The second week of OTAs has been headlined by the return of defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. Babin was away on a hunting trip last week, and Jenkins was home caring for his wife after she had a medical procedure done. After concluding his first practice of 2012, Jenkins took note of the energy and excitement evident on the field. “It was good to get back out here with the team. It’s good energy out there coming off the season last year,” Jenkins said after practice. “There’s a lot of determination this year.”
Jenkins’ most notable comment addressed the Eagles self-perception as a team last season. With Philadelphia’s good fortune during free-agency last year, a roster complete with the likes of Nnamdi Asomugha, DeSean Jackson, and franchise quarterback Michael Vick led the Eagles players to believe that they were the “Dream Team.” According to Jenkins, “I knew the second I got here and I heard the phrase ‘Dream Team’ going around, that was just something like, ‘No, no, no.’ Hopefully, we don’t have anything like that going around this year.”
The self-proclaimed “Dream Team” fell victim to a false sense of euphoria and accomplishment. With one of the most talented rosters in the league last year, the Eagles appeared to have all the pieces necessary to make a deep run in the postseason. Unfortunately, the Eagles became content with the talent they had on paper, losing four of their next six games before the bye-week. A lack of effort and focus at times on the field, coupled with the seemingly weekly injuries to Michael Vick caused the Eagles to miss the playoffs and fall miserably short of their team goal.
With the failure of last season as first-hand experience, one can only hope that the Eagles have learned from their mistakes. Jenkins offered a positive outlook on the teams’ focus, stating that they’ve already altered their attitude for this upcoming season. “You can just see it in everybody, where it’s a different feel from last year.”
They definitely have the talent, now it’s time for the Eagles to live up to those “Dream Team” aspirations they held a year ago.
Another important person who has been missing from OTA’s has been Howard Mudd. He is still in Arizona and they want him showing up at Novacare for the last OTA before training camp. He is 70 years old with some bad legs, I can understand why they are taking precautions to keep him healthy.
Reports I have read say that he has been in frequent contact with D. Bell, bringing him up to speed on the different style he teaches.
Mudd and his O-line are one of the keys to our success this year. I would have liked to have him around the team more often during the off-season.
greenfan – Mudd is also getting tape sent to him of the practices. Remember, each and every starting OL with the exception of Bell worked with Mudd last year and is returning. They’ll have all of the last minicamp, trainingcamp and the preseason to work directly with the hunchback. You really think it’s cause for worry?
I wouldn’t say worry, I just thought it was a notable missing part of the team that has gone mostly ignored. I think it is a bigger deal than Babbin or Jenkins missing the first OTA.
That being said, I understand why they are doing it, and agree that it is a good plan due to his age and health condition. I just hope that all things go well and he is able to provide the leadership of the OL like he did last year. As we all know, it took a while for the OL to gel last year, I would hate to see it take a step back and cause more problems for the QB.
I mean really, what can Mudd really teach these guys that he can’t teach them over the phone or in a VTC? It ain’t like he can PHYSICALLY show them any stances or what to expect so who cares. As long as Mudd is talking to these guys, thats all that matters.
Yeah….Mudd on Skype is going to have to do.
Not really a big deal, just noticed that it had kind of flown under the radar.
Hope that the FCC doesn’t censor his comments oner the “air-waves”!!
I hear you. I don’t think it’s gone mostly ignored. Pretty much every Eagles news source covered Mudd’s abesnce, and Eugene Chung, assistance strength and conditioning coach, and the appearant heir appearant (yes, that’s what I siad) to Mudd is coaching the OL for the time being. I assume Chung is talking with Mudd. It all seems to be ok to me.
Now if the Oline plays poorly during the season, then sure, we blame Mudd and the players at that point. But I don’t think he absence at these OTAs will be relevant.
haha greenfan – yeah maybe he can just curse out loud and his voice will carry all the way to broad and pattison. I wouldn’t put that past him. I’m not convinced there’s much Mudd can’t do other than physical activities at this point….
If they really need Mudd to be here that badly, I’m sure they could have an OL f-up SO badly (intentionally) on film that Mudd would say “FUCK IT” and just hop on his motorcycle and speed directly to where that player was and tear him a new one.
@ schill….is Chung new this year? Chung isn’t even listed on the coaches list. The assistant Stength coach is Keith Gray from U of Georgia.
There have a a few erroneous reports from Conspiracay theorists that Coach Mudd is secretly working for the Anti-Terror Dept of the US Militarty and is overseeing some the Drone Attacks over the Afghan/Pakistan Boarder… Some conspiracy theorists have gone so far to imply LT Jason Peters is not really injured and is actually behind enemy lines as a Field Agent… Who would have thunk that the Eagles would be players in the World in the Fight/War against Terror. ..
While the Eagles website doesn’t list Chung, there are some articles from this past week regarding his work in the absense of Mudd. He was a 1st round pick of the Patriots, played about 7 years.
green, good question. I don’t know the answer. I’m guessing that Philadelphiaeagles.com has not recently updated their coaches list (probably a low priority for them) and that info is outdated.
I do know that Chung is a former OL for the NE Cheatriots (ok, they may have been following rules when he played there).
Eugene Chung was an All-American OL at USC while in College, a very good player and NFL Player… He appears to be a nice fit with the Eagles Staff and understands Mudd’s system for Chung played for the Colts too at the end of his playing career..
Every team in the league believes there’s a new attitude right now going into the season…..but Juan as Defensive coordinator along with these bum ass Safeties will remind Jenkins of last year’s meltdown in the 1st quarter of the season…
The Eagles will start off 1-3
and you’ll hear Juan talking about his waking up at 4 AM every morning to teach which is all he can do until the safeties get better.
He’ll hit his famous “take a bullet for Andy quote”, while he should be trying to find someone who would take one for his sorry ass.
We need a defensive coordinator ASAP
you heard it here first.
@Paulman….I know that Chung played for the Colts his last year in the league, but I do not believe Mudd was on the coaching staff. Mudd started the year after Chung was there.
Songs is psychic. Pyshic powers are something humans can have. As a society, we do not pupu pyshcics. That is all true. Oh yeah, and TO is a great father, teammate, and employee. And Washubrn and Mudd are pious religious men who never swear, wish any harm on others, hate motorcycles, and despise facial hair.
Schill….did I not say that Kolb had a 2 game leash before they’ll yank his soft ass before that season started?
I also said he would not be on the team after that?
Remember?
Yes, I was playing around with the excitement of signing Asmo by exaggerating
19-0 until it was clear the linebackers were ass early in the preason and I predicted a 7-9 season.
Remember?
I also said Juan’s promotion would cost us a playoff opportunity.
remember?
You want more?
Songs, you also said a team would draft Burfict in the first round. Then you said he’d be drafted somewhere in the mid rounds. You were wrong wrong wrong on burfict.
You cannot predict the future, you got right a few times but you do not know the future.
And with Kolb – your prediction was based off of ability (or your perceived lack there of). NOT injury which is what happened.
Only Paulman can predict the Future..
but can he do it accurately? NO
I predict darkness this evening…with scattered light at dawn.
I would also predict that if Jakedog gets any further up Songs a$$, he will soon see that the light up ahead is coming frome his ears, because there is no brain in there.
I predict Schill gets “a banana in the tail pipe” this evening……..
compliments of Navy
ah Songs. Frustrated by losing logical arguments, he resorts to homophobic/immature jokes. Typical for an adolescent but he’s an adult….what a shame.
lol Songs….how can you not laugh at a great Eddie Murphy line!
I admit I got a huge ‘banana’ but even the mighty Navy can’t reach that far!
Hahaha Songs strikes again lol @ him, wasnt expecting that one lol
I just realized that by that joke, Songs suggested that has SOOOOOOOOO much respect for Navy, that he thinks Navy’s ‘banana’ can reach from San Diego to Philly. Wow….that’s a lot of ‘banana’.
hey remember the other day when songs was asking which team that won a super bowl used a wide – 9 got this from an interview with Washburn in phill dot com:
It came together better, later. He says the formation is not the issue. The Giants, he said, used the Wide-9 on 32 of their 61 defensive plays in the NFC Championship Game.
tought it worth noting – he made a great point about Babin and the 54% passing on first down verse playing the run..
Banana in the tail pipe! ROFL!!! Come on Schill, even you, the one with ZERO sense of humor, & constantly has his panties in a bunch, has to find that funny. Dude, that was hilarious! LOL! Navy, you can reach him with a sext message. This way Schill can use you, instead of Anime porn, to yank it to. LMFBO! BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Sorry, I had too chime in my 2 cents, boys! 😀