Now, Herremans weighs 320. Jackson can do a dozen pull-ups. Parker has eight sacks, a career-high. And Celek is a Pro Bowl alternate, the only offensive weapon the Cowboys haven't stopped as the Birds head back to Dallas for a wild-card game tomorrow.
"Those guys worked extremely hard," Saunders said.
They had little choice; Saunders is a hellish taskmaster.
"It's hard. But I like it," said Celek, whose shoulder issues Saunders targeted. "He works us out real hard, to the point, sometimes, it's like, 'Do I want to go to this?' "
If others are going four times a week, at least misery has company. And, besides, some of the players love to break their bodies down.
"I wanted to try him out. I like the way he works. This offseason I wanted to really work out hard with him and get in a good 6 months," said Parker, a first-timer with Saunders, whose bench-press not only increased, it also became a breeze. "It's something different, something you've never done in college or the pros."
"I think he has a huge impact on me. He has a picture in his mind of what he wants to do with you," said Herremans, the Pied Piper for the Eagles who use Saunders.
Stewart Bradley, Trent Cole, Kevin Curtis, Sheldon Brown and Winston Justice all have used Saunders' services at some point.
Of course, the Eagles have their own strength coach and athletic trainers, all of whom are at the players' disposal year-round - although Birds commandant Andy Reid embraces players leaving the area to take a break from the nest.
