Early exit from Lehigh TC…and apparently Jeremy Maclin is ready to play…
Whatever illness Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has, it apparently isn’t very serious…
Andre Maclin, one of Jeremy’s older brothers, told Sporting News Monday that his brother’s status will be updated Tuesday (today), but that he expects his brother to be back on the field relatively soon.
“They kind of have us on a gag order until (Tuesday),” Andre Maclin told Sporting News. “But he’s fine, he’s fine. That much I can say. … I’m confident (Jeremy Maclin will be able to play this season).”
The Eagles had no comment Monday, except to say they were aware of the Sporting News story.
Jeremy Maclin, the Eagles’ first-round draft pick in 2009, has not practiced since the Eagles opened training camp at Lehigh University on July 26. He missed the first nine days with an excused absence, then left last Thursday in order to undergo more testing in his hometown of St. Louis.
Maclin was the Eagles’ second-leading receiver last season with 70 receptions for 964 yards and was among the league leaders with 10 receiving touchdowns.
He had a bout with mononucleosis immediately after the season that took about a month to get over, but he recovered well enough to participate in almost all of the Eagles’ voluntary workouts in South Jersey during the NFL lockout.
Since camp began, the Eagles have repeatedly declined to speculate on his absence, saying only that he was undergoing more tests. After Thursday’s preseason game, coach Andy Reid indicated that he expected to have his wide receiver back relatively soon.
“I think he’s going to be ready,” Reid said after the game. “I guess I’m optimistic. I’m waiting to hear the (test) results, but I’m optimistic. I think he’ll be fine.”
If Maclin indeed returns in time to play in the first regular season game, or even a game or two after, then this WR corps is probaly the best in the NFL…certainly with Steve Smith in the mix
As our old buddy Nick Fierro in Allentown said tonight, the Eagles still have potential trouble areas: linebacking depth, developing a consistent kicking game, and having nobody beyond injured Ryan Harris who has managed to stand out at right tackle.
But the Eagles are so loaded with talent and the “c” word -chemistry– elsewhere, that they can’t help but feel great about how this spectacular rebuilding process has gone since the NFL Lockout ended last month.
On offense, for example, they suddenly look as strong in the offensive backfield as they are at cornerback. More remarkable is that all this happened after the Eagles chose not to bring back proven backup Jerome Harrison as a free agent. Instead, they became stronger by acquiring 29-year-old Ronnie Brown, a versatile former Pro Bowl selection, and weaving young Blair Academy product Dion Lewis into the mix slowly but steadily.
Everybody knows what starter LeSean McCoy, whose 1,672 yards from scrimmage last year were good for fourth in the NFL, is capable of this season. That’s why the Eagles basically let him watch practice Monday despite not being injured. “A maintenance day,” according to a team spokesman. “He’s our starting running back.”
Lewis, a rookie who followed McCoy at Pitt, is making the most of his 5-8, 195-pound frame.
“The man can run the football, and then last week he proved that he can pick up a blitzer,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg raved. “And in fact he did it twice. That’s what I was looking for there out of him [in the preseason opener against Baltimore last Thursday].
“Some of the small-stature guys can’t do that, and they’re not in this league very long. Many of them can. For instance, Brian Westbrook. Now, some of these fellas are a little shorter than you think, but they’re bigger than you think, and Dion is stacked pretty good.”
“I think it would be unfair to Dion and Brian to compare those two at this stage, because Brian was such a great player, Brian could do everything,” Mornhinweg said. “Brian was one of the top, let’s say, five runners in the league. He was, I think, probably the best pass protector at his position in the league. He could go out at a receiver spot and run routes and catch the ball and score touchdowns as good as many receivers in this league. So Brian was a special player.
“Style-wise they’re just a little bit different. Probably in the same mold, though.”
With an offense as stacked as this, that’s more than they really need.
“They like to get their guys out in space here,” Lewis added. “That fits me very well. I feel very good about that.”
Here’s what’s most important: The locker room couldn’t be tighter.
Even McCoy and new wide receiver Steve Smith, who engaged in a contentious Twitter exchange during the lockout, have put their public differences aside for the greater good. Smith had come to the aid of his former New York Giants teammate, Osi Umenyiora, after McCoy criticized the defensive end. A war of words ensued — until they became teammates.
“I’m here to play football,” was all McCoy would say about that matter on Monday.
McCoy did go on to say that he’s not surprised by how quickly everyone has come together.
“We’ve always had good team unity,” McCoy said. “Everybody seems fine. They’re all humble guys, they all work hard. So we’re an excellent team, man.”
The Eagles have decided to end their stay at Lehigh University a day early.
The team will hold a brief morning workout Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. that is open to the public, but has canceled their afternoon walkthrough and their mock game that was scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Instead, they will depart Lehigh after Tuesday’s afternoon meetings and head back to Philadelphia. The Eagles continue their preseason at Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
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