|
HOT TOPIC
Brian Dawkins will turn 33 in October, and is coming off a sub-par season. Put those two facts together and it's logical to assume the Eagles' free safety no longer is the elite player who earned five Pro Bowl invitations.
But Dawkins said his inconsistent play last season had nothing to do with age or a lost step.
"If you're saying I'm getting Alzheimer's or something, no," he said. "I'm not forgettin' stuff. I'm not getting slower. It was just mental things (last season). I still can do the things I need to do.
"I made too many mistakes last year. That's not who I am. I personally gave up too many plays. That's not something that I will accept."
Dawkins wasn't alone in making mistakes last year. The entire Eagles defense made a slew of them, particularly the secondary, which sent three of its four starters to the Pro Bowl the year before. Strong safety Michael Lewis, like Dawkins, was up and down, blowing coverages he never blew in '04. Same thing with cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.
Dawkins said he and his teammates allowed themselves to be affected by unnamed distractions last season, including the whole Terrell Owens soap opera.
"Last year, there was just a lot of outside stuff that distracted us and affected us mentally," Dawkins said.
The contracts of both Dawkins and Lewis are up after this season, which could potentially provide a distraction for both in '06. But both say that won't happen. In the last couple of years, several players who were unhappy with their contract situations skipped the team's spring minicamps.
"My agent mentioned it to me early on," said Lewis. "But I told him, `You know what, that's not the route I want to go.' I'm thankful that this organization took a chance on me and drafted me (when other teams were leery of a previous heart condition). Why would I not want to show up? If the (contract) doesn't work out, it doesn't work out."
PLAYER NOTES
--Defensive end Chris Gocong, the Eagles' rookie third-round pick out of Division 1-AA Cal Poly who the team is hoping to turn into a strong-side linebacker, missed nearly two weeks of the team's important rookie camps because NFL rules forbid rookies from practicing until their school's spring semester is over. Cal Poly didn't finish up until June 5. Those missed two weeks make it unlikely Gocong will be able to make the end-to-linebacker transition fast enough to wrestle the starting strong-side linebacker job away from Dhani Jones.
--Donovan McNabb is playing host to his annual celebrity weekend June 9 and 10 in Philadelphia. The event benefits the American Diabetes Association. It includes a by-invitation-only soiree on the 9th at Zanzibar Blue, a popular Philadelphia jazz club, featuring a host of celebrities, including McNabb. McNabb also will play host to a youth football clinic on the 10th at the Eagles' indoor practice facility. There also will be an online auction.
--The Eagles have made some changes in their scouting department. Ryan Grigson, who had been the club's western regional scout, was promoted to director of college scouting. The Eagles didn't have a college scouting chief last year. Also, Matt Russell, Johnathon Stigall and Ahmad Russell were hired as area college scouts. John Spytek was hired as a college scouting assistant.
--The Eagles released quarterback Matt Nordgren. Nordgren, who was signed as an undrafted free agent last month, backed up Vince Young at the University of Texas. That leaves the Eagles with four quarterbacks on their roster -- Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia, Koy Detmer and undrafted free agent Timmy Chang. The club also signed cornerback Joselio Hanson, who had spent the spring playing for the World Bowl-champion Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe.
--Despite losing 10 games last season, the Eagles still were one of the league's most popular teams as far as merchandise sales were concerned. According to the league, they finished second to the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in merchandise sold.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--LB Justin Ena (not tendered June 1).
--RB Lamar Gordon (not tendered June 1).
--P Sean Landeta (not tendered June 1).
--TE Chad Lewis (not tendered June 1).
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--CB Roderick Hood: RFA; $1.573M/1 yr.
--P Dirk Johnson: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--RB Reno Mahe: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--WR Darnerien McCants: UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--S Quentin Mikell: RFA; $721,600/1 yr.
--OT Jon Runyan: UFA; $12.5M/3 yrs, $2.5M RB; 2006 cap: $3.65M.
--DE Juqua Thomas: Potential UFA; terms unknown.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--LB Shawn Barber: FA Chiefs; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--WR Jabar Gaffney: UFA Texans; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--QB Jeff Garcia: UFA Lions; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--DE Darren Howard: UFA Eagles; $30M/6 yrs, $9.5M SB; 2006 cap: $2.58M
--DT Ed Jasper: UFA Raiders; $750,000/1 yr, $40,000 SB; 2006 cap: $465,000.
--TE Matt Schobel: UFA Bengals; 5 yrs, $1.8M SB.
PLAYERS LOST
--LB Keith Adams: UFA Panthers; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--S Jack Brewer: UFA Cardinals; terms unknown.
--DT Paul Grasmanis (retired).
--QB Andy Hall (released).
--OG Artis Hicks: Traded Vikings.
--DE N.D. Kalu: UFA Texans; $750,000/1 yr.
--QB Mike McMahon (released).
--WR Billy McMullen: Traded Vikings.
--WR Terrell Owens (released).
--DT Hollis Thomas: Traded Saints.
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
|
