SPORTS
May 24, 2012
THE LATE Jim Johnson was a sports writer's dream. If you asked him a question, he almost always gave you an honest, unvarnished answer. "I've got to do a better job," and "I need to put my players in better position to make plays" wasn't his style. Johnson wasn't above occasionally using the media to send messages to his players, whether it was tooting the horn of a rookie backup to light a fire under a veteran or suggesting, as he did once about cornerback Lito Sheppard, that the guy couldn't play unless he was completely healthy.
SPORTS
May 23, 2012 | By Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
You don't spend millions on a top-of-the-line running back only to keep him parked in the garage. But do you lighten his load, as Eagles coach Andy Reid said he would do with franchise tailback LeSean McCoy, because of the hefty investment? McCoy played more snaps that any other running back in the NFL last season - and he sat out the finale. Even before McCoy signed a five-year, $45 million extension last week, Reid suggested that he was going to try and limit McCoy's touches.
SPORTS
May 16, 2012 | By Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
THE FASTEST, niftiest receiver at the Eagles' rookie camp was Demaris Johnson. Johnson, an explosive 5-7, 170, looks like he might be able to run away from anything, and maybe he once thought he could. But there is no running away from security cameras, or from a felony embezzlement charge, the NCAA's all-time all-purpose yards leader (7,796) and kickoff yards leader (3,417) discovered last August, just before his senior season at Tulsa was set to commence. Johnson ended up going undrafted last month.
SPORTS
May 16, 2012 | By Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
It's a long way until Sept. 9, but the Eagles' blurry prospects at several positions on defense became more clear after their three-day rookie minicamp. Of all the rookies, Mychal Kendricks is the most likely to be starting when the full squad gathers next Tuesday for the start of organized team activities, otherwise known as "OTAs. " Eagles coach Andy Reid wouldn't hand Kendricks the strong-side linebacker job at the conclusion of camp on Monday. But with Jamar Chaney - Kendricks' main competition - sidelined through the spring following neck surgery in January, the rookie should have an unimpeded path.
SPORTS
May 16, 2012 | by Tom Mahon, Daily News Staff Writer
ON MONDAY night, Andy Reid switched from football coach to cheerleader. We are, of course, talking figuratively. Don't try to envision Andy in a short skirt with his midriff exposed or you'll burn your corneas and have nightmares for months. Responding to ESPN reports that Donovan McNabb has lost weight and is in shape, Reid said he would recommend the former Eagles quarterback to NFL teams. "I'd tell them to take him," Reid told NFL Total Access. "I still think he can play.
SPORTS
May 13, 2012 | By Jonathan Tamari, Inquirer Staff Writer
After two decades in the NFL, Andy Reid has seen many changes - it's what he says keeps his job fresh even as he enters his 14th season as Eagles head coach. So as debate swirls around the NFL's increasing restrictions on some hits and the stiff penalties handed out for the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, Reid endorsed the changes meant to make the game safer. He added that league commissioner Roger Goodell got it right when it came to imposing penalties for the Saints' bounties, lending the backing of the NFL's longest-tenured head coach to suspensions and rule changes that still rile some in the game.
SPORTS
May 1, 2012 | By Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
THIS EAGLES offseason has largely been about giving Juan Castillo the tools to succeed. If the Birds' 2012 defense blows fourth-quarter leads, can't tackle and frequently looks confused, it won't be because of personnel that doesn't match the scheme, or offseason work lost to a lockout, or a lack of size and talent up the gut. There will be only one person to blame. Well, two, actually - if the defense falters, Castillo probably will lose his job the same day Andy Reid bids farewell, since it was Reid who made the former offensive line coach the defensive coordinator, and Reid who kept him in place after last season's wobbles and stumbles.
NEWS
April 28, 2012 | By Jeff McLane, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The past, present and future came together Saturday for one happy Eagles picture. Brian Dawkins returned to the NovaCare Complex to retire as an Eagle and all the bitterness, at least for this moment, was forgotten. The draft, meanwhile, was coming to its conclusion and for the first time in a long time, Andy Reid's selections were near-unanimously applauded by a fickle fan base. And with that the future is as bright as the Eagles coach's Tommy Bahama Hawaiian shirts.
SPORTS
April 28, 2012 | By Bob Ford, Inquirer Columnist
As patterns go, the one that emerged as the Eagles selected their first three picks of the 2012 NFL draft was pretty obvious. When the front office and coaching staff evaluated what went wrong last season, the conclusion was that the offense gave the ball away too much and the defense stunk. The former can be fixed with better decisions and better luck. The latter can be fixed only with better players. With those three picks in the opening two rounds, the Eagles took a defensive tackle, a linebacker, and a defensive end. "From a coaching standpoint, I'm trying to eliminate any . . . weaknesses the best I can from a defensive standpoint," Andy Reid said.
NEWS
April 26, 2012 | By Jeff McLane, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Eagles got their man. They got their fans', too. Trading up to the 12th spot, the Eagles drafted Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. To get Cox the Eagles dealt to the Seahawks Seattle a fourth round pick (114 overall) and a sixth round pick (172). The 6-foot-4, 294-pound Cox will join the Eagles' rotation of defensive tackles in the middle of Jim Washburn's line. He's a fierce pass rusher and could be the impact player coach Andy Reid is looking for on defense.