Young is in and old is out. Goodbye, Donovan McNabb. Hello, Mike Kafka. Au revoir, Brian Westbrook. Bonjour, Charles Scott.
Arrivederci, Sheldon Brown. Buon giorno, Trevard Lindley. Auf Wiedersehen, Darren Howard. Guten tag, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim and Ricky Sapp.
The Eagles, who have qualified for the playoffs 8 of the last 10 years, who won 11 games a year ago, headed into two-a-days as one of the youngest teams in the league. They selected an NFL-high 13 picks in the April draft and have made it clear to them that if they can shine in these 3 weeks of camp and the four preseason games, there will be a place, perhaps a prominent place, for them on this baby-faced, but playoff-contending, football team.
"Coach said [Monday] that they're looking for some of the young players to step up," said Sapp, a fifth-round defensive end out of Clemson. "So, I'm just going to come out here every day and try to take somebody's job."
After watching his defense give up 27 touchdown passes last year and hold just two of their last 10 opponents under 20 points, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has told his rookies that there's plenty of work available on that side of the ball.
"I'm looking for the best 11,'' McDermott said. "I don't care young or old. I want the best 11. It doesn't matter what you make, doesn't matter how many years you've played. If you're here and you perform, you're going to play. Bottom line."
One rookie, second-rounder Nate Allen, already has risen to the top of the depth chart at free safety before even laying a single training-camp lick. Another, first-round pick Brandon Graham could wrest the starting left end job away from Juqua Parker if he gets his unsigned butt into camp reasonably soon.
