of D-1AA James Madison in Virginia. Jordan is somewhat undersized at 6'1" and 226 lbs, but he makes up for it with his speed off the edge and his vision to get through to the ball-carrier.

After replacing Gaither in 2008, Jordan impressed by coming on quickly. A huge thing for a new starter is not having that one bad play that sticks out, and I can't recall any for Jordan. All that means is that he did his job. He wasn't spectacular, but he did his job and that's really all that can be expected of a young player.

Starter: Omar Gaither - While I liked the way Jordan played last year, I think that Gaither is just a much more polished linebacker who's not finished getting better. I do not believe he has hit his ceiling quite yet, and the trade talk surrounding him is ridiculous. Look for Gaither on the weakside in '09.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Charleston Hughes, Moise Fukou, Tank Daniels

Left Defensive End - Juqua Parker vs. Darren Howard vs. Victor Abiamiri

Parker, formerly known as Juqua Thomas, has been the starter for the past couple of years, and has done an admirable job in his role. He is a big guy who plays well against the run and can get some pressure on the quarterback.

His weakness is the latter portion of the season. His production drops off significantly after Week 8 or so, and can cause problems for the defense trying to push for a playoff spot in a tough division.

Howard was a big free agent acquisition a few years back after becoming a big name in New Orleans, however his time with the Eagles has been average at best. Howard had bulked up to around 290 in order to be able to play both end and tackle in Jim Johnson's defense.

In 2008, he dropped about 20 pounds and played around 270. The drop really showed and paid off as he led the team with 10 sacks and played like the elite player he was in New Orleans. The problem with Howard is that he will turn 33 during the season, and is a little old to be a starting end.

Abiamiri was a second round pick in 2007 and has a lot of high expectations from the Eagles' coaching staff. He was having a promising training camp last year before a wrist injury sidelined him for a few weeks. He didn't seem to ever fully recover from injury, playing in only 10 games and was only able to muster two sacks.

He's still a young guy, but a guy that the Eagles want to see develop into the player they thought was worthy of a second round pick just a couple of years ago.

Starter: Juqua Parker - I think Parker will get the nod again this year because he's really the best option. Abiamiri is untapped potential at this point, and Howard really is in the back-end of his career. Parker will start, but the rotation will probably be heavier than ever, with all three of these guys seeing time.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Bryan Smith, Chris Clemons

Center - Jamaal Jackson vs. Nick Cole

Jackson has been the starter at center ever since 2006 when he beat out Hank Fraley for the spot and even having the competition showing up on the cover of SI magazine (pictured above).

After two sub-par seasons from Jackson, who played like a Pro Bowl guy in 2006, the Eagles coaching staff and fans have put him on notice. At this rate, Jackson may find him on the SI cover again. However this time he may not like the outcome.

Cole impressed the staff (and the fans) last year by filling in for Max Jean-Gilles who was filling in for Shawn Andrews at right guard. Cole played extremely well and really surpassed expectations by playing well in the run and pass.

He really helped to calm the nerves of an anxious city after seeing a Pro Bowl right guard and his backup both go down with season-ending injuries. Cole is a good player and certainly deserves his shot.

Starter: Jamaal Jackson - This may be a surprise, but overall I believe Jackson is the best player here. Granted, he hasn't played well over the past couple of years, but that could have been because of the lack of competition. Yes he should have been able to perform regardless, but competition pushes players to play better. He knows he's on a short leash.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Mike McGlynn

Battles Not Determining A Starter:

Wide Receiver - Jeremy Maclin vs. Reggie Brown vs. Hank Baskett

This is assuming that Curtis and D-Jack have the one and two spots locked up, with Avant having time guaranteed somewhere.

Maclin, this year's first round pick, is a guy who may take a couple years to develop, or he'll be an instant sensation. The reason he may take a couple years is because of the offense he ran at Mizzou. I don't think the kid ran a single intermediate route, something a receiver must do a lot in the west coast offense.

He will be a good receiver, whether that is '09 or as late as '11, we'll just have to wait and see. His success will be contingent upon learning the playbook. From there, it's all on his talent, and there's no shortage of that.

Brown may be as good as gone in the minds of Philly fans, but I'm not so sure that Reid & Co. feel the same way. There's a reason they made him a second round pick, and he's shown flashes of that throughout his short time here in Philly.

In his first two years, he accumulated 89 receptions, 1,387 yards, 12 TD's, and one rushing touchown for 13 total. That's not bad for your first two years in the league.

2006 was by far his best season with 46 receptions for 816 yards and nine total touchdowns, including one rushing. He looked to have the speed, the burst, the hands, and the football intelligence to be a successful receiver in the league.

Even in 2007 he had a pretty good year, with a career-high 61 receptions for 780 yards and four touchdowns.

The point being that I do not believe Reggie should be cut or traded or whatever else because he comes out and has one bad year, the first really bad year of his career. He was banged up last year, and should be given another shot to compete.

When healthy, I believe Reggie has a very high ceiling. He may never become more than a two or three, but he certainly warrants a spot on this roster and another chance to prove himself.

Baskett is a guy who I feel is extremely underutilized. They have not used him in positions where he would be a fantastic asset, such as the redzone. The guy is 6'4" and a huge target. They thought enough of him to trade for him as an undrafted rookie free agent before he had even gone to mini-camp, so they must have had a plan for him.

He's a good combination of size and speed, as evidenced by the fact that he's only one of six players in NFL history to have two or more touchdown receptions of 90+ yards.

Battle Winner: Jeremy Maclin - DeSean Jackson's success last year has hopefully opened Reid's eyes to the fact that receivers can contribute right away. As I said, Maclin may be a bit raw in the route-running department for the first year, but that's something that can be coached up. He's got too much talent to sit on the bench.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Brandon Gibson (after talking to some people from WSU, it would appear that Gibson may be a steal in the sixth), Shaheer McBride

Running Back - Lorenzo Booker vs. Kyle Eckel

Booker was not given a large role in the backfield last year, and therefore was not able to do much, only getting on the field during garbage time of a huge win. Booker was brought in because of his similarities to Brian Westbrook with the thought being that he could spell Westbrook.

That never came to fruition, and now Booker's place on this team is being questioned, especially with the addition of second round pick LeSean "Shady" McCoy. However, having sunk a fourth round pick into him, Booker will get every chance to succeed before being let go.

Eckel was a mid-season signing, and like Booker, did not get many opportunities. However, unlike Booker, Eckel made the best of his opportunities. He was brought in as a fullback, but used more as a big running back for short-yardage situations.

While he did a good job on offense and special teams, Eckel may not have a place on the roster because of the signing of Leonard Weaver from Seattle. Reid does not like to usually have the same kind of player at the same position, but both of these players fit into that category.

Battle Winner: Kyle Eckel - This is a close call, but I believe Eckel edges Booker here because of his ability to also play special teams. Eckel is a blue-collar guy who Reid will fall in love with because he'll stick his nose into any pile, and player, and will run fearless on the field.

Eckel may be similar to Weaver, but it boils down to contribution, and he will contribute more between offense and special teams, whereas Booker would only play offense. Reid already has a Westbrook-clone in McCoy.

I believe Booker can be a good player, and will be a good pickup for another team after being released in a numbers game.

Dark Horse Candidate(s): Eldra Buckley, Walter Mendenhall

All of these battles warrant some attention, as they will shape the team not only for next year, but years to come. This is the most important time of the year for teams around the NFL to find out what they have on their roster.

The Eagles are no different. Stay tuned, it promises to be an exciting time.

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Contrary to earlier reports, the Eagles were apparently not out of the race for former Seahawks FB Leonard Weaver.

The Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal with the 26-year-old fullback.

Terms of the deal have not been immediately disclosed.

The signing should be made official soon, if not already.

I'm guessing that the deal is somewhere in the area of $2 million, or possibly $1.5 million with some incentive weaved in there (forgive the pun).

So what does this exactly mean for the Eagles?

It means they FINALLY have a real fullback in front of Westbrook and behind McNabb.

Since Reid came to Philly he hasn't put much stock into the fullback position, using it as mainly a special teams spot while playing about 25 percent of the offensive snaps throughout the year.

We've seen guys such as Cecil Martin, Jon Ritchie, Josh Perry (who oddly enough was traded to Seattle a couple of years ago), and most recently the experiment of Dan Klecko.

Now this is in no way meant to offend Klecko, the man gave a valiant effort, but he's not a fullback.

He's a defensive tackle, and a good one at that.

Through the three games in which he actually played his natural position, he led the team with 2.5 sacks.

2.5 sacks from Klecko in the first three games? Unreal. I may be off by one or two but as far as I know, the guy who Dan Snyder gave $100 million, Albert Haynesworth, had 7 or 8 for the entire year.

Just some perspective.

Now, this signing probably means Klecko goes back to a number between 50-79 and "DT" next to his name, but what does it mean for Kyle Eckel?

Eckel showed some talent last year at the fullback and running back positions; When given the chance, that is.

He's a fiery guy who plays with a lot of emotion and a guy who I would like to see on this team's roster in 2009.

Hopefully he can get a few short-yardage carries and contribute on special teams.

But back to Weaver, this could be one of the most underrated pick-ups for the Eagles, or any team this year.

Look back to 2008, how many wins would the Eagles have had if they would have had a real fullback?

I can think of at least two. The first Giants game and the Bears game come to mind immediately.

All we needed was to make that final 4th & 1 against the Giants, and odds are we win that game. Granted that's just a prediction, but with the rest of the game in the rear view, I'm guessing we pull that out.

Then the Bears game is the most obvious. I can still see it now.

Buck leaping, nothing, then pushing and pushing... but coming up literally inches short.

With Weaver leading the way, I believe those games turn to wins and even leaving in the Cincinatti debacle, that's 11-4-1 for the season.

Big difference.

Weaver should receive a warm welcome from Philly fans, I know I'd give him a hug.

Here's to no longer cringing on 3rd & 1.
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