Ryan Moats

The Eagles signed rookie free-agent quarterback Matt Nordgren yesterday. Nordgren, 23, spent the last three years at Texas backing up Vince Young, the 2006 Rose Bowl MVP and the NFL's third overall draft pick. Nordgren appeared in 19 games with the Longhorns, completing 8 of 14 passes for 60 yards, and rushing for 79 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. As a senior, he was the holder on special teams, a position held on the Eagles by backup quarterback Koy Detmer the last several seasons.

There were no surprises among the eight roster cuts the Eagles announced yesterday, which brings them from 75 to 67 players. They must get to the regular-season limit of 53 by 6 p.m. today. Released were: wide receivers Bam Childress and Jamal Jones, cornerbacks Therrian Fontenot and Nick Graham, running back Ryan Moats (waived/injured), safety Marcus Paschal, offensive lineman Stefan Rodgers and linebacker Pago Tagofau. Once Moats gets over the high ankle sprain he suffered at the end of the Patriots' preseason game, it will be interesting to see if someone takes a shot with the 2005 third-round pick.

When Mary Kaye Jacono entered the Miss Philadelphia pageant two years ago, she sang, strutted and spoke her way to first runner-up and vowed to come back again. On Saturday night, the Delaware County native took home the crown and a $10,000 scholarship along with the title of Miss Congeniality. "I had such a wonderful time, I wanted to come back and give it another try," said Jacono, 23, a second-year law student at Villanova University. "Luckily, it worked out for me. " The 16 contestants were judged on their interviewing skills, talent, evening wear, answers to onstage questions, and swimwear.

Maritza Thomas, the wife of NFL linebacker Zach Thomas, saw a familiar face as she watched the video of Officer Robert Powell detaining Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats as he and his family rushed to a hospital to see a dying loved one. Officer Powell's. On July 27, 2008, while her husband was at training camp with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., Maritza Thomas was pulled over by Powell for an illegal U-turn, the Dallas Morning News reported. Maritza Thomas was issued five tickets by Powell, four of which were later dismissed.

With so much roster transition, this Eagles training camp is going to be even more crucial than usual. Birds coach Andy Reid told reporters last week when OTAs ended that he'd told players to be prepared for a tough camp, one in which the team will be cloistered at Lehigh about a week longer than usual before returning to NovaCare. One reflection of how management views the importance of this camp is that yesterday's signings of quarterback Mike Kafka and tight end Clay Harbor give the team nine signed draft picks out of its large draft class of 13, the most drafted rookies the Eagles have had during the era of the seven-round draft.

This time, Brian Westbrook's right knee hurt enough to prevent the running back from taking the field. The Eagles have to hope it is the last time that happens, but there is some serious concern that this could be a lingering problem. A team source said before last night's game against the Green Bay Packers that Westbrook had his knee drained a few weeks ago, and it has not been ruled out that he will have to have that procedure done again. Westbrook, who had been listed as questionable, had an extra day to get ready for this game, and he said Friday that he was getting better.

Seattle cornerback Andre Dyson, who scored two touchdowns against the Eagles on Monday night, will likely miss the final four games of the regular season with a high left-ankle sprain. Coach Mike Holmgren left open the possibility of Dyson returning for the playoffs, for which the NFC leaders and West division champions (10-2) are already qualified. "How long the injury goes, we have to cross that bridge," Holmgren said. Dyson sprained the left ankle when he was tackled at the goal line at the end of his 25-yard fumble return for Seattle's final touchdown.

With Brian Westbrook providing all manner of sprinkles in the featured role, no one could say the Eagles' running backs were plain vanilla in 2006. But, with the addition of Tony Hunt, the big, physical back who rushed for 1,386 yards as a Penn State senior, coach Andy Reid might be ready to again scoop out the touches in a flavorful variety. "He gives us another flavor back there, a bit of a changeup," Reid said of the 6-2, 230-pound Hunt, whom the Eagles selected in the third round, the 90th pick overall.

DANIEL Te'o-Nesheim might have been doomed here from the moment the Eagles selected him in the third round of the 2010 draft. The team hasn't really taken a third-rounder it ended up liking since Brian Westbrook in 2002. The litany of disappointment since then includes Billy McMullen (2003), Matt Ware (2004), Ryan Moats (2005), Tony Hunt (2007) and Bryan Smith (2008). Stewart Bradley (2007) was a decent player who quickly fell out of favor following a knee injury. Te'o-Nesheim was signed off the Eagles' practice squad yesterday by the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats said he feared for his wife's safety when he was detained by a Dallas police officer as his mother-in-law was dying. "I was afraid for her because he was pointing a gun at her," Moats told ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" yesterday. When Officer Robert Powell first pulled him over outside a Plano, Texas, hospital, "I didn't realize what was going on at the time," said Moats, an ex-Eagle. "Once I got out, I realized it was pretty serious.

DANIEL Te'o-Nesheim might have been doomed here from the moment the Eagles selected him in the third round of the 2010 draft. The team hasn't really taken a third-rounder it ended up liking since Brian Westbrook in 2002. The litany of disappointment since then includes Billy McMullen (2003), Matt Ware (2004), Ryan Moats (2005), Tony Hunt (2007) and Bryan Smith (2008). Stewart Bradley (2007) was a decent player who quickly fell out of favor following a knee injury. Te'o-Nesheim was signed off the Eagles' practice squad yesterday by the Tampa Bay Bucs.

THE NICKNAMES that have sprung up for Chris Johnson are funny - unless you drafted him. Most are a play off the CJ2K moniker he picked up when he ran for 2,000 yards 2 years ago. Only now, Johnson has been referred to as CJ0K or CJ2.8, which refers to his dreadful yards per carry average. "There's going to be people questioning what he's doing just because he's paid how he is and he's perceived to be one of the top backs in the league, so people expect an awful lot from him every time he steps on the field," said Titans coach Mike Munchak . "When you come short of that . . . everyone's trying to figure out what's wrong.

With so much roster transition, this Eagles training camp is going to be even more crucial than usual. Birds coach Andy Reid told reporters last week when OTAs ended that he'd told players to be prepared for a tough camp, one in which the team will be cloistered at Lehigh about a week longer than usual before returning to NovaCare. One reflection of how management views the importance of this camp is that yesterday's signings of quarterback Mike Kafka and tight end Clay Harbor give the team nine signed draft picks out of its large draft class of 13, the most drafted rookies the Eagles have had during the era of the seven-round draft.

Selecting running backs is something the Eagles have always done later rather than sooner during coach Andy Reid's decade as the head coach, but that may change in Saturday's first round of the NFL draft. "Everybody is always looking for the next Terrell Davis," former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick said during an NFL Network conference call Monday. Davis, taken 196th overall in the sixth round of the 1995 draft, led the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowls, but the truth is it's a real longshot to find a player like that.

EAGLES general manager Tom Heckert spent more than an hour yesterday telling reporters everything and nothing. Unlike his boss, Andy Reid, who has dramatically increased his use of the phrase "I'm not going to get into that," Heckert answered every question thrown at him during his annual predraft Q & A that didn't include mention of Tony Hunt or Ryan Moats. That's the good news. The bad news is none of his answers really provided any insight into what the Eagles want to do with their two first-round draft picks.

The police officer who pulled out his gun and threatened ex-Eagles running back Ryan Moats with jail instead of allowing him inside a hospital where his mother-in-law was dying resigned yesterday. Officer Robert Powell had been placed on paid leave pending an investigation of the March 18 incident. "I made this decision in the hope that my resignation will allow the Dallas Police Department, my fellow officers and the citizens of Dallas to better reflect on this experience, learn from the mistakes made, and move forward," Powell said in a statement issued through his attorneys.

Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats said he feared for his wife's safety when he was detained by a Dallas police officer as his mother-in-law was dying. "I was afraid for her because he was pointing a gun at her," Moats told ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" yesterday. When Officer Robert Powell first pulled him over outside a Plano, Texas, hospital, "I didn't realize what was going on at the time," said Moats, an ex-Eagle. "Once I got out, I realized it was pretty serious.

Maritza Thomas, the wife of NFL linebacker Zach Thomas, saw a familiar face as she watched the video of Officer Robert Powell detaining Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats as he and his family rushed to a hospital to see a dying loved one. Officer Powell's. On July 27, 2008, while her husband was at training camp with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., Maritza Thomas was pulled over by Powell for an illegal U-turn, the Dallas Morning News reported. Maritza Thomas was issued five tickets by Powell, four of which were later dismissed.

THE EAGLES HAVE been here before, in desperate need of a way to change the conversation. For our sake but for their sake, too, they need to give themselves something fresh to grasp next season other than another failed conference championship game. The last time, in 2004, brought Terrell Owens. And, well, they wouldn't dare. Still, it would seem another receiver of some ability can be expected this offseason, too, given the disappearance of Reggie Brown. But short of an established star, it won't matter.

David Akers spent his 34th birthday Tuesday visiting Children's Hospital as part of his Kicks for Kids Foundation, enjoying some rare free time with his family, and feeling pretty certain he wouldn't have to answer questions from the media suggesting his future as the Eagles' kicker was in jeopardy. "I've tried this year not to pay attention to what's in the media," Akers said the other day. "So the only way I knew people were saying things was by the questions I was being asked.