Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin pulled himself out of a drill Thursday morning following a concern with his right ankle.

Maclin got Rick Burkholder to take a look at the ankle, after which the trainer removed some of the tape holding it in place.


"It's fine," Maclin said. "I'll be back out here tomorrow."

Maclin participated in practice the rest of the morning on what looked like a more limited basis.

There is no shortage at wide receiver on this Eagles team. In addition to starters Maclin and DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper and rookie Marvin McNutt all are capable.

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Before protein, pushbacks.

OK, maybe we're getting a little carried away referencing Andy Reid with beach body.


Then again, having spent part of last weekend at the seashore in Stone Harbor, Big Red probably could stack up with the other dudes in his weight class after shedding 60 pounds.

Reid indicated he dropped the weight with a regimen of protein and pushbacks. After eating a meal heavy in protein he'd push-back from the table.

Sky is the limit after sensible diet, exercise.

We suspect he also is doing a lot of cardio. When Reid speaks, there's no hint of the raspiness and gaspiness the heavier version sometimes displayed.

Now, about that timeout management ...
 
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Popularity waning.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick still has one of the better selling jerseys in the NFL.

But the younger quarterbacks and the Eagles' failure to make the playoffs last year have dropped him to 25th among players on the NFL list of jersey sales

from April 1 through May 28.

Three players have better selling jerseys than Vick in the NFC East, including Eli Manning, DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten.

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Interesting ESPN poll ranking the most popular NFL teams.


The Eagles are ninth overall among 32 teams in fan popularity but third in the NFC East.


I get the Jaguars being the least popular team. Half of their fans don't know who the head coach is.


But it's really tough to believe a team such as the Jets with Tim Tebow only makes it to 19 in the poll.

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 Would upgrade Eagles quarterback position.

NFL coaches love to talk up the teaching angle in offseason camps.


The real evaluations come when the hitting is live. Only then do you get an idea of how a player can help - or if he can help.


And so it is with the Eagles and their quarterbacks.


What we know after the first week of organized team activities is Michael Vick has a laser arm, veterans Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards do not, and rookie third-round pick Nick Foles has more arm-strength and accuracy than the preceding two - on the OTA level, of course.


With Vick's propensity for injury, the position should have been the single biggest offseason concern  for the Eagles. Give them a little credit for giving Peyton Manning a chance to say, thanks but no thanks. Now they're in a fix.

Kafka, we know about. He's just good enough to say he has a  future somewhere. Edwards, I'm wondering if he's OK physically after watching him throw.

Looking at the options right now, I'd rather have had Vince Young back than any of these backup candidates. At least he won a game last year.


At this point, Donovan McNabb wouldn't be a bad idea. Jeff Garcia barely could throw during his last hitch with the Birds. He'd sure make a great consultant, though.



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The inaugural Michael Vick Celebrity Golf Tournament is Monday, June 18 at Stone Harbor Golf Club.

Vick will host and play in the event with celebrity guests including past and current pro football players and local celebrities and sports figures from the Philadelphia region.

It benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport News (Vick's hometown) and Philadelphia.

"I grew up in the Boys & Girls Club," Vick said in a release. "Thanks to this important program, I was able to play organized sports as a child. I want to make sure the programs continue to give children positive alternatives."

The event begins at noon. Donations to compete in the tournament are $300 per person, or $1,200 per foursome.  A wide variety of individual and corporate sponsorships are available.  Contact Dave Lowman at the tournament office (804-512-3967, dave.lowman@yahoo.com.).

Additional information is available at http://www.dlhsports.com.

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Eagles first week of OTAs is in the books.

Andy Reid said veteran defensive linemen Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins were “excused” from the early part of camp but expects them at practice next week.

“Different situations but they were both excused,” Reid. “Let me add one more thing. They’re also voluntary camps.

“But yeah, they’ll be here next week.”

Babin was hunting in Alaska.

Jenkins was taking care of family issues.

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The Eagles named Tom Donahoe, who ran the Pittsburgh Steelers operation for nine years, senior football advisor of the Eagles Thursday.

The Steelers didn't win a Super Bowl during Donahoe's tour there from 1991-99. They weren't particularly good at drafting players in the first round, either.

Donahoe's forte was finding talent in the middle and late rounds of the draft, which is an area where the Eagles have done well.

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Big Red talks ... today.

Andy Reid addresses questions about the Eagles after their practice today at One NovaCare Way.

Reid is going to be asked what the holdup is in signing first-round pick Fletcher Cox, the defensive tackle out of Mississippi State.

If you have a question, submit it by all means.

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Eagles head coach Andy Reid, general manager Howie Roseman and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha honor high school football top achievers Thursday at the NovaCare Complex.

And there is good news coming out of Penn Wood High.

Among the honorees who maintained a 3.0 grade point average or higher throughout their football season are

Penn Wood's Myron French, Kassim Fane, Tyriq Kellam and Justin Jacobs, who played under head coach Troy Brooks.

After the ceremony all of the top achievers get an autographed football, a tour of the Eagles' locker room and an embroidered T-shirt.

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Fraley, McNabb in better times.

Former Eagles center Hank Fraley joined the team at practice Tuesday.

Fraley is offensive line coach at the University of San Diego under head coach Ron Caragher.

Fraley spent five of his 10 years in the NFL with the Eagles (2001-05). He started  123 of 142 games played in the NFL, including all 10 in the postseason, among them Super Bowl XXXIX with the Eagles.

Fraley and his wife have four sons.

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Sports hernia surgery.

The Eagles reported that LB Keenan Clayton underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn core muscle.

The injury is commonly known as a sports hernia.

Sports hernia expert Dr. William Meyers did the work down the street at Jefferson at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia.

For Clayton, the key issue is the injury occurred from work done around the NovaCare Complex, not somewhere else.

Offensive tackle Jason Peters could lose a hefty portion of his salary after tearing an Achilles' tendon not once but twice away from the complex. Under terms of the new collective bargaining agreement Peters suffered a non-football injury.

Clayton did not suffer the injury at OTAs Tuesday.


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Michael Vick confirmed Tuesday what the New York Post reported earlier this month.

Also invited media.

He's invited Eagles teammates to his June 30 wedding to Kijafa Frink at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

Good guy that he is, Vick even invited this and other members of the media to the event.


Eagles head coach Andy Reid and Tony Dungy, who mentored Vick, are on the guest list according to The Post.

The Eagles' full-team minicamp runs June 12-through-14 at the NovaCare Complex. For Vick and the quarterbacks, training camp begins July 22 at Lehigh University.


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Jason Babin hunting Tony Romo.

Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins were the only veterans who didn’t attend the Eagles' first voluntary practice Tuesday.

Babin is hunting in Alaska per an Eagles source. Jenkins has family issues according to a teammate.

Tight end Brent Celek (shoulder, hernia surgery) was back at work and anything but limited, as was center Jason Kelce (foot surgery).

Demetress Bell, the replacement for injured Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Jason Peters, was learning.

Rookie defensive linemen Fletcher Cox and Vinny Curry were trending.

Defensive end Brandon Graham, the Eagles’ first-round pick three drafts ago reported weighing in at 265 pounds. He played at 285 pounds coming off knee surgery last year.

“I know Coach Reid is going to bring the best guys in to help us win," Graham said. "I’ve been talking with Vinny Curry and Fletcher Cox. Those guys seem ready this year. And we need as much help as we can because last year we were dealing with a lot of injuries on the D-line. And those guys can fill in. So it’s always good to have good guys."

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DeSean Jackson.

LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson will be front and center today when organized team activities begin for the Eagles.

The coaches want the duo signed signed to mega-millions contract extensions to take the next step as leaders.

This should be interesting. McCoy is just 23 years old, Jackson 25.

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OTAs begin Tuesday for Vick, Eagles.

First-round pick Fletcher Cox doesn't have a contract but the Eagles expect him to suit up for full squad organized team activities starting today at the NovaCare Complex.

The OTAs are voluntary.

The Eagles agreed to terms on a four-year deal with third-round pick Nick Foles, the quarterback out of Arizona.

Speaking of quarterbacks, the Birds cut rookie free agent Jacory Harris, who flashed ability at the rookie camp. Five quarterbacks was a bit much to divide reps among starter Michael Vick, veterans Trent Edwards and Mike Kafka and Foles.

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The Eagles agreed to terms with 2012 third-round draft selection Nick Foles on a four-year deal.

Foles is the highest drafted Arizona quarterback since 1962. Foles finished his collegiate career as the Wildcats all-time leading passer in yards (10,011), touchdowns (67), attempts (1,369) and completions (933).

As a senior Foles broke Wildcat single-season records with 560 attempts,  387 completions, 4,334 yards and.28 touchdowns.

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Nnamdi Asomugha told Rich Eisen he thought the Eagles had the room, and the time to fit Asante Samuel in at corner.

"I thought it could have worked, and I still think it could've worked," Asomugha told Eisen. "Everybody keeps saying that, you know, 'No, it can't work, you three, blah blah blah. ' I still thought it could've worked, even coming into this season. Asante and I would talk about it through the offseason, like, we can fix this. ... Now we've got another year under our belt; now we've got time; and then he's gone. So now it's like you don't get that chance to put it back out there. But, you know, it's whatever, and he's happy with where he is."

Samuel was traded to Atlanta. What Asomugha had no clue of was that Samuel wrote himself a one-way ticket out of Philly when he personalized criticism of team president Joe Banner.

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Super agent Drew Rosenhaus has a history with the Eagles from his annoying use of 'Next question" during the infamous press conference on the Moorestown, N.J. lawn of Terrell Owens to more recently, back-to-back-to-back contracts for Eagles clients DeSean Jackson, Evan Mathis and LeSean McCoy.

Next question ...

In a bid to give credit where credit is due, Rosenhaus took the media inside the most recent negotiations between the Eagles and McCoy, who signed a 5-year, $45 million contract Thursday.

Andy Reid doesn't want you to see this video but here it is. After taking it in, tell me if you're wondering the same thing; i.e. what took Big Red so long?

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LeSean McCoy on his Twitter handle weighs in on his 5-year $45 million contract extension.

"@CutonDime25: Thank u lord for everything because nothing would b possible without u... To the whole eagles management THANK YOU !!!!"

Defensive back Yeremiah Bell will will sign with the Eagles, Jets, Chiefs or Titans within a day or so according to agent  Drew Rosenhaus, who broke the news on WQAM radio.

The 34-year-old Bell (6-0, 205) is a 2003 sixth-round pick of the Dolphins out of Eastern Kentucky. He has six interceptions in eight NFL seasons.

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Peters' setback is an opportunity for new Eagles.

Almost everything Jason Peters has  touched this offseason has turned to weird.

In the latest episode, the Eagles' Pro Bowl left offensive tackle allegedly re-tore his right Achilles' tendon when his Roll-A-Bout walker supposedly malfunctioned.

CSN.com said Peters intends to sue the  manufacturer. A Roll-A-Bout spokesman did not return a phone call.
Peters might want to sue to recoup money he likely will lose after suffering a non-football injury according to ESPN NFC East blogger Dan Graziano.

Terrell Suggs of the Ravens also apparently suffered a  potential season-ending non-football injury per ESPN. And by the way, there are rumblings these  injuries occurred when the guys were playing hoops. At any rate, any injury sustained somewhere other than the teams' facility is non-football port the new CBA.

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Is going to have a lot of time on his hands.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Saints head coach Sean Payton for the season after talking to him about his role in the Bounty-gate scandal.

Payton, assistant  coach Joe Vitt (seven-game suspension) and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis (eight-game suspension) all lost their appeals.

While Payton is disciplined, team officials decided it would be  best to keep his memory alive with some bizarre imagery. For example, the Saints purposely left vacant his chair in the draft room and team meeting rooms according to a report in the Sporting News. There will be seats left open on the team bus and team plane during the season.

Vitt, offensive coach Pete Carmichael, newly hired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and special teams coordinator Grege McMahon all faced the media at the news conference following the first minicamp.

All of which means this is a win for the Eagles at New Orleans in Week Nine. That's one game after Vitt returns from suspension (the Saints bye week effectively gives him a seven-game suspension) to be the head coach against the Eagles.

A defensive assistant with the Eagles under Ray Rhodes from 1995-98, Vitt is 6-8 as an acting head coach, including a loss to the Eagles while in that capacity with the St. Louis Rams.

Vitt grew up in Blackwood, N.J. 

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Owen Schmitt has moved on from the Eagles, who gave their fullback job to  Stanley Havili.

Schmitt, who resides in Aldan, signed with the Raiders. Schmitt played the last two seasons with the Eagles after spending two years with the Seahawks.

Schmitt has played in 51 career games with 12 starts. He started five games in each season with the Eagles, hauling in a  career-high 19 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown in 2010.

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Eagles offensive tackle Jason Peters tore his right Achilles' again according to a report by CSN.Philly.

Peters fell in his kitchen when the Roll-A-Bout mobile walker device supporting his leg collapsed per the report. Peters is listed at 6-4, 328-pounds.

The event won't make it any easier for Peters to return this season and casts doubt on his future.

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Bylaw would provide a second chance.

On Monday Reid said Jason Peters was "out indefinitely for right now until we make a decision on that."

Under a proposed bylaw change, there would at least be a chance Peters and his torn Achilles' tendon could return from a new version of the injured reserve list eight weeks or more into the 2012 season.

In a couple of weeks NFL owners vote on a proposal to designate one player from each team to return from injured reserve after the eighth week of the season.

Injured reserved is different than the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, where a player has a window to return or go back on IR. Currently going on IR ends a player’s season.

In the new scenario owners are pushing for, one player per team can use the exemption. Peters would be an obvious candidate.

Elsewhere on the injury front, Reid revealed Monday that defensive tackle Mike Patterson (brain surgery) and linebacker Jamar Chaney (neck) won't participate in organized team activities (OTAs) or minicamps but likely will be ready for training camp.

Linebacker Moise Fokou (ankle surgery) and center Jason Kelce (sprained foot) should are cleared for all offseason activities.

Tight end Brent Celek (hernia, shoulder surgery) will be limited in workouts until training camp.

Safety Colt Anderson (ACL surgery) likely will miss training camp.

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One rookie camp down, three OTAs, one minicamp and one training camp to go until the regular season begins Sept. 9 at Cleveland.

Will he be signed by training camp?

Here's the rest of the offseason schedule for the Eagles mandated by the collective bargaining agreement:

Organized Team Activities

Tuesday, May 22 through Thursday 24

Organized Team Activities

Wednesday, May 30 through Friday, June 1

Organized Team Activities

Monday, June 4 through Thursday, June 7

Full-team minicamp

Tuesday, June 12 through Thursday, June 14

Training Camp

Sunday, July 22: Rookies, quarterbacks, select veterans

Wednesday, July 25: Remaining players

Wednesday, August 15: Camp ends

Preseason

Thursday, August 9: Pittsburgh

Monday, August 20: at New England

Friday, August 24: at Cleveland

Thursday, August 30: NY Jets

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Gearing up for OTAs.

It's Stanley Havili's fullback job to lose.

Eagles head coach Andy Reid confirmed it at the end of the three-day rookie camp.

Havili spent the 2011 season on the practice squad after the Eagles drafted him in the seventh round.

The starting strong side linebacker job is all but officially Mychal Kendricks' to lose. 

Reid wouldn't deny the rookie second-round pick would be lining up there when the Eagles get together for organized team activities (OTAs) next week.

"We're going to have a staff meeting and go over all of that stuff," Reid said. "But I would tell you he looked good out here. He made a lot of plays and got his hands on balls. We've just got to see where he gets the most reps. And normally that's what the 'ones' get. I've got to go through that with the coaches and figure it out."

Reid pictures Kendricks as a blitzer coming off the strong side with "speed, agility, ability to adjust and to make the tackle fast and furious going forward.

"You want to exploit that the best he can," Reid said. "We'll see how he does once he gets the pads on."

On the injury front, 29-year-old first-year defensive end Maurice Fountain tore a patellar tendon that will require surgery. Fountain was having a good camp, per Reid.

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Curry's late mother, Cissy.

When Eagles rookie defensive end Vinny Curry plants his right hand in the ground, he sees his mother.

Tattooed on the forearm of Curry, the second-round pick out of Marshall, is the image of Linda ‘Cissy’ Jackson, his biological mother, who passed away last October from liver cancer.

“It’s a special day,” Curry said. “This is the first one without her. Everything will get better. Everything will get better.”

The complete story is here.

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DJax ... did what he had to do.

Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was stopped by a Pennsylvania State Trooper Saturday morning at 9 and given a field sobriety test according to TMZ.

Jackson was sent on his way without a ticket, after which he hosted an event for the DeSean Jackson for Pancreatic Cancer initiative.

The Eagles are aware of the stop, have spoken to DJax and consider it a personal matter.

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The odds are stacked against Eagles rookie third-round Nick Foles.

Ninety-one percent of the starting quarterbacks produced in the previous eight NFL drafts have come from the first round.

Foles isn't paying attention to that.

At Arizona his quarterbacks coach was Frank Scelfo, who at Tulane tutored four NFL passers in Patrick Ramsey (Broncos), J.P. Losman (Bills), Lester Ricard (Jaguars) and Shaun King (Buccaneers). None of those quarterbacks were in great situations, either from a coaching or personnel standpoint.

Foles has looked better than solid at Eagles rookie camp. He has a better grasp of what to do than Kevin Kolb, who came aboard as a second-round pick five years ago.

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