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The Eagles' 10th straight training camp at Lehigh University promises more than its share of drama.
Monday, July 25, 2005
By NICK FIERRO
The Express-Times
Terrell Owens and Corey Simon may not be there, but the rest of their Philadelphia Eagles teammates definitely will be, along with many thousands of their fans and their expectations.

Coming off their first Super Bowl appearance in 24 years, the Eagles will assemble at Lehigh University for the 10th straight year to begin in earnest a mission which they believe will end with the Vince Lombardi Trophy coming to Philadelphia for the first time.

First-year players and selected veterans are due to report Friday. Practices begin the next day. The rest of the team reports on Aug. 1, with the first full-squad, full-pads workout to be held on Aug. 3.

"You come off a Super Bowl, you aren't going to sneak up on anybody," head coach Andy Reid said at the conclusion of the team's final offseason mini-camp last month. "Our guys are in pretty good shape right now and (should) be in better shape when they come back, and I expect this training camp to be great competition."

Not to mention great theater, even though Owens, a record-breaking wide receiver who was a big part of last season's offensive juggernaut, and Simon, a starting defensive tackle, may not be part of it.

Owens and powerhouse agent Drew Rosenhaus have not revealed their exact plan for extracting more guaranteed money from the team. In fact, last week they did not even appear to be on the same page when Owens told the Philadelphia Inquirer he would report to camp and Rosenhaus followed it up by saying that was not necessarily true.

The drama will no doubt continue right up to Aug. 1 -- and possibly beyond.

Owens' reception by the fans following last year's love-fest will be, without a doubt, the most interesting and anticipated happening at Lehigh if he decides to show by the time the Eagles practice for the final time in front of fans on Aug. 13.

Simon won't even be eligible to report unless he either signs the one-year tender that automatically was offered as the result of being designated the team's franchise player or signs a new negotiated contract -- whichever comes first. Neither is likely to happen soon.

"I think that any time you go to the Super Bowl, whether you win or loose, you are going to have contract issues come up," Reid said. "That is just the name of the game. I have talked with other coaches with other teams in the city here that have been on championship teams, and it has been the same way. So that is the name of the business and that is the way it was when I was with Green Bay, but that does not mean you can't continue to win."

Winning in the playoffs, specifically.

That is something the Eagles have done more than anyone in the NFC over the past half-decade. Reid's 7-5 postseason record is far from legendary, but in the salary-cap era, it has been better than anyone not named Bill Belichick, the coach who directed the New England Patriots to a 24-21 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX last February.

The loss left the players more hungry than devastated, and it is the main reason they believe they will not follow the path of most Super Bowl losers and fall into oblivion.

"I can improve a lot," said Donovan McNabb, who owns the highest winning percentage (.709) of any active regular quarterback in the league and in less than six full seasons has moved into third place on the team's all-time list in pass attempts (2,586), completions (1,507), yards (16,926) and touchdowns (118). "I think all of us in this league can improve and anytime you are satisfied by the success that you have had, then it's over.

"I just continue to work hard each offseason and just try to prepare myself to do better than I did in the previous year. When you talk about winning the Super Bowl, that is kind of the pinnacle of your career. It is sad that we have to be measured or we have to be kind of looked upon by how great people are by how many Super Bowls they have won. But its one thing to win it, and it's another thing to be in it. So I would rather win it and then talk about it later."

Shawn Andrews, forced to the sideline for all of last season after breaking his leg in the opener, also believes this team is capable of greater things. That was what kept the giant offensive lineman going after his ensuing injury-related depression.

"I know I still have another chance to be a part of a team that's eventually going to win a Super Bowl," he said.

Andrews also will be one of the key players to watch in this season's camp. After losing guard Jermane Mayberry to free agency, the offensive line does not appear to be as deep this season. Andrews and Artis Hicks, who became a full-time starter last season when Andrews went down, will man the guard spots alongside center Hank Fraley, who is coming off an extremely shaky Super Bowl appearance, and bookend tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan.

Another area of intrigue is wide receiver. Even if Owens does return to claim his spot, there will be some interesting competition among veterans Greg Lewis, Billy McMullen, Justin Jenkins and rookie Reggie Brown, a second-round draft pick, for the third (slot) spot. If Owens doesn't come back, two of them likely will see a lot of action.

Either way, look for this to be a make-or-break year for McMullen, who has caught just four passes in 12 games since being drafted in the third round in 2003.

A similar battle could be brewing for the spots along the defensive line, which the Eagles hope was bolstered by the addition of first-round draft pick Mike Patterson, but could be weakened if Simon never shows. Patterson will be hoping to work his way into defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's four-man rotation at defensive tackle.

Johnson also likes to rotate four ends. That rotation, no matter how the preseason competition plays out, is guaranteed to feature a different look because one of last season's starters, right end Derrick Burgess, was lost to free agency.

Jerome McDougle, a first-round pick in 2003, has been installed in his place, but N.D. Kalu will have something to say about that. Kalu, a starter in 2003, missed all of last season after blowing out his knee in training camp. He is back and he is healthy.

Other projected new starters this season are tight end L.J. Smith, who is replacing Chad Lewis, and weakside linebacker Keith Adams, who has moved ahead of Mark Simoneau on the depth chart.

Lewis, who broke his foot in last season's NFC championship game, may be re-signed by the Eagles at some point this season if he gets healthy enough to play again, but Smith has been groomed as his successor and likely would have taken over as the starter anyway.

While the Eagles are guaranteed to have a different look this season, none of them expect the results to change. This team has been to its conference championship game for four years running, something not even the Patriots can claim.

But no matter where they end, they always begin at Lehigh, a site that always has provided the ultimate kick-start. Fans flock from near and far, gridlocking the roads, constantly yelling those annoying chants. The whole scenario is treated with the kind of hype that dwarfs that of all the previous Super Bowls combined.

For hardcore football fans, not to mention players, there is nothing more beautiful than that.