Training camp report Day 2 (Abbreviated version)
I was only able to see one team period on Thursday before heading down to Gillette to cover the Pats, but there are still some takeaways from the 45 minutes I did see during Day 2…
Structure
It’s still very much an NFL-style camp. No wasted minutes, guys running from drill to drill or team period to team period. There’s also the obvious emphasis on the little details in the indy periods, with coaches making sure guys aren’t just going through the motions, but rather doing everything right instead of quickly. Once again, things got started right at 8:45, not 8:47 or 8:50, 8:45 sharp. The energy the staff welcomes guys with as they head over to the practice fields is impressive too, making sure guys are jacked up. You can hear them from the garage.
O-line already has continuity
As we talked about all spring and leading up to practice, the guys that have been here for a while (Taylor, Bowry, Cline, Allick and Daugherty) have that chemistry already whether together or working The O-line hasn’t been an issue through two days that I’ve seen, although there’s been some pre-snap stuff in team periods that needs to get cleaned up. More on that in a bit…
QBs dead even so far
I’ll say this with the preface that I only saw the one team period on Thursday, but neither guy has looked that much better than the other through let’s call it a practice and a half. If you just watch with the naked eye during the early portions of practice when QBs are throwing to WRs against air, it just looks and feels like James’ ball has more zip on it while Lonergan’s sort of takes a little while to get there. I didn’t see any deep balls during my time on Thursday, so not sure if that improved from Wednesday. I’m no QB expert obviously, but it does seem different coming out of both their hands from a force/speed perspective.
Tight end group underrated?
Between Ty Lockwood, Kaelan Chudzinski (who has stood out the most through the two days), Jeremiah Franklin, Zeke Moore or really anyone else, the size is there and they can all catch the ball. We’ll know a lot more once scrimmages roll around, but I think this group is deep enough for 3-4 guys to contribute regularly.
Team period breakdown
Here’s what I saw in the one team period I was able to watch…
-Kwan Williams went offside on the first snap, Lewis Bond had a false start on the second snap with Lonergan under center. Both guys had to do pushups. Lonergan hit Lockwood in the flat, an out to Jordan McDonald, McDonald had a nice run and Owen Stoudmire blew up a screen. He’s going to be so good in the middle for that defense. Lonergan also had a pass broken up by Edwin Kolenge, who stayed with tight end Brady Clough on a crosser after dropping out. There was also a low snap that rolled to Lonergan and he hit McLaughlin in the flat for a short completion. After the bad snap, Logan Taylor went over and pep talked the huddle briefly, showing those leadership qualities early.
-James had handoffs to Alex Broome and Turbo Richard, a completion to Luke McLaughlin in the flat, a little screen to Turbo and a throwaway on a rollout.
Right after I left I also heard there was the first scuffle in camp. Bill shut that stuff down quickly last season, but given some lethargy for the offense so far, I wonder if it’ll be tolerated a bit more for the first few days to get the juices flowing. In a team post to social media where he’s speaking after Thursday’s practice, he clearly tells the guys the defense has shown up more than the offense so far, but that the team is ‘on the right track.’
The Eagles are off on Friday before back-to-back practices on Saturday and Sunday. As long as I get my muffler fixed (brutal driving day), I plan on being at both in full.
