David Akers endeared himself to Eagles fans almost as much with his courage as his kicks.

Akers relished putting kickoff returners on their backs. Sometimes at the risk of injury.

Meet Carey Spear, the undrafted rookie kicker signed by the Eagles out of Vanderbilt. Spear earned  an ESPN Top 10 play of the week honor in his junior season with a jarring tackle of Tennessee returner Cordarrelle Patterson.



Yes, Spear did what the Eagles feared they couldn't do last year with Alex Henery kicking off ... tackle Patterson. And not only put him on the ground, but before he reaches the 30-yard line. The Eagles handed the Vikings a 'W' last year partly due to horrific field position triggered by kicking away from the explosive Patterson.

The 5-10,194-pound Spear is a pretty good kicker, too. He made 15 of 19 field goal attempts last season including a career-long 54-yarder.

Follow @bobgrotz on Twitter