Speaker 1: Happy Saturday, everybody and welcomed inside training camp presented by Xfinity.
Speaker 1: Dave Spidero along with Chris McPherson at the Novicare Complex
Speaker 1: the Eagles on Saturday, conducting at ten ten ten practice
Speaker 1: with an eye towards Thursday and the preseason opener. But
Speaker 1: I think, Chris, the big story right now is the
Speaker 1: list of injuries that this team has. So let's get
Speaker 1: you updated on that list right now. Nothing really serious here, Chris,
Speaker 1: but some injuries that are keeping some players you'd like
Speaker 1: to see out on the field, particularly when Delle Smallwood.
Speaker 1: See what kind of reps he can get, a kind
Speaker 1: of contribution he can make to this offense. Certainly, he
Speaker 1: looks so great when the shells and shorts were on
Speaker 1: in the spring and the early part of training camp,
Speaker 1: and he said, you know what, you can't wait to
Speaker 1: see how he's going to handle the physicality of running
Speaker 1: in between the tackles, how hold up in pass protection.
Speaker 1: And unfortunately we haven't been able to see that because
Speaker 1: he has not been out there since the pads went on.
Speaker 1: So as Eagles try to figure out how the running
Speaker 1: back rotation will work, Ryan Matthews is back on the field,
Speaker 1: and the coach were very happy with how he's performed.
Speaker 1: Darren Sproles, He's Darren Sprowles. We know what we're gonna
Speaker 1: get from him this season. But who are gonna be
Speaker 1: those guys? You know, third, fourth, fifth on the depth chart,
Speaker 1: you figure Smallwood was in a good position to work
Speaker 1: his way in there carve out some playing time, but
Speaker 1: unfortunately we just haven't been able to see him healthy
Speaker 1: during these contact drills. And hopefully that will change very
Speaker 1: soon and perhaps Smallwood gets back on the field in
Speaker 1: the next couple of days and gets ready for Thursday,
Speaker 1: and if not, we'll see a lot of Kenyon Barner,
Speaker 1: and we'll see a lot of Byron Marshall and Cedric
Speaker 1: O'Neill and that crew and see how the Eagles fair
Speaker 1: in preseason game at number one. But none of those
Speaker 1: injuries considered long term, and so that is the good news.
Speaker 1: During a very physical camp, Eagles backing off on Saturday
Speaker 1: with the ten ten ten work. After practice, offensive coordinator
Speaker 1: Frank Reich talked about the offense and focused on a
Speaker 1: really deep and talented group that could leave the Eagles
Speaker 1: in the passing game this year. That's the tight end position.
Speaker 1: And that is where we start with Frank Reich, offensive coordinator.
Speaker 1: You're right, tight ends is a strength of this roster,
Speaker 1: of this offensive unit. And you know, if you look
Speaker 1: at Doug System and what they did in Kansas City
Speaker 1: with their tight ends and how we'll utilize them here,
Speaker 1: it'll be very consistent with that. And we got the
Speaker 1: players to do it, you know, we can mix it up.
Speaker 1: They're all really good, smart route runners, every one of them,
Speaker 1: and so we expect really good production from that unit.
Speaker 1: Zach has a great feel on route running. You know,
Speaker 1: he just knows how to create leverage. He knows how
Speaker 1: to use his body, he knows you know, he's a
Speaker 1: big catch, catch radius. You know, Trey trays like a
Speaker 1: wide receiver out there. You get him out there, He's
Speaker 1: got the speed, he's got natural instinctive moves for a
Speaker 1: tight end. And one of the surprises for me though,
Speaker 1: has been Brent. You know. I mean I came in
Speaker 1: here thinking, you know, hey, Brents are blocking tight end.
Speaker 1: But the guy knows how to run routes. He's really
Speaker 1: smart receive. He's a really smart route runner. And I
Speaker 1: have a lot of confidence in them. So and I
Speaker 1: know the quarterbacks do as well, so that's a really
Speaker 1: good thing for us. Yeah, our three tight end personnel
Speaker 1: package is a really strong package dress just because of
Speaker 1: the versatility of those players. They're all very instinctive route runners.
Speaker 1: They're all good block you know, they can all block,
Speaker 1: So it's a way to it's a different way to
Speaker 1: try to create a mismatch. You know, sometimes you can
Speaker 1: create a mismatch by getting a guy who's bigger and
Speaker 1: stronger than a than a corner covering him. You know,
Speaker 1: those corners are used to covering small, fast guys. Now
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you get a big you know,
Speaker 1: someone like Trey Burton or Zach Ertz, who are big guys,
Speaker 1: big catching radius, and you know, sometimes dB struggle with
Speaker 1: that a little bit. Those guys know how to use
Speaker 1: their body and their catch radius to their advantage, so
Speaker 1: we gotta find ways to continue to use that to
Speaker 1: our advantage. It's truly consistent with what Frank has been
Speaker 1: saying throughout the spring and through the summer that the
Speaker 1: Eagles tight ends, including Brent Selik, who's not just a big, blocking,
Speaker 1: burly guy, they're going to be a big part of
Speaker 1: things in this offense. I think we all expect that
Speaker 1: five tight ends led their individual teams and receiving last
Speaker 1: season could have happened for the Eagles this season. I
Speaker 1: don't know exactly what that will be the case, but
Speaker 1: the tight ends are obviously going to be a big
Speaker 1: focal point of the receiving game. And that's something that
Speaker 1: we thought would happen back in twenty thirteen when the
Speaker 1: Eagles drafted Zach Ertz in the second round out of Stanford.
Speaker 1: You had urged Brent Seliki, figure they're going to try
Speaker 1: to get those guys on the field as much as possible. Well,
Speaker 1: that never really came to fruition during the Chip Kelly era.
Speaker 1: Now you're factor and Trey Burton, who has really made
Speaker 1: strides throughout the course of this training camp, and the
Speaker 1: Eagles have three prolific pass catchers that they can utilized
Speaker 1: to create mismatches. And Dave, you understand this. The Eagles
Speaker 1: offense really want to look weekend a week out to
Speaker 1: see what the best matchup that they're gonna be able
Speaker 1: to get. And it's just gonna be so difficult when
Speaker 1: you look at these tight ends to see a linebacker
Speaker 1: or a safety or a corner whoever you want to
Speaker 1: put against these tight ends would be able to hold
Speaker 1: up against them in coverage. The Eagles, I think can
Speaker 1: dominate the middle of the field here in twenty fifteen,
Speaker 1: and the fourth tight ends, the fourth tight end to
Speaker 1: consider Chris Pantel, who's been working as a fullback. So
Speaker 1: it is very likely I think at this point as
Speaker 1: we watch practice, the Eagles will carry four and you
Speaker 1: see them in practice moving the tight ends around the formation,
Speaker 1: bunching the tight ends, and as we've talked about looking
Speaker 1: for the very best matchups, now, zach Ertz is somebody
Speaker 1: that you want to see blossom from the very beginning
Speaker 1: of the season at a tremendous end of the two
Speaker 1: and fifteen campaign. Zach Ertz also understands just how Doug
Speaker 1: Peterson used the tight ends in Kansas City, led by
Speaker 1: Travis Kelsey, a Pro Bowl player last year. Is there
Speaker 1: a comparison between what the Eagles have on paper and
Speaker 1: in the preseason here to what Kansas City has done
Speaker 1: with its tight ends or it's talks about that in
Speaker 1: a whole lot more. As he looks at this group
Speaker 1: in total, Yeah, I mean, our guys are a little
Speaker 1: different than their guys, they have pretty much two blocking
Speaker 1: tight ends and one receiver. In our opinion, we have
Speaker 1: three of both three blocking and three receiving tight ends
Speaker 1: in that set, So I think it's I think it's
Speaker 1: gonna help us a lot in those situations when you
Speaker 1: have one receiver in three tight ends in the game,
Speaker 1: defenses don't really know whether to go base or nickel.
Speaker 1: But if they're gonna put an extra linebackers, it's gonna
Speaker 1: be tough for them to stop us in the passing game.
Speaker 1: In my opinion. Obviously, we gotta go out there and
Speaker 1: make plays when the time comes, but I think that's
Speaker 1: the mindset behind putting three of us on the field.
Speaker 1: Last week, we talked about Jason Peters on my list
Speaker 1: of mies most Invaluable Eagles. I think that's the word
Speaker 1: what to use, but Jason Peters is the way up there.
Speaker 1: Zach Ertz also really high on that list of Eagles
Speaker 1: you must have on the field this year. I think
Speaker 1: he catches north of eighty passes this year easily. I
Speaker 1: think that you watch him in these preseason moments, these
Speaker 1: training cameras, he is being targeted over and over and over.
Speaker 1: Now he's improved in line blocking. He's too much of
Speaker 1: a matchup problem. When he's lined up wide, he's too
Speaker 1: big for his safety, He's too fast for a linebacker.
Speaker 1: Zach Ertz, I believe, will be the leading receiver on
Speaker 1: this team and maybe the receiver best suited to stretch defenses.
Speaker 1: There's no real burner on the outside, so if you
Speaker 1: can get Ertz lined up against a linebacker, you want
Speaker 1: him going vertically. Linebackers just can't run with Zach Ertz.
Speaker 1: So he's off to a great start this summer, and
Speaker 1: I think everybody's really pleased with Zach Hurst and believes
Speaker 1: that he and possibly Jordan Matthews catching a lot of
Speaker 1: footballs compelling argument may be the number one guy or
Speaker 1: this season. What is good about the fact that Art
Speaker 1: had to be kind of behind the scenes the last
Speaker 1: couple of seasons and learned to block better is the
Speaker 1: fact that now that he's going to be entrusted to
Speaker 1: be a bigger part of the offense, he's going to
Speaker 1: have that as part of his repertoire and be able
Speaker 1: to be counted upon time after time again. Davey made
Speaker 1: the comparison to Kansas City and Travis Kelsey, who was
Speaker 1: a Pro Bowl player for the Chiefs last season. Well,
Speaker 1: you know, Kelsey was on the field over ninety percent
Speaker 1: of the snaps. We have not seen that from Artz.
Speaker 1: He's been just over fifty percent. He was he had
Speaker 1: more snaps than Selling for the first time just last season.
Speaker 1: And I agree with you than in terms of stretching
Speaker 1: the field, he might be the team's best option. I
Speaker 1: want to see him improved in the red zone. He
Speaker 1: has not been targeted very heavily. He's not produced a
Speaker 1: lot down there. So Kenny improve in the red zone.
Speaker 1: Doug Peterson said. The key with that is scheme, not
Speaker 1: just so much the player himself. And the eything I
Speaker 1: want to see from from Artz is can he be
Speaker 1: consistent from the start to the end of the season.
Speaker 1: The last two years he's great Decembers. You know, going
Speaker 1: into January, we had the thirty catches in the final
Speaker 1: three games, four hundred and fifty yards in the final
Speaker 1: four games, prolific numbers. Can you do it from week
Speaker 1: one and do it on a consistent basis, So that's
Speaker 1: our tight end. Look, we think the tight ends are
Speaker 1: going to be very involved in the Eagles offense. In
Speaker 1: two thousand and sixteen. We also think the wide receivers
Speaker 1: have a chance. It really must be involved, and somehow
Speaker 1: the Eagles need to stretch the field. Perhaps they get
Speaker 1: that contribution from a new Eagle, Chris Gibbons, signed as
Speaker 1: a free agent in the off season. He's here as
Speaker 1: an Eagle, and when we return to inside training Camp
Speaker 1: presented by Exfinity, Chris Givens is our Eagle in focus.
Speaker 1: I got tickets, Metro tickets. You need a Metro ticket?
Speaker 1: Talk to me, please, I don't even know he's the
Speaker 1: real tickets. Did touch it? This leather legit? I mean,
Speaker 1: how do we really know? It looks good? Right? Metro? No?
Speaker 1: Hey myself, I gotta make Does the baby need a
Speaker 1: Metro ticket? I'll give her one on me. These tickets,
Speaker 1: they're not stealing your soul. You can look at them.
Speaker 1: May nobody wants to buy tickets from a guy in
Speaker 1: the street. I don't understand. Hi. I'm Bo Allen from
Speaker 1: the Philadelphia Eagles and this is the Allen from Bob's
Speaker 1: Discount Furniture. We named it after Ball. Thanks Bob, you're
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Speaker 1: do it, Bob, but man, do I respect it? You
Speaker 1: know how players should respect that for big games. Nope,
Speaker 1: we swapped jerseys. Welcome back Dave Spidero along with Chris McPherson.
Speaker 1: We're at an overcare complex on this Saturday, the Eagles
Speaker 1: conducting their ten ten ten practice in the morning and
Speaker 1: getting ready for Sunday and another step closer today's preseason
Speaker 1: opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It'll be our first
Speaker 1: look at Chris gives number nineteen in an Eagle's uniform. Chris,
Speaker 1: what kind of thoughts have you had watching him in practice?
Speaker 1: Working in with his Eagles passing game. We all knew
Speaker 1: that he was a prolific down the field threat early
Speaker 1: on in his career in Saint Louis and Baltimore. In fact,
Speaker 1: is rookie season, he set the NFL rookie record with
Speaker 1: a reception of fifty yards or more in five straight games.
Speaker 1: But here in Philadelphia, wide receivers coach Greg Lewis is
Speaker 1: trying to make him a more complete receiver so one
Speaker 1: who can go on crossing routes, slant and attack the
Speaker 1: middle of the field. And for a closer look at
Speaker 1: one of the new Eagles wide receivers, let's bring in
Speaker 1: our Abbey at Water to profile Chris Gibbins as our
Speaker 1: Eagle in focus. Thanks guys. Originally a fourth round draft
Speaker 1: pick with the Ramps in twenty twelve, Chris Gibbins signed
Speaker 1: as a free agent with the Eagles in March. Known
Speaker 1: for his big playability and speed, Given set a rookie
Speaker 1: record in twenty twelve after he hauled in a fifty
Speaker 1: plus yard reception in five consecutive games. I'm way fashioned
Speaker 1: at my forty time on the football field, and I
Speaker 1: feel like that's what separations me because once the balls
Speaker 1: in the air, it's just another gear that I kick
Speaker 1: in that I've always had that gear since I was loading.
Speaker 1: I just feel like I'm always having given Test found
Speaker 1: his greatest success in the NFL with quarterbacks Sam Bradford
Speaker 1: in Saint Louis. More than half of givings career catches
Speaker 1: have come from Bradford. Givens looks forward to picking up
Speaker 1: where they left off. Both as Philadelphia Eagles Honestly, I
Speaker 1: feel like we type we gotta be gonna pick up
Speaker 1: whele left off. I know Sam pretty well. I feel
Speaker 1: like he knows me pretty well, so I don't think
Speaker 1: it's gonna take us that long to get our chemistry
Speaker 1: back in and just to get on the same table.
Speaker 1: During the twenty fifteen offseason, Bradford was traded. Givens experience
Speaker 1: the same transition when he was traded mid season of
Speaker 1: the same year. Oh Man, last season was a whirlwind, really,
Speaker 1: just because I got the phone called I was traded
Speaker 1: at like nine am, and then I was on a
Speaker 1: flight at like one o'clock and meeting as soon as
Speaker 1: I landed. And from that day only, it was just busy, busy, busy,
Speaker 1: trying to make sure I knew everything and I really
Speaker 1: get a chance to catch my breathtuse for the season
Speaker 1: was over. Life happens and adversity happens in there. There's
Speaker 1: just things I had to go through to get to
Speaker 1: the place I'm at today, and I'm thankful for everything
Speaker 1: I've been through and it's all just a learning process.
Speaker 1: Gibbons tells the media why the Eagles are the right
Speaker 1: fit for him. The organization of itself is going in
Speaker 1: a positive direction. The greatest a great coach and does
Speaker 1: Theaterson and then the receiver's coach in the OCS. The
Speaker 1: vibe is just amazing. All the people were great and
Speaker 1: like you, when you feel something that's right, it's just right.
Speaker 1: Gibbons will see his first live action at Lincoln Financial
Speaker 1: Field on August eleventh against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm
Speaker 1: Abby atwater back to you guys in the studio, Thanks
Speaker 1: so much. Abby. A look here at Chris Gibbons and
Speaker 1: his career statistics played with the Rams, he played with
Speaker 1: the Ravens a bit last year, and the number that
Speaker 1: jumps out at your Chris sixteen point six yards per catch,
Speaker 1: twenty and twelve of good chemistry with Sam Bradford. Good
Speaker 1: chemistry in this training camp so far, and maybe there's
Speaker 1: that level of comfort throwing down the field Bradford to Givens,
Speaker 1: just to open things up for the underneath game, which
Speaker 1: we know is going to be so important in an
Speaker 1: Eagles pass game. I think the biggest thing with the
Speaker 1: Eagles wide receivers is you're not going to know who
Speaker 1: the go to guy is at a given moment. We
Speaker 1: all agree at Jordan Matthews. He is the most prolific
Speaker 1: guy on the receiver. Yes, correct, Yes, but when you
Speaker 1: see Chris gives out there, you're not going to assume
Speaker 1: that's going to be a go route. You know. Ruben
Speaker 1: Randall has had a very nice training camp at this point.
Speaker 1: He's are in praise thus far from head coach Doug Pearson,
Speaker 1: an offensive corder of Frank Reich. So I think the
Speaker 1: biggest thing is they want to keep opposing defense is
Speaker 1: guessing in terms of where the ball is going to
Speaker 1: go at any given time. So if you're a fantasy
Speaker 1: football player, that might not be what you want to hear,
Speaker 1: But for the Eagles offense is gonna be a much
Speaker 1: more balanced look from the wide receiver position in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 1: I think the big challenge for this Eagles offense is
Speaker 1: making it work outside of the numbers with roles, with Matthews,
Speaker 1: with Arts, You're gonna have some success between the hashes
Speaker 1: where you go outside the numbers down the field. And
Speaker 1: that's the importance of Chris Givens. Does he have the
Speaker 1: burst to go over the top something the Eagles of lack.
Speaker 1: Let's be honest, since Jeremy Macklin left, and obviously before
Speaker 1: that to Sean Jackson. Chris Givens comes in here. It's
Speaker 1: a one year contract. It's a show me deal. Chris
Speaker 1: Givens intent on showing the Eagles and the rest of
Speaker 1: the NFL that he still has that burst to get
Speaker 1: down the field. All right, We've got a break coming
Speaker 1: up here when we return Inside training Camp presented by Exfinity,
Speaker 1: we'll set you up here for the next couple of
Speaker 1: days as the Eagles get prepared for Tampa Bay and
Speaker 1: the preseason opener. Love Me Tender, love me sweet. The
Speaker 1: stronger the love let me good, the greater the responsibility.
Speaker 1: But you don't have to do it alone. My life comple.
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Speaker 1: future because this is what you do for people you love.
Speaker 1: Talk to an advisor, Lincoln Financial, you're in charge. I've
Speaker 1: been an athlete for as long as I can remember.
Speaker 1: In the summer, I was taking a long bike ride
Speaker 1: and when I looked up, a tree had fallen across
Speaker 1: the shoulder of the road. And when I came to,
Speaker 1: I couldn't feel anything below my neck, and I thought
Speaker 1: my life had changed forever. I was hell of act
Speaker 1: to Jefferson Hospital and the Rothman doctors did an emergency
Speaker 1: procedure and fused the vertebrae in my spine. Now I'm
Speaker 1: back on the bike. I'm enjoying myself and it's all
Speaker 1: thanks to the Rothman doctors at Jefferson. Mix and match
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Speaker 1: McDonald's mcpick shoe menu. Choose from a mcdoubell, MC chicken sandwich,
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Speaker 1: We welcome you back. It's Inside Training Camp presented by Xcinity,
Speaker 1: Dave SPIDERO Chris McPherson. It's a Saturday, you're relaxing, but
Speaker 1: I can tell you what After a ten ten tend
Speaker 1: practice on Saturday, the Eagles put the pads back on
Speaker 1: Sunday and I expect more of this very physical training camp,
Speaker 1: no question. Only two more days of practice before the
Speaker 1: Eagles have their preseason opener this upcoming Thursday. But let's
Speaker 1: give you a look at what's to come tomorrow here
Speaker 1: on Philadelphi Eagles dot com. If you missed our Eagle
Speaker 1: and Focus with Chris Gibbons, don't worry. We'll have it
Speaker 1: for you on demand, first thing on the site and
Speaker 1: the app tomorrow morning following the physical practice defense. According
Speaker 1: to Jim Schwartz, we'll meet the media. We'll carry that
Speaker 1: live at around eleven am or so. Wondering exactly what
Speaker 1: he'll touch on. Maybe he's gonna be snarling. Oh maybe
Speaker 1: he's a snarl. He's in a snarling mood right now.
Speaker 1: Maybe maybe touch a little bit on the defensive end, rotation,
Speaker 1: Marcus Smith out with a concussion, who's emerging in the battle,
Speaker 1: the position, the depth at linebacker. A lot to look
Speaker 1: forward to, as this will be the last time Schwartz
Speaker 1: talks before the preseason opener. John d. Philippo quarterbacks coach, yep,
Speaker 1: I'm studio looking forward to is insights on this quarterback
Speaker 1: trio and how they've made progress throughout training camp and
Speaker 1: perhaps what kind of rotation we'll see on Thursday night.
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna ask you this question as we wrap
Speaker 1: things up there, give me one player that you are
Speaker 1: looking forward to seeing on Thursday night as we talk
Speaker 1: on this day more than any other player. I mean,
Speaker 1: I know it's gonna be Carson Wentz So in the
Speaker 1: non Carson Wentz department, the non Carson Wentz department. As
Speaker 1: we're looking to see who's going to emerge from the
Speaker 1: wide receiver position and I don't know the playing time
Speaker 1: at this point, I'm gonna go with Ruben Randall, someone
Speaker 1: who has had a strong training camp to this point.
Speaker 1: You know, someone who's been a proven playmaker in the league,
Speaker 1: had a career high eight touchdowns for the Giants just
Speaker 1: a couple of years ago. Former second round pick. Is
Speaker 1: he a potential weapon in this Eagles offense on the
Speaker 1: defensive side of the football. Let's see. Put me on
Speaker 1: the spot here. I think you're going to be looking
Speaker 1: in the defensive backfield to see if one of the
Speaker 1: corners is going to emerge. Maybe I'll go as second
Speaker 1: year of player Eric Rowe, someone who was a little embattled,
Speaker 1: I would say at the start of training camp. Everyone
Speaker 1: was wondering where did he fit into the mix. You
Speaker 1: saw players like Leos McKelvin and Ron Brooks getting the
Speaker 1: bulk of the reps with the ones. Rowe has made
Speaker 1: some great place throughout the course of camp. So I'll
Speaker 1: see if row can do something to work his way
Speaker 1: back into starting cornerback conversation. And on the offensive side,
Speaker 1: I'll go with Brandon Brooks, who should see some time
Speaker 1: working with Lane Johnson on the right side of the
Speaker 1: offensive line. Big things expected from Brandon Brooks. And on
Speaker 1: the defensive side of the ball, I too will look
Speaker 1: into the Eagles secondary. I, however, will go with rookie
Speaker 1: Jalen Mills. He have the green hair and the very
Speaker 1: impressive spring in summer. Is Jalen Mills for real? Well,
Speaker 1: he's been very good here in the Eagles training camp.
Speaker 1: How about matched up against maybe Tampa Bay's big, strong
Speaker 1: wide receivers. They're deep at wide receiver. I want to
Speaker 1: see Mills against some unfamiliar wide receivers and see if
Speaker 1: he can really take that next step, because I expect
Speaker 1: him at this point to contribute to the Eagles defense
Speaker 1: this season. All right, So good to it. So where
Speaker 1: you see the game Thursday Thursday, you can watch it
Speaker 1: on Comcast Sportsnet and Cozy TV in the Philadelphia area.
Speaker 1: We'll have you updated on Philadelphia Eagles dot com starting
Speaker 1: at six thirty with our kickoff show. We'll set the
Speaker 1: scene both from the Novicare Complex and Lincoln Financial Field.
Speaker 1: Chris McPherson I'm Dave Spidero. Thanks for joining us on
Speaker 1: Inside Training Camp presented by Xfinity. Have yourselves a great
Speaker 1: Eagles Day.