They tore it up in morning practice yesterday in Lehigh… and I mean there was some serious energy going down…
Rookie OL Danny Watkins got the best of LB Moise Fokou in this match… Fokou momentarily forgot that Watkins is a former hockey goon and enforcer…and was lulled into a false sense of security. “Baby Face” Watkins is not to be trifled with…
Several brawls broke out during practice.
Defensive end Jason Babin, who was known for getting into scraps when he was with the team in 2009, picked up where he left off two years ago by trading blows with rookie guard Julian Vandervelde. Other duels included defensive tackle Derek Landri vs. center A.Q. Shipley, linebacker Moise Fokou vs. rookie guard Danny Watkins and rookie center Jason Kelce vs. defensive end Darryl Tapp.
A year ago I wrote a piece here called “Training Camp Fights…Good Mojo or Bad Medicine?”… Remember when veteran corner Ellis Hobbs welcomed rookie wide receiver Riley Cooper to the NFL last July ?
The two tussled during 11-on-11 drills. After Hobbs jammed Cooper at the line of scrimmage, the two jostled about 10 yards downfield before Cooper’s two-handed shove sent Hobbs flying to the ground. Hobbs popped up, got in Cooper’s face and the two began exchanging blows — with their helmets on. Stewart Bradley had to separate them…
It was a similar situation yesterday…
The skirmishes were just part of the most spirited practice since the Eagles reported to camp a week and a half ago. Quarterback Michael Vick and the rest of the first-team offense squared off against Babin, cornerback Asante Samuel and the first-team defense.
The Eagles rarely pit the first-team offenses and defenses against one another, but undoubtedly wanted to see both sides get the best possible competition, since time is quickly running out on the 2011 version of training camp.
In a militaristic way, I think these TC fights are good for team morale… as long as they are offense vs. defense personnel… It would be a different and far more controversial story if guys on the same side of the ball were fighting.
Do coaches like this kind of crap? Well, here’s Andy Reid’s take:
““We’ve got some new people out here. They’re trying to prove themselves, too. But with competition comes fighting. I told the players these things do happen but don’t make it a habit. We’re not ultimate fighters, we’re football players.”
That’s the politically correct statement to make. But secretly, I believe Andy likes to stir it up in TC, bringing in guys he think will fire up competition.
Sometimes I think coaches secretly want these things to happen…but I can’t prove it. There is a street mentality in the NFL, perhaps similar to that of Marine basic training philosophy, that you build esprit de corps by encouraging your troops to duke it out. ..at least, that’s my take on it.
In a transient workplace like the NFL, differences of personality and opinion occur…without the benefit of a long interpersonal history to provide a teammate the benefit of the doubt.
And it’s been going on forever since the first training camp in the ’30’s.
So no big deal… as long as everyone shakes hands and forgets about it over the long haul. Still, it’s amazing that these guys can do on a football field (or a baseball diamond or a basketball court at the pro level) what you and I would be arrested for if we got into it outside our favorite pub or bar.
No need to belabor the fighting incidents… the real story is this 2011 group has begun to find its soul as a team.
“Both sides, I thought, sort of took it as a challenge out there,” Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. “Tempers flared and it does jack up (the atmosphere) just a little bit. The level of participation went sky high.”
It was that kind of high-energy day for the Eagles. One of the highlights came late in the practice when defensive end Darryl Tapp jumped, deflected a Mike Kafka pass into the air, caught it and ran it back about 70 yards for a touchdown. The play was good enough on its own to be a highlight, but what really made it memorable was the sight of a red-shirted Michael Vick racing off the sideline and chasing Tapp to the end zone.
“I saw him out of the corner of my eye and thought, ‘I’d better run’,” Tapp said. “He’s … a little bit faster than I am.”
These guys are pumped.
Vick had a great day with a mixture of well-executed throws from the pocket. WR Jason Avant had a great catch (one-handed) over top of Nnamdi Asomugha…
Asomugha missed the latter part of practice with a calf injury that both he and the team said wasn’t serious. Other injury absences included Nate Allen, who missed the practice with a knee injury, Trevor Laws, who has a hip injury, and Marlin Jackson, whose groin is hurt.
Rookie Jason Kelce more or less split first-team reps with Jamaal Jackson at center.
TE candidate Donald Lee held his own against DE Jason Babin when called upon to do that. Brent Celek did not fare as well in his attempts to handle Babin. (source= Dan Graziano, ESPN observer)
DT newcomer Anthony Hargrove had a good day with the 1st-team defense. CB Asante Samuel was having a ball out there, cutting up with teammates and fans while executing all his plays. Ryan Harris (6-5, 300, 5th year, Notre Dame) ran well with the 1st team offensive line at RT.
“I don’t know what happened out there today,” Vick said. “Just something in the air, I think. Just one of those days where, on both sides of the ball, we were like, ‘We’re going to win every down,’ and guys played that way.”
Hold on to that feeling, guys…
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