On the Birds Beat-McNabb Wearing Protective Visor - Thursday, October 30, 2008
198 Views :: 0 Comments ::  :: Team - Eagles, Brian Seltzer -Injuries: Shawn Andrews did not practice (back; sustained 9/15 @ Cowboys; will not play @ Seahawks) LJ Smith did not practice (concussion; sustained 10/26 vs. Falcons) Juquah Parker practiced on a limtied basis (knee; sustained 10/5 vs. Redskins) Jason Avant practiced on a limited basis (trap; sustained 10/26 vs. Falcons) -With TE LJ Smith observing practice from the sideline for a second straight day, the chances of him taking the field Sunday seem slimmer. His back-up, Brent Celek, indicated that there's a possibility Smith could return to workout tomorrow. -QB Donovan McNabb wore a protective plastic visor to cover the opening of his helment in order to provide protection for the eye he scratched Sunday against the Falcons. Prior to yesterday, McNabb had never played with a visor before. -McNabb also said he's not sure whether he'll end up wearing the visor on Sunday at Seattle. -The atmosphere around the Nova Care Complex today was very upbeat, attributable to the Phillies' World Series-clinching victory last night. McNabb texted several members of the club, including Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Charlie Manuel, to offer his congratulations. Perhaps McNabb is the lucky charm. He did, after all, introduce the Phillies Game 5 lineup for the FOX TV broadcast... -An issue raised to several Eagles today was the impact that the Phillies World Series win will have on their club, i.e. will it provide inspiration/motivation, is there any jealousy that another team ended the city's championship drought, etc. The Birds that discussed the topics, virtually to a man, agreed that the Phils clinching the title would serve as motivation. Even though no players would say they feel any jealousy towards their South Philly neighbors, it wasn't too hard to to tell that some were a little disappointed their squad wasn't the one to stop the streak. -Following their afternoon practice, a few Eagles engaged in an interesting competition inside the lockerroom to see who could leap vertically from the ground and touch the ceiling (exactly 10 feet, 6 inches from the floor). The challenge appeared to be initiated by SS Quintin Mikell to CB Lito Sheppard. Shepaprd, a mere 5'10 who posted an impressive 41.5" verticle at the scouting combine, managed to swipe the ceiling with a running start, but came up short by about the length of a fingernail in a straight verticle jump. Rookie FS Quinten Demps also got involved, as did MLB Stewart Bradley, WLB Akeem Jordan, and RG Max Jean Gilles (he actually scraped the ceiling, which is no big feat considering that he stands at 6'5 tall, but considering his 358-pound frame, that's not too bad). -Speaking of Lito Sheppard, who tallied an INT and 4 PD vs. Atlanta, Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson said that the corner's showing would not influence him to give Sheppard more playing time going forward. Harsh, but not surprising to Sheppard himself. -Hear more from Sheppard in my one-on-one conversation with the corner airing this Sunday on the Drive to the Game with Jack McCaffery, Greg Cosell, and Joe DeCamara. -The Birds practiced outdoors, much to the dismay of California native DeSean Jackson, after working out under the bubble yesterday. -The Eagles have adjusted their schedule tomorrow due to the Phillies World Series Parade Celebration. They'll move their practice start time up an hour to 10:30 AM, and fly West at 1:30 PM instead of at 4:00 PM. |