Eagles head coach Andy Reid and starting quarterback Donovan McNabb talked to the media after the practice today. Here's what they had to say.
Andy Reid Press Conference
8-6-07
Injuries/Opening Remarks:
“[RB Correll Buckhalter] Buck had a knee contusion from two mornings ago and we held him out, but he is getting better and should be back in the next day or two. [QB] Donovan [McNabb], I held out just for precautionary measures, nothing more than that. He’s fine. [G] Shawn Andrews still has the ankle sprain. He’s getting better. He is going to do a little out here with running around. [FS] Brian Dawkins is getting a little better with his Achilles, as is [CB] Dustin Fox. We’re just doing that day by day with Brian; seeing how he’s doing, making sure we’re being very cautious with that. You don’t want to mess with Achilles tendons. That’s not a good one. [DT] Montae Reagor had swelling on the knee. The swelling’s coming down. He should be ready to go in the next day or so, [G] Stefan Rodgers likewise. [LB Dedrick] Roper did a little bit today; [WR Bill] Sampy, with a quad contusion, is a ways away. [DT] Ian Scott still has inflammation on his knee; and then [CB] Lito [Sheppard] did a little bit today. We got a couple of guys back. [DE] Jevon [Kearse] came back today, worked the whole practice; [RB Brian] Westbrook did a nice job today. Then, a couple guys went out. [S Marcus] Paschal went out and had a leg strain. [TE Matt] Schobel tweaked his groin a little bit; we don’t think it’s too serious, but we’ll see how he does in the next day or so here.
Good practice today; a lot of hitting this morning. We did a backed-up period and guys got after it there. We moved the ball from the minus-20, so, the offense was backed up a bit and had to attempt to drive the length of the field. I thought the guys had very good intensity, and were battling through it. It started off relatively cool this morning, then heated up towards the end. So, they battled through the toughest part of practice with a little bit of heat out here. So, they did a good job.”
On what determines his decision to give a veteran a day off:
“A couple of the guys had swelling of the knee. [RB] Brian [Westbrook] had a little bit of swelling, so, we gave him the day off [yesterday]. I want to make sure with Brian, that we don’t get into the same situation as last year where he had to take some days off at practice. We’re just trying to maintain that to make sure we get through camp here as healthy as we can. The other one was [QB] Donovan [McNabb]. Again, [DE Jevon] Kearse had a little bit of swelling. These are guys coming off of surgery. I told you guys the first day, if I sense or see any swelling there, I’ll get them out of there.”
On whether it’s important for DTs Ian Scott and Montae Reagor to be able to practice:
“The number one thing [is] they need to get better physically, and then two, they need to be out there. Anytime you miss, isn’t good time, but you’re not going to be doing well if you’re hurt also. So, it would be a wasted effort there.”
On the job DTs LaJuan Ramsey and Jeremy Clark have done while filling in for Scott and Reagor:
“It’s been great for them. They’ve made big strides. We kind of know what Ramsey can do, and Clark, it’s given him valuable reps here.”
On whether RB Tony Hunt had more energy at practice today than in days past:
“I didn’t necessarily see more energy. I thought he’s had energy throughout the practices. He just had opportunities here [today] to carry the football, and he got to do it with the number one offensive line. He’s very patient, and then when he saw things, he was very decisive on the direction he was going to go. He didn’t mess around. He took it up there and did a nice job, I thought.”
On the hits that Hunt took:
“Yeah, he did. [S C.J.] Gaddis and he had a nice shot together there.”
On Hunt’s running style:
“You saw him in the backed-up drill, and then the other day you saw him in goal-line short yardage, and so you know he can get down when he needs to get down. That’s important. He does run upright. That’s his natural running style, but when he’s got to drop his shoulders down, he can do that.”
On whether they should try to change Hunt’s running style:
“You kind of [let him] do what got him here. That part I don’t think you can change, but you want to make sure in your evaluation process, that when he needs to get his shoulders down, he can get them down. We felt like he could do that, and he’s shown that out here.”
On whether he’s concerned about FS Brian Dawkins’ lack of practice time:
“He’ll work back in. He knows what he needs to do. The number one thing with any player, and in particular veterans, that with an Achilles tendon, you don’t mess around with it. That’s one injury; you let that thing heal up. You’ve got to be real smart with that. And so, we’re doing that. Brian wants to be out here worse than anybody. I just want to make sure that thing’s right. He’ll be fine. We get that thing taken care of, and he’ll be fine.”
On what his theory is behind two-a-day practices:
“I think it’s part of the game that you have to get through during camp for a couple of reasons. It’s still a game of blocking and tackling and those are physical parts of the game that you need to practice, and so we practice it. I think it’s good for the ball carriers to take a hit to make sure they can secure the football. You start going versus air, and you get a little sloppy with that football and it comes off your body, or you’re not covering both ends of the ball, [then] bad things happen. So, this gives those guys an opportunity to practice that.”
On whether he tries to be consistent with his practice schedule:
“No, we’ve maintained that all the way through. It’s been a little different in just that we’ve cut things back over the years. With the problems that have happened with some of the big guys in the league, we’ve taken the hitting away from the afternoon practices that we used to have from the first three days. But other than that, it’s the same.”
On whether there is a plan in place to use QB Donovan McNabb:
“I put one together before we left, then I was going to play it by ear once we got into camp. I think I’m going to stick with it. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but I’m going to stick with it.”
On whether McNabb is where he expected him to be at this point:
“He’s probably ahead of what we thought. You don’t know about [how to judge] the swelling of the knee when you come into camp. That thing could have swollen up the first day, but he works so hard at getting it back and getting it right, that it’s been fine. I’ve been debating on giving him a day off sooner than what we did here, and it was just time to do that.”
On whether DE Jevon Kearse is fully healthy, and whether he has concern that FS Brian Dawkins won’t be ready in time for the season opener:
“I think he’s [Jevon Kearse] there. He’s had more sacks those first three days than he’s ever had since he’s been here. He’s been very hard to block for us, and he’s doing a great job getting off the football. And then Dawkins, as far as the first game, I presume he’ll be ready, unless there’s a setback. I presume he’ll be ready for it.”
On whether McNabb is throwing the ball well:
“He’s done very well. He’s been very accurate; very strong. So far he’s had a great camp.”
On whether he’s seen a progression in WR Kevin Curtis:
“I have. I’m seeing the same thing you guys are. He was feeling his way through those first three days. Again, this is all new to him. We’re talking about a 29-year-old guy and he’s been in the [St. Louis] Rams offense for a number of years here. This is new. This kind of throws him back into a college mode when he was in an offense similar to this, and he’s getting back used to it. [He’s] doing the small things.”
On whether he’s seen a difference in McNabb’s play when wearing the knee brace, compared to when not wearing it:
“No, I haven’t. I think he’s been sharp with it on and off.”
On his assessment of RB Ryan Moats:
“Ryan’s doing a nice job running the football. The one thing he has to do is to continue to hang on to the football. That’s very important in this offense, or any offense. You can’t put the ball on the ground.”
On whether there’s anything that can be done to correct a fumbling habit:
“He’s just got to keep the ball high and tight, and not let it get off of his body. When he lets it get off of his body a little bit, then he gets into trouble. He’s so aggressive in his running style, and that’s a plus for him, but he’s really got to concentrate on keeping that ball close to his body or it’s going to pop out.”
QB Donovan McNabb Press Conference
8-6-07
On whether he feels like he’s made enough progress to play in the first preseason game:
“We’ll have to see if that’s the plan. I think the work that we’ve been able to do out here on the football field, as well as in the offseason, we’ve taken big strides. I think in this situation, you have to continue to be smart with this injury and continue to communicate amongst each other. It’s kind of exciting to see the progress we’ve made over the past couple of weeks and months to where we are right now.”
On why he took the day off:
“A little soreness, and just being smart. I think for all of us being on the same page, and knowing that I’ve been battling through about 14 or 15 straight practices, hopefully we were due for one (jokingly). But, it’s just pretty much being smart and making sure we’re on the same page, and when it’s all over, continue to move on.”
On whether the wet surface had anything to do with his day off:
“No, not at all.”
On whether his knee was more sore than usual:
“It was a little more sore than normal. Nothing to get nervous about, but it happens. Even if you didn’t have surgery or you are just healthy, you get sore. It was just being cautious, and just making sure everything was alright.”
On what he does to help his knee recover:
“Pretty much continue to warm up and stay off your feet, stretch, ice up to eliminate swelling, and get ready to come back out tomorrow.”
On whether he felt a difference when the brace was on compared to when it was off:
“No. No difference at all.”
On whether his knee was affected by the weather:
“Not at all. There was soreness yesterday. Nothing we had to fight through, but there was soreness building up and we already made the decision yesterday to take the day off. The fact that it rained, or anything of that nature, that wasn’t the case. Although, I definitely knew it was going to rain before it came down. Again, it’s just making sure we’re all on the same page and taking care of business the right way.”
On whether he expects to play tomorrow:
“Yes.”
On whether he is still on pace for the opening game:
“Yes.”
On the progress he has made since the first minicamp:
“It’s been big strides. Just by being able to gauge it and see what I could do and what I can’t do coming into training camp, it gave me the opportunity to push it to the limit during the offseason. After that last minicamp I participated in, throughout [the time] I came to camp, I had an understanding about it a little bit more, was able to strengthen it a little bit more, work on some different things that will help me out on the football field, and it gave me the opportunity to come out here and just have fun again.”
On what he can’t do:
“There will be no break dancing, no wild movements (jokingly). I can pretty much do everything. Again, you have to train your body to getting back out there running 60 or 70 plays, and doing it consistently. I think I’ve been able to do that, but it’s still going to take some time.”
On whether there is a sense of urgency with this team:
“I think so. If you look at the key spots of guys that have been here pretty much since I got here in 1999, or guys that were here a little earlier like [FS] Brian Dawkins, [LT William] Thomas, [LB] Jeremiah Trotter, who got drafted the year before me. I think the time is now. Not that we’re trying to say the window is closing, but we’ve been through the Super Bowl, we’ve been through the NFC Championships, we’ve been in the playoffs, it’s time now to seal the deal. That’s our approach, and that’s the way we’re trying to go about this thing, making sure everyone is on the same page and everyone understands the concept of what we’re doing to get to Arizona.”
On whether this is a Super Bowl team and why:
“I think so, [because of] the pieces we have to the puzzle at the wide receiver position, the running back situation, and the offensive line is experienced and plays well together. The defense is very experienced, and we brought in some key guys that can help us out in many ways. Even last year I said that we were a Super Bowl team and everybody kind of laughed at it and didn’t understand what I was saying. We were pretty much a couple of plays away from the NFC Championship again. I guess people think that what I say is right now. I doubt it, but we’ll see how far it goes this year.”
On the comments he made about Falcons QB Michael Vick:
“Not everybody read the whole quote. The whole quote was basically saying that I was supporting him because he’s a friend of mine. We’ve known each other for a long time, and I just want to see him come out of this thing and be back out on the football field, playing football and doing what he loves. I also said that just like everyone else, I don’t know exactly what happened. You can only go by what was put on the internet or by what was said. My thing is, just continue to see what happens and what comes out of it before you make judgment. It’s easy to sit back and say ‘he’s guilty, get rid of him, release him,’ and any negative comment that you can make. Until you find out all of the positive information that can come out of this, I ask that you don’t judge him before that happens.”
On the things that have been reported about Vick:
“The stuff that we’ve heard has been [terrible]. Until we hear everything that’s going on in that, we shouldn’t make judgments.”
On whether he identifies with people rushing to judgments:
“Well I don’t think so (jokingly). I’ve been in situations where people rush to judgment. As it continued to pan out, everyone kind of understood exactly what I was trying to tell them. That’s part of why I say don’t rush to judge right now. Just kind of wait to see until it pans out.”
On how he feels about his statement of being a leader being overanalyzed:
“Well I only talk about it if I’m asked a question. I don’t just bring it up. If I am asked a question, I answer the question the way it needs to be answered. Maybe I’ll just say no comment.”
On whether it’s impossible to please everyone:
“It’s impossible to please everyone. If you try to go out of your way to please everyone, then I’m sure they’ll make the comment that you’re doing too much. I think, for me, it’s just to get back out on the playing field and have fun again. Bring wins home, get everybody involved in this offense, as well as making sure that everyone is on the same page. Once that happens, hopefully you can change some people’s minds, but maybe not.”
On whether he and head coach Andy Reid are on the same page:
“We are. In any knee injury or groin injury, obviously I would have a better understanding of it, because I’m going through it. To just sit back here and watch practice, you would think that I never had knee surgery, never had my groin repaired, or had my abdominal muscle repaired. We rehabbed hard, we pushed hard to get back out here, to be myself again. We’ve communicated on so many turns of soreness, just like today and some things that may have been bothering me. He may not tell you everything that we talk about, and I won’t either. But, we are on the same page.”
On why he alternates wearing the brace and not wearing it:
“In the situation here, I only had one knee brace. It was about 95 degrees and I pretty much sweated all through my shoes. So, instead of, four hours later trying to wear the same sweaty knee brace, I went with the knee sleeve, and came to practice and worked on my mechanics and things of that nature. It’s not about wearing a knee brace or not wearing a knee brace, I’m wearing a knee brace.”
On how many knee braces he has:
“I actually have three now.”
