I’m just following this thing online from a hotel room in NashVegas (where it is freakin’ hot), but it sure looks like McNabb has done just fine this evening. After his customary first longball to the new WR (remember the 81-yard TD to TO against the Ravens in the ‘04 preseason opener?), he’s led the Birds to two scoring drives. Current statline is 5 of 6 for 125 yards. Tony Hunt (short-yardage back! short-yardage back!) punches it in for the score.

That’s enough. Get 5 out of there and let Feeley play with the first team.

(I can’t wait to watch Sportscenter.)

After much hemming and/ or hawing, Donovan McNabb will return to the field tonight against the Carolina Panthers in the Eagles’ second preseason game. Andy Reid says that the first-team offense will play about a half, but that Dunavin might not go much more than the first quarter.

To be honest, I’m not really sure why he has to play at all, other than to prove that he can?

The Eagles offensive line will be without Shawn Andrews, and the mix-and-match squad out there on Monday night against the Ravens looked extremely confused against blitz pickups. Do we really need 5 out there in an imaginary game against another team that likes to take its shots at the quarterback?

As per a long-ago posting on my other site, the Panthers have effectively deployed The KillShot in the past, specifically against Dunavin to clinch a trip to the Super Bowl. I don’t want to point fingers, but it doesn’t not make me nervous. At the very least, I’d like to ensure that completely-useless-Pat-McCoy isn’t allowed to play right tackle while 5 is on the field. Can we hook that up?

In the meantime, I’m more than happy to return Dunavin to his bubble-tape cocoon until September 9th. Despite what some might suggest, um, there is nothing to prove in an imaginary game.

(Go Birds.)

Link:
Good as new [Phillyburbs.com]

Add me to the list of hyperactive lunatics who were “concerned” about Eagles Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews’ ankle injury. I wasn’t impressed with the offensive line on Monday, and was counting on another big season from Andrews (which, in my mind, equals lots of running and opportunities for Brian Westbrook to the carry the team/ keep the pressure off 5 — seriously, this is a big deal).

The “concern” surfaced earlier this week when Andrews said that his conversation with his ankle specialist was a “tear-jerker.” Whoa! Tear-jerker! That sounds serious! I thought this was a minor injury! Maybe there’s more here than the Birds are letting on!

Of course, Andy Reid corrected this assessment in his press conference this morning and indicated that he thought Andrews would be set for the season opener (that’s just “him being Shawn”).

Right, so pursuant to our earlier post in re: Andrews being slightly un-footballish in his singing ambitions, um, now it sounds like he gets all screechy about minor setbacks and blubbers to the press? Congrats, Shawn, you’re now officially the flakiest dude on the team!

(Please stop talking to the press.)

Link:
Reid: Andrews will be ready for opener [NJ.com Eagle Scout]

So I get home last night after a thrilling Mariners’ victory at Safeco (walk-off HR from the much-and-rightly-maligned Richie Sexson), bag of Dick’s in hand, and flip on the DVR for the NFL Network broadcast of the Birds’ preseason opener against the Ravens.

It took about six minutes for a very familiar flavor of disappointment to surface.

Yes yes, I know it’s just the first preseason game and all that. But did the Ravens HAVE to march right down the field and score a touchdown on their first possession? Isn’t that exactly what the problem was ALL last season? Hasn’t shoring up the front seven of the defense been the entire focus of the offseason personnel moves?

They didn’t get pushed around, but they did get outplayed. They couldn’t get to the QB (they were close, sure, but the Ravens always made the play) and the tackling looked sloppy. Lots of misses in there — especially in the opening series.

Ugh.

Watching the Ravens march down the field like that only solidifies the position of “The defense can’t actually get off the field” atop my personal Eagles-related anxiety depth chart. Yes, even ahead of Dunavin’s knee.

Link:
Shaky start for Birds [Inside the Iggles]

In addition to Andy Reid’s self-deprecating comments about his physique (”But after that fourth game, I’m just sitting there at my desk just feeling sorry for myself like a big cream puff”), my favorite bits in the big feature in the Inquirer this morning were a bunch of details on his relationship with Bill Parcells:

I get a phone call, and it’s Parcells, and he says, ‘Listen, you son of a gun.’ And then he just went crazy on me. He says, ‘Stop acting like John Wayne. I told you to pick that phone up and give me a call. We all need somebody to talk to. You’re going to fall apart. I know you’re sitting at your desk right now feeling sorry for yourself.’ “

Look at that! Parcells as sensitive mentor! Even better, Parcells sends a shout-out to the peoples and fans of the Illadelph:

Around that same time, Reid received a call from Bill Parcells, who had told him during the preseason to call him when times got tough.

“He and [former Green Bay general manager] Ron Wolf were friends, so I think Ron kind of told him to watch over me,” Reid said. “Bill says, ‘Listen, I’ve coached in New England and both New York teams.’ He was coaching the Jets at the time. He says, ‘You are in the toughest city in the NFL, media-wise and fan-base-wise.’ He says, ‘We all need somebody to talk to, so make sure you give me a call because things aren’t going to go very well for you. You’re not a very good football team, and things aren’t going to go very well for you.’

Damn skippy it’s the toughest city in the NFL! And from Parcells himself!

(This is all leading to Parcells coaching the Birds in 2012. You heard it here first.)

Link:
A rocky start on the road to success [Inquirer]

Multiple news outlets reported that Eagles rookie QB Kevin Kolb enjoyed his first official chorus of boos yesterday at Lehigh (at least his first since draft day).

Awwww.

Don’t worry, they only boo because they care. Also, because they channel all of their frustrations into the inability of the pro football team to win the Super Bowl. Also, because 30 percent of them will hate you no matter what.

You have to wonder if the rest of the guys have a little reception prepared for him in the locker room afterwards — like when Jimmy Conway and Paulie congratulate a young Henry Hill on his first arrest (”You popped your cherry!”).

Welcome to Negadelphia, big fella!

Link:
Kevin Kolb hears the boos for 1st time [GCOBB.com]
Kolb hears it from fans after throwing first interception [Philly.com]

Yikes on multiple levels in re: Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews.

As if the injury to his ankle (which now has him on crutches) wasn’t bad enough (AND IT IS), Andrews trotted out his singing voice yesterday on the Daily Eagle broadcast on the Birds site. Right. After the obligatory plug for his fledgling record label (and really, who DOESN’T have a record label), he offered a falsetto singing performance that, um, I can’t imagine Jon Runyan approves of. The singing plus his “Big Kid” nickname is beginning to lend Andrews a vaguely Michael Jackson-esque vibe.

For the record, that is NOT the sort of vibe we like offensive guards to have.

Links:
Daily Eagle with Shawn Andrews [PhiladelphiaEagles.com]
L.J. Smith leaves Eagles practice; Andrews in boot [Philly.com]

Profootballtalk is reporting that Westbrook is attending a funeral. Just hours after they posted completely unfounded speculation in re: this being about some confusion in the payroll department.

From Florio at ProFootballTalk:

But we can’t help but wonder whether the situation is connected to the issue of the unpaid $3 million roster bonus that Westbrook received. A league source says that it has nothing to do with the matter, but that the money still hasn’t been paid.

Per the source, the two sides are still working through the issue. The problem is that Westbrook has to pay the Eagles $3 million even though he likely only received $1.5 million or so after taxes in extra money. So basically Westbrook must cough up the gross amount of the extra bonus and wait for the IRS to refund his taxes that the Eagles had withheld.

(Please don’t take this to mean that we hate rumor-mongering; we don’t. We just think they should stick to McNabb for this sort of thing. Leave Westbrook out of it.)

Link:
Profootballtalk [No links to individual entries, for absolutely no good reason]

Right, so Westbrook left camp with little to no explanation today? And he’s not coming back?

Let me be the first to say, WTF?

Right now only Philly.com seems to have the story. Nothing on the Birds’ site (which is WAY suspicious). Huh. This smells like some sort of awkward family emergency (and not Birds-related).

Andy Reid said it wasn’t an injury. That’s good. And it’s not like Westbrook needs to be at camp; in fact, I’d have no beef with him being coated in bubble-wrap through September 9th. But this is a little odd. Still, so long as he isn’t doing sit-ups in his driveway, I think we’re good.

Link:
Brian Westbrook out for the rest of camp [Eye on the Eagles]

Most years it’s pretty tough to get too fired up about training camp competition for the starting punter position. Not exactly a glamour spot on the roster.

This year’s a little different.

By bringing in ex-Aussie rules footballer Sav Rocca, the Birds haven’t just frightened Dirk Johnson — they’ve given us all an interesting option at punter. As a fan, I can’t say I pay a ton of attention to the punter, but I do like the idea of having an Aussie rules guy out there. “Australian punter” has become a pretty attractive football brand; it’s just a little tougher than your average punter, AND it comes with a funny accent.

Go get ‘em Sav. We’re all pulling for you to do something extremely crude and violent in your first preseason game — prove to us you want to get the uniform dirty. Also, it gives the local blathermonkeys a chance to trot out all their Australia material. And who doesn’t enjoy Australia jokes?

(All that said, I don’t think he makes the team. Sure he might kick it far, but if there’s even an incremental five percent chance that he gets one blocked — say, in a division game — then I want nothing to do with it.)

Link:
Rocca Already Off And Kickin [Delco Times]