Brodrick Bunkley

Some of the reasons Brodrick Bunkley emerged as the 14th overall pick in this year's NFL draft are as obvious as the Eagles' need for a better pass rush. Bunkley, 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, is quick, strong and talented. He can bench-press 525 pounds, and during Florida State's stretch run last fall, it seemed as if he was spending as much time behind the line of scrimmage as the opposing team's running backs. Those things tend to capture the attention of NFL scouts. Not nearly as palpable is the influence of those closest to the college stars who become instant millionaires when they are taken in the first round of the draft.

The South Philadelphia home of Eagles defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley was burglarized over the weekend, and five guns were taken, police said last night. Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman, said Bunkley notified police at 1 a.m. Saturday after returning from an exhibition loss in Pittsburgh. Vanore said the weapons were registered, but he declined to identify the types because of the ongoing investigation. "There are all different calibers of weapons," Vanore said. Bunkley, 24, missed the last two days of training camp.

UP NEXT Who: Atlanta at Eagles When: Sunday, 1 p.m. Where: Lincoln Financial Field TV: Fox Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM), WIP (610-AM) Series history: Eagles lead, 16-11-1. Last meeting: Eagles won, 34-7, last December in Michael Vick's return to the Georgia Dome. INJURY REPORT Jason Peters: Knee Brodrick Bunkley: Elbow DeSean Jackson: Knee, but seems fine. Trent Cole: Hamstring, returned to the game. TWEET, TWEET Sampling of Daily News writers' thoughts on Twitter during last night's game: @LesBowen: Wonderful start.

EAGLES offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg likes to say "every game is different. " The same axiom apparently applies to team physicals. The Eagles' trade of running back Ronnie Brown to Detroit for running back Jerome Harrison and a 2013 seventh-round draft pick came undone yesterday when Harrison did not pass his Philadelphia physical. Passing the physical is a condition of NFL trades. During training camp, a trade of defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley to Cleveland fell apart when Bunkley didn't pass his Browns physical.

Two people with knowledge of the situation yesterday rebutted a radio report that the Eagles and unsigned first-round pick Brodrick Bunkley had agreed to a deal, only to see agent Gary Wichard have second thoughts and back out. The defensive tackle missed his 23d and 24th practices yesterday at Lehigh. A source familiar with negotiations said that one of the big hang-ups remains the number of years in the deal. The Eagles would like to sign Bunkley to a six-year contract, while Wichard reportedly is seeking a five-year deal.

A frustrating season for Brodrick Bunkley got much worse Sunday night, when Bunkley suffered ligament damage in his left elbow on the second play from scrimmage of the Eagles' 27-24 victory at San Francisco. Bunkley is probably done for the season, Eagles coach Andy Reid said last night on his radio show. "He's going to have to have surgery on that elbow," Reid said. "That's not a good thing. He had ligament damage in there. The nerve to where your funny bone is, that nerve shifted and so they have to go in and straighten it out. It's not a career-ending thing, but it's going to take time to get him back.

The defensive tackle was projected to go in the top 10. The offensive tackle was projected to go in the first round. One slipped slightly, the other fell mightily, and the Eagles ended up with two players - Brodrick Bunkley and Winston Justice - they swear they had targeted with the 14th overall pick. That, in coach Andy Reid's estimation, made for a great first day of the draft. "To be honest with you ... I thought we might have a shot at Justice, but Bunkley I didn't think would fall," Reid said after the Eagles traded up in the second round and used the 39th overall pick to complete the Bunkley-Justice exacta.

TO TELL THE complete truth, that day in St. Louis was not yesterday and does not seem like yesterday; too many sports hernias (and other pains) under the bridge since then. This really did begin a long time ago. The reference is to the first NFC Championship Game under coach Andy Reid, following the 2001 season. It was the one where the Eagles fell 52 yards short of winning and quarterback Donovan McNabb famously sneaked out to the edge of the field to watch the shiny confetti fall and to see the Rams celebrate.

Last season, Brodrick Bunkley watched as the Eagles struggled to contain the rushing attacks of many opponents. His vantage point was through the window of Andy Reid's doghouse. One reason the Eagles selected Bunkley in the first round of the 2006 draft was their belief that he could use his strength and quickness to stuff running backs. They also figured the 305-pound defensive tackle would pressure quarterbacks and reach a point where it often would require two blockers to handle him so the linebackers could freely go about their business.

The Eagles reentered the free-agent phase of their off-season yesterday by signing a defensive tackle known for his ability to stop the run. After visiting with the New England Patriots a day earlier, Ian Scott signed a one-year deal with the Eagles. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but he likely received slightly more than the veteran minimum salary of $595,000. He made $460,000 last season with the Chicago Bears and started in 10 of the team's 19 games, including their Super Bowl loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

EAGLES offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg likes to say "every game is different. " The same axiom apparently applies to team physicals. The Eagles' trade of running back Ronnie Brown to Detroit for running back Jerome Harrison and a 2013 seventh-round draft pick came undone yesterday when Harrison did not pass his Philadelphia physical. Passing the physical is a condition of NFL trades. During training camp, a trade of defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley to Cleveland fell apart when Bunkley didn't pass his Browns physical.

CHAMPIONSHIPS are built with a lot of different pieces. They are built with high-round, high-expectation draft picks like Jeremy Maclin and Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson. And they are built with mid- and late-round finds like Trent Cole and Brent Celek and Moise Fokou. They are built with Neiman-Marcus Pro Bowlers that you spent a small fortune to acquire, like Asante Samuel and Jason Peters. They are built with guys you were willing to give a second chance, like Michael Vick.

Brodrick Bunkley, the defensive tackle who started every game for the Eagles for the last two years, may be out for the season after suffering a ligament injury in his left elbow, coach Andy Reid said Monday. Bunkley will need surgery, Reid said on his weekly radio show on WIP-AM (610). "It looks like Bunkley is possibly done for the year," Reid said. "He's got surgery on that elbow. That's not a good thing. He had ligament damage in there. " Reid also said the nerve by the funny bone "shifted" due to the injury he picked up in Sunday's victory over the 49ers.

A frustrating season for Brodrick Bunkley got much worse Sunday night, when Bunkley suffered ligament damage in his left elbow on the second play from scrimmage of the Eagles' 27-24 victory at San Francisco. Bunkley is probably done for the season, Eagles coach Andy Reid said last night on his radio show. "He's going to have to have surgery on that elbow," Reid said. "That's not a good thing. He had ligament damage in there. The nerve to where your funny bone is, that nerve shifted and so they have to go in and straighten it out. It's not a career-ending thing, but it's going to take time to get him back.

UP NEXT Who: Atlanta at Eagles When: Sunday, 1 p.m. Where: Lincoln Financial Field TV: Fox Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM), WIP (610-AM) Series history: Eagles lead, 16-11-1. Last meeting: Eagles won, 34-7, last December in Michael Vick's return to the Georgia Dome. INJURY REPORT Jason Peters: Knee Brodrick Bunkley: Elbow DeSean Jackson: Knee, but seems fine. Trent Cole: Hamstring, returned to the game. TWEET, TWEET Sampling of Daily News writers' thoughts on Twitter during last night's game: @LesBowen: Wonderful start.

The Arizona Cardinals might have been the last team that Eagles defensive tackles Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley wanted to see a second time this season. It's not because either man fears the Cardinals. It's just that when the Eagles trounced Arizona, 48-20, on Thanksgiving night at Lincoln Financial Field, neither Patterson nor Bunkley left the bench all that much. With the Cardinals having fallen behind by 21-0 early, they went almost exclusively to the air, running the football only 10 times while trying 39 passes.

The South Philadelphia home of Eagles defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley was burglarized over the weekend, and five guns were taken, police said last night. Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman, said Bunkley notified police at 1 a.m. Saturday after returning from an exhibition loss in Pittsburgh. Vanore said the weapons were registered, but he declined to identify the types because of the ongoing investigation. "There are all different calibers of weapons," Vanore said. Bunkley, 24, missed the last two days of training camp.

Last season, Brodrick Bunkley watched as the Eagles struggled to contain the rushing attacks of many opponents. His vantage point was through the window of Andy Reid's doghouse. One reason the Eagles selected Bunkley in the first round of the 2006 draft was their belief that he could use his strength and quickness to stuff running backs. They also figured the 305-pound defensive tackle would pressure quarterbacks and reach a point where it often would require two blockers to handle him so the linebackers could freely go about their business.

IT SEEMED LIKE just the typical coach-player back and forth over a contract holdout. A year ago at training camp, when Eagles coach Andy Reid was asked about rookie defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley catching up after missing 2 weeks of training camp he responded: "I'd want to think that [he could]. But, the track record of that position and holdouts is not good over the last 9 years. Or, let me say this, the last nine guys that have been drafted at that spot that have held out - it has not been a good thing.

When Eagles free safety Brian Dawkins went to bed Saturday night, he knew he wasn't going to be able to play yesterday against the Detroit Lions. He knew something else, too: The Eagles' defense would be just fine with Quintin Mikell in his place. "It wasn't a surprise to me," Dawkins said yesterday after watching Mikell contribute a sack, a quarterback hurry, and a fumble recovery to a 56-21 rout that gave the Eagles their first win in three games. It marked the first start of Mikell's five-year NFL career.