The Eagles had a spirited hour and half workout this afternoon, in shorts, as the veterans got in their first practice of the 2007 training camp.
I was amazed at the complexity of the plays Andy and Marty were running. They ran plays with shifts, motions and all types of exotic formations. They even ran a flea flicker and this was all on the very first day their veterans got the chance to work. I wasn't surprised that they had these plays in their playbook but I was surprised that they decided to run them now.
Donovan McNabb took quite a few snaps as he rotated with the other QB's. Many times it was the first team Eagles defense versus their first team offense. Five was sharp on some throws while others were burrowed the ground with his classic underthrows. He did zip in some intermediate routes on amazing hook ups.
Eagles tight end L.J. Smith got in some work despite the fact that he's still recovering from surgery to repair a sports hernia. Some of the guys think L.J. is overworking because he was putting in double-days lifting sessions during the off season. L.J. has always been a hard-worker and he said the injury forced him to lose some weight. I though Smith looked good releasing into his routes and getting open. Smith also had no problem catching the football.
L.J. said he's not going to take anything personal, despite the problems he's experienced while trying to negotiate a new contract. He said he learned from Michael Lewis who took the tough negotiating by the
Eagles as a personal afront to him. Smith said he's looking at Lewis as an example of what not to do.
