All is Quiet on the Lehigh Front
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The phrase “No news is good news,” may not apply often in football, but it surely does at training camp. It was a quiet morning practice for the Eagles, with no new injuries to report and the walking wounded continuing to make their way back onto the field. Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson and cornerback Asante Samuel had light workouts, as did running back Mike Bell. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin did some indoor running, and Andy Reid seems pleased with the progress on all of them.
Overall, the morning practice at Lehigh University felt more like a walkthrough than an Andy Reid training camp practice. Philadelphia didn’t go “live” at any point in practice, as the players were not wearing pads. Today’s routine is, in fact, more like a gameday since the Eagles have Flight Night at Lincoln Financial Field tonight at 7:00. Check in here at ITI for coverage of the event.
Andy Reid thinks the practice in front of a larger number of fans on the team’s home field is beneficial for his squad. “I like it. I think it’s a great change-up for the players. Plus, I think it gets them on the home field before you get to the preseason game and it gives them an opportunity to get kind of a, especially with all of the new guys, get a little lay of the land.”
Tickets for the second annual Flight Night are still available on Ticketmaster. Last year’s affair turned somber when middle linebacker Stewart Bradley went down with what would turn out to be a season ending knee injury. Bradley has said he won’t even think about it – he’s not the superstitious type. Neither is his head coach. “That was just one of those crazy things that happened. I don’t think that had anything to do with anything. It was a freak deal that happened,” said Reid.
Injury Report
None of the players who missed this morning’s practice will participate tonight. That group includes wide receivers DeSean Jackson (back) and Jeremy Maclin (knee), defensive backs Asante Samuel (hamstring) and Macho Harris (hamstring), defensive tackle Antonio Dixon (concussion), tight end Martin Rucker (hamstring) and center A.Q. Shipley (ankle). Guard Todd Herremans (foot), center Jamaal Jackson (knee) and defensive end Victor Abiamiri (pectoral muscle) all remain on the physically unable to perform list.
Reid said that Herremans is doing well, but they continue to be cautious, “One of the things the doctors will tell you with the surgery he had is, if you’re going to eliminate any banging – it’s a continuous banging and banging, which you get in this camp.” The Eagles head coach also said Herremans bugs him every day to get back out on the field.
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was happy to find out that his MRI was negative, “I’m blessed and I’m thankful that it didn’t turn out as bad as it could have. I’m happy. It is what it is. I wish I was out there competing, but now I can get better and get out there as soon as I can.” Maclin has a bone bruise after hyperextending his knee on Tuesday.
Training Camp Coverage
Visit InsideTheIggles.com for training camp coverage, including practice recaps and scouting reports from Lehigh Valley. ITI’s Ryan Messick will be reporting from camp again August 5th through 8th. Check back often for updates and follow along on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Ryan_Messick and www.twitter.com/InsideTheIggles. A live Twitter feed will be available here on ITI during practices. We’ll also have coverage of tonight’s Flight Night, which starts at 7:00 P.M.