Inside Zone Read:

Outside Zone Read:

• Nick Foles and Michael Vick each took first team snaps. Foles was with the 1's during the first 7-on-7 session of the day.

• The player who is getting the most notice for being a freak of nature, size-wise, is former Boston College WR Ifeanyi Momah. Tommy Lawlor of IgglesBlitz.com dug up some tape of Momah at BC, which should give you a better idea of his size. However, the other enormous human who stands out from the crowd is defensive lineman Clifton Geathers. The Eagles list him at 6'8, 340.

• The Eagles ran some 3-3-5 nickel looks at the last media-attended practice a week ago, and they ran some more of it yesterday. That would be 3 down linemen, 3 linebackers, and 5 players in the secondary. Here's what that 3-3-5 might look like this season for the Eagles. Note the alignment pre-snap:

The Ducks were bringing the heat on this play (video via Addicted to Quack) from the 3-3-5. Note who gets the sack:

• Last year, the Eagles' special teams units were a complete disaster. The punt coverage team was no different. Punter Mat McBriar had an NFL worst 14.5 yards per return average against him last season:

Part of that was on the Eagles coverage units. Part of it was on long snapper Jon Dorenbos. But a big part of it was on McBriar's inability to put good hang time on his punts. No matter which punter wins the job this season between Donnie Jones and Brad Wing, I can almost guarantee that either guy will put better hang time on his punts than McBriar. Jones looks especially impressive in that area.

• Speaking of punting, during the punt session at practice, they were playing "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," by the Gap Band, complete with the whistle sound of a bomb dropping as Jones and Wing launched punts. I am convinced that was not a coincidence. If indeed it was not a coincidence, that should go to show you how ridiculously organized these practice are.

• I watched Felix Jones quite a bit, and liked what I saw in terms of shiftiness and quickness. However, one small thing bugged me. At the end of one of his runs, Mychal Kendricks punched the ball out of Jones' hands. Jones lost it in the air momentarily before he was able to snag it and bring it back in. He also muffed a punt. Jones, like Eagles 2nd year back Bryce Brown, has fumbling issues. He has 10 fumbles the last 4 years, which doesn't sound like a ton, but they were on just 664 touches, or 1 fumble per 66.4 touches. That's too many.

• Speaking of Kendricks and forced fumbles, he had none last year. Sometimes rookies are just trying "not to mess up," and therefore, they aren't looking to make big plays. I wonder if there was some of that going on with Kendricks last season. It will be interesting to see if he can force some turnovers this year with a year of life in the NFL behind him. He has looked chippy in the first couple of practices that were open to the media.

• Rookie UDFA WR Russell Shepard had a rough day. He had a bad drop on one play, and a slip and fall on another in which he had some room to run. Shepard was a highly recruited QB coming out of high school, but LSU moved him to WR. Shepard caught some passes from the jugs machine after practice.

• Brandon Graham dropped into coverage a bit yesterday. His lowlight was trying to cover Jason Avant 40 yards down the field. That didn't go so well for Brandon. After practice, Graham said he hasn't dropped into coverage with regularity since his Freshman season in college. He estimated that he dropped into coverage 30-40% of the time that season.

• When we talk about the no-huddle offense and the communication between the sidelines and the players on the field, we often only focus on the offense. However, I believe the communication between the sidelines and the defense is just as noteworthy. After practice, Nate Allen talked about the loud music and how the defense is reading hand signals from the sidelines. The defense is operating in hurry-up scenarios as well. After a few months of practicing against a chaotic offensive pace, operating against a team that huddles up on every play will seem like a breeze, at least from an "everyone on the same page" standpoint.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

QB: I think all three of these guys are close, and then there’s a big dropoff to whoever starts for the Eagles. If RG3′s knee was healthy, I would lean toward him, and obviously if we were talking about “Who would I rather have over the long term,” RG3 would be the clear choice. But for 2013, give me the guy I trust the most in Eli Manning

RB: Pete Prisco of CBS penned a Top 100 list that had Alfred Morris listed as the 41st best player in the NFL, 42 spots ahead of RG3 at 83. LeSean McCoy did not make the list… at all. It’s kind of funny how perception of players goes. In 2011, McCoy had 1309 rushing yards on 273 carries and 20 total TDs. People were calling him a clear-cut Top 3 RB. In 2012, McCoy’s entire offensive line was lost for the season and the Eagles were playing from behind in every game, and suddenly McCoy’s talent is gone? Ridiculous.

Alfred Morris had an awesome rookie season, and his “see hole, hit hole, break tackles” style of running fits in perfectly with what the Redskins do on offense. But he’s not as good as LeSean McCoy.

WR: Here was Dez Bryant’s second half of the season last year:

Note the YPA. An outstanding YPA for a QB is around 8. Dez averaged 12.2 yards every time he was targeted during the 2nd half of the season last year. Incredible.

I’ll try to sum up the rest of the bunch as briefly as I can:

• Hakeem Nicks: When healthy, I like him slightly better than Cruz.
• Victor Cruz: Predictably came back down to Earth last year,but still put up big numbers. The number that bugs me a little with Cruz is that he only had a 7.6 YPA in 2012.
• DeSean Jackson: Nobody realizes it because the Eagles were so awful last year, but DeSean made some progress last year. According to PFF, he had 1 drop last year on 75 targets. If he can package that consistency with his big play ability of a few years ago, he could be special again.
• Pierre Garcon: Awesome fit for the Skins’ offense. He’s like a running back once he catches the ball.
• Miles Austin: So good when healthy, which is rare.

The notable omission here is Jeremy Maclin, who is talented, but doesn’t block, doesn’t like catching the ball in traffic, and rarely fights for YAC.

TE: Jason Witten is still clearly the top dog here, although I believe his lofty stats are wildly overrated. It’s a tough call between Brent Celek and Fred Davis for that 2nd spot. I’m a huge Davis fan, but for now I’ll side with Celek’s health and intangibles. The Giants’ Brandon Myers and rookies Zach Ertz (Eagles) and Gavin Escobar (Cowboys) will also be players to watch this season. The NFC East is loaded with TEs.

TE/H-back/FB: Because these 4 offenses do different things and employ different positions, we have one oddball position. Darrel Young was a big part of what the Redskins did last year in the running game. I don’t think he gets enough credit. James Casey should be a nice fit in Chip Kelly’s no-huddle offense, and may be a guy who can create mismatches for opposing defenses. Ditto that for Redskins rookie Jordan Reed, who is an extraordinarily intriguing rookie with YAC ability.

LT: Last year, Trent Williams finally became the force that he should be. He was, in my opinion, the Redskins’ 2nd most important player in 2012. Jason Peters, meanwhile, was so freaking good (as in best offensive lineman in the league) in 2011 that I just can’t put him behind Will Beatty or Tyron Smith just yet, even after suffering a double ruptured Achilles. Beatty is a legitimately “plus” starting LT in the NFL. Smith is really talented and shows flashes of being an elite LT, but he has yet to put it together. At some point, he’ll probably be the best LT in the division, but he’s not there yet.

This is the most talented position in the division, by far.

LG: Evan Mathis is a no-brainer here, and then… yuck. I like Kevin Boothe, but in a perfect world I’d prefer him to be a versatile backup. Kory Lichtensteiger is a JAG, although he is a JAG who has developed continuity along the Skins’ OL.

C: This one was an extremely tough call for the top spot. Give me the uber-athletic Jason Kelce here, even recovering from a torn ACL, over Will Montgomery.

RG: Chris Snee looked like he was heading into decline, and while he isn’t as good as he was a few years ago, he did have a bounce back season in 2012. Chris Chester is an overlooked player. He hasn’t missed a snap in the last 2 years and is really good in the run game. Todd Herremans kicks back inside to guard from RT, and should do so with ease. It’s a strong position group when Herremans is the third best RG in the division.

RT: The pecking order at RT goes Rookie, Rookie, Doug Free, and then whoever starts for the Redskins. Gross.

Pass rushers: The two first teamers are obvious. This will be a huge year for both Anthony Spencer and Brian Orakpo, who are both in contract years, although Spencer is used to having to “prove it,” which he did last season. Ryan Kerrigan was up and down last year, but showed so much as a rookie that I know he can play. The jury is still out on Brandon Graham, who still has yet to play 500 snaps in any season, although he showed a lot of promise last year.

Interior D-Line: Fletcher Cox is probably already the best interior defensive lineman in the NFC East, and Barry Cofield is a player who flat out balled down the stretch last season. Linval Joseph had a little bit of a hiccup last year after a very promising rookie season, and Jason Hatcher is a nice starter. Jay Ratliff is definitely in decline at this point, but can still play. It’ll be interesting to see how he looks in a 4-3. Cullen Jenkins is a one-dimensional interior pass rusher at this point in his career, but still an effective role player if used properly. I hated leaving Mike Patterson off this list, but he has significant health concerns.

43 Linebackers / 34 ILB: Sean Lee and Bruce Carter are by far the most talented linebackers in this group. They are also by far the most injury prone. I took the two old heads for my second teamers (although I wonder how much Fletcher has left), and a pair of young guys I really like so far as my 3′s. Williams in particular is an interesting player. I really haven’t quite figured him out yet. Is he a S/LB tweener? Is he going to be a 3-down guy? What I do know is that he’s very talented, and in my opinion, he’s the best of the Giants linebackers. Mychal Kendricks needs to bounce back from a rookie season that didn’t wow anybody, although in fairness he was playing under a dysfunctional defensive coaching staff.

CB: The CB position is kind of a mess in the NFC East. Brandon Carr was decent enough last season, but I wouldn’t say he has lived up to his massive contract just yet. Still, he’s probably the best CB in the division right now. Right behind him would be Prince Amukamara, who keeps getting better. Ditto that for Morris Claiborne, who should be better in year 2. And then it gets ugly. Josh Wilson is a solid starter, but in any other division he might struggle making a similar kind of list, much less make it to the 2nd team. Cary Williams is as physical as they come. To be determined how well he’ll cover in Philly. Corey Webster was so good in 2011, and so awful in 2012. If he can be a player somewhere in the middle, I think the Giants would take that.

Slot CBs: Brandon Boykin was the best player in the Eagles secondary last season, which isn’t saying much, although he still put together a good rookie season. We’re referring of course to “Boykin the corner,” not “Boykin the kick returner.” Orlando Scandrick is thought to be one of the better slot corners in the NFL. I don’t see it. He's a solid role player, but nothing more. Technically, E.J. Biggers will probably play on the outside when he comes in, and Hall will move inside, but since he’ll likely be the “3rd guy” we’ll lump him in here. Frankly, I’d give Biggers a hard look at a starting job with Hall coming off the bench, but that won’t happen. Jayron Hosley started off his rookie campaign very well, but had some really bad games as the season progressed.

S: Holy hell, what a disaster.

Be sure to follow Jimmy on Twitter.

But then came the news that McCoy, who has been involved in a number of shady incidents off the field during his four seasons with the Eagles, is being sued by a woman who said she was beaten by either McCoy or his bodyguard or both, then kicked off a party bus on the way to a New York City nightclub last December.

If this woman is telling the whole truth, it won't even matter if McCoy didn't touch her. The fact that he didn't intervene would be damning enough.

However, McCoy's publicist has released the following statement: "The allegations against LeSean McCoy are completely, unequivocally false.  There are no criminal charges pending and no probable cause was ever found. This is sadly an attempt to extract money, and LeSean will vigorously defend any attempt to collect money through a personal injury claim.

The Eagles had no comment as of 6 p.m.

This news follows an ugly Twitter spat he had in January with the mother of his son, leading to a meeting with new coach Chip Kelly and temporary deactivation of his account.

McCoy's Twitter account (@cutondime25) is back up and running, but strangely silent on this latest issue.

That's probably for the best. He needn't go poking this thing with a stick, because he already could be facing a heap of trouble from the team and the league, which is being run by an iron-fisted commissioner who most recently spun out of control over BountyGate.

My sense on this matter is that his publicist is right. There are two (or more) sides to every story and that McCoy cannot possibly be stupid enough to have involved himself in a situation like this lady described.

On the other hand ...

It's one thing to have a spat with a former lover or not show up for a prepaid autograph session upstate, as was alleged two years ago. But if he really was involved in a violent incident with a female, he deserves the full wrath of commissioner Roger Goodell, not to mention Eagles fans and maybe even the powers that be at the NovaCare Complex, who might be starting to view McCoy as more of an embarrassment than an asset.

• In my short time covering the NFL, I've seen six different teams run practices. They are the Eagles, Giants, Redskins, Lions, Vikings, and Raiders. The last four were at the Senior Bowl, where the idea is to give teams a chance to evaluate players as opposed to making them get better and a learn a new scheme. Still, I've never seen a practice anywhere near as quick-flowing and organized as the one Chip Kelly ran yesterday. Every player stayed active for the entire duration of the hour and 45 minutes, and it was an enormous difference from the practices Andy Reid formerly ran during his 14 year tenure with the team.

One of my favorite players to watch during training camp up at Lehigh was Jon Dorenbos. I once watched him squirt punter Chas Henry in his pants with a water bottle so it looked like he peed himself. On another occasion, I watched him say that he was going to spit his gum out, and try to kick it out of mid-air into a garbage can about 20 yards away. (He almost made it). These were things he did during practice, because he's the long snapper, and really, how can they help out during practice?

At Giants practices, Tom Coughlin keeps his specialists busy. For example, kicker Lawrence Tynes throws passes to linebackers and defensive backs during their drills. Remember when Chas Henry noodle-armed a ball on the fake punt try against Chicago a couple years ago? If he had gotten reps throughout the season during practice, I wonder if the result of that play (and perhaps the game) would have been different.

At Chip Kelly's practices, everyone stays active. The specialists don't have time to stand around, occasionally stretch, and kick a few balls around. They keep moving. 5th QB G.J. Kinne even filled in as a safety at one point.

• The play calling is going to be different than what you are used to seeing at the NFL level. Multiple coaches are sending in signals, some of which aren't all that different from this:

Originally, I had thought that several coaches were sending in signals, and only one of them counted, with the others being decoys. However, according to Sheil Kapadia of Philly Mag, each of the coaches relaying signals are sending in different things:

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur stands on the sideline with a walkie-talkie and calls the play into the quarterback’s helmet. But before each snap, every offensive player looks over to the sideline. An offensive assistant plays the role of third-base coach and runs through a variety of hand signals that relay personnel grouping and formation.

• The Eagles WRs did blocking drills. Under Andy Reid, WRs would block during practice, but I don't think I ever saw an actual dedicated blocking drill. Keep an eye on Arrelious Benn this season, who is a player that excels in blocking. Don't be surprised to see him take some playing time away from the other WRs.

• I love how special teams are being mixed in regularly during practices. A few months ago, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp talked about how he wanted special teams to be incorporated into the offense:

On Sunday, the game is played… Offense, special teams, defense, special teams… so I fully intend to incorporate special teams into the practice (throughout the practice). I firmly believe that you need to practice special teams the same way you play it on Sunday, in between your offensive and defensive plays.

The Vikings' coaching staff coached the "North Team" at the Senior Bowl last year, and they did something very subtle.  The first thing they worked on was special teams.

Why?  Well, special teams are boring to the average player.  At the beginning of practice, players are alert and fresh.  The "boring stuff" is more likely to sink in if it's worked on before anything else.  The New York Giants do the same thing in training camp.  In fact the Giants will often run special teams first, then run some offense vs defense drills, and go right back to special teams.  A premium is put on special teams work.

The Eagles, on the other hand, often practiced special teams last. Temperatures got up around triple digits at Lehigh University during the dog days of August. After an hour and a half of hitting in severe heat, you have to wonder how much the Eagles players were really retaining when they're practicing "the boring stuff" last. I wonder if that approach led to ridiculousness like this:

• I didn't realize this until they were right in front of me, but both punters, Donnie Jones and Brad Wing, are left-footed punters. I wonder if that's more than just a coincidence.

• If you're intereted in the actual plays being run during practice, a lot of them can be found here. I recognized quite a few things that can found on those videos.

• DeSean Jackson fielded quite a few punts.

• WR Ifeanyi Momah is tall.

• Here's a very short video I shot of practice, just to give you an idea of the music:

Bo Wulf of Philadelphia Eagles.com has the entire practice playlist here. All the songs, like Chip's practices, were fast-paced. Some of the songs early in the practice had an eagle screech added in. My favorite stretch was when they went from "Crazy Train" to "Hungry Like the Wolf." It was like "afternoon strip club" music... or so I'm told.

• When the WRs and TEs were running the "route tree," they would all have a pass thrown to them by one of the 5 QBs simultaneously. That's 5 times the reps for both the QBs and receivers. It's efficient, and frankly, there's no added level of difficulty in doing it that way. Pictures were not allowed during practice, but here's what the 5 QBs throwing passes simultaneously looked like:

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

Every quarterback in this week's three-day organized team activity, or voluntary minicamp, knows his mind is not made up, and there's still plenty of time to win the job, even if veteran Michael Vick continues to take most of the first-team repetitions ahead of Nick Foles and Dennis Dixon and rookie Matt Barkley was drafted as a potential starter for a decade or more.

"I think Chip's a man of his word," second-year quarterback Nick Foles said after Monday's practice. "I think [rookie] Matt Barkley is a heck of a player ... and he did great things in college and he did great things for his team and he's going to do great things for his team and help out tremendously.

"Me, I feel like whoever is the best quarterback, whoever is the quarterback who wins games, is the one who plays."

Vick saw it the same way after being told of Barkley's belief that he can win the job in his first year.

"I think the mindset that you've got to have is that you're going to be the No. 1 guy," he said. "That's the approach you have to have, and I feel that way. So I'm going to continue to keep working hard, Nick is going to continue to keep working hard, Dennis is going to keep working hard. We're going to keep pushing each other, keep competing with ourselves, most importantly.

"I try to go out and get the most out of the game, but compete with myself more than I compete with anyone else around me."

Vick called Barkley "another quarterback that we have to mold and prepare and get ready to play ball in case he has to. That's what this game is about. There's always going to be guys who get drafted, there's always going to be guys behind you who push you or are in front of you and you have to push them."

This morning, Cantor Gaming released their early 2013 point spreads, and the Eagles are only favored in 5 games, although the spread is a "pick 'em" in 4 games. They are underdogs in 6 games. Here is their full slate of games:

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

After the three-day camp is over, neither will be allowed back on the premises until June, thanks to an NFL rule that prohibits senior draftees from participating in all other OTAs and minicamps until their respective classes graduate. Those who graduated early, such as USC's Matt Barkley and LSU's Bennie Logan, are exempt.

What it means is that Ertz and Poyer will miss the bulk of the on-field work the team does leading up to training camp in July, putting them at a disadvantage against the others they'll be competing against for roster spots and playing time.

So they will have to make the most of their precious time here, in a system that is predicated on minimal practice time in the first place.

Everybody has heard the term "mental reps" too many times to count. In these cases, however, the difference between making impacts in their first seasons or not could come down to the quality of their mental reps, because they sure aren't going to get many physical ones.

We'll have their reactions to this rule and their first pro experiences over the next few days. Should be interesting to hear what they have to say.

• CBS: 119th overall
• ESPN Scouts' Inc: 107th overall
• Rotoworld (Josh Norris): 50th overall
• SB Nation (Dan Kadar): 59th overall

Poyer was thought of even more highly prior to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. After the 2012 season, he garnered a place on the NCAA All American team. Among the All Americans declaring for the draft, Poyer was the only player drafted after the 4th round:

Unfortunately, Poyer had a horrific showing at the NFL Combine:

• Since 1999, a total of 3179 players participated in the bench press at the NFL Combine. Only 28 players (0.88%) did fewer reps on the bench than Poyer, who managed 8. 
• Since 1999, a total of 392 CBs participated in the vertical jump at the NFL Combine. Only 7 players (1.79%) couldn't jump as high as Poyer, who managed 30.5 inches. By comparison, 3 of the Eagles' offensive linemen jumped at least as high as Poyer at the Combine, despite each player weighing roughly 100 pounds more. Evan Mathis jumped 35.5 inches, Lane Johnson 34 inches, and Jason Kelce tied Poyer at 30.5.

Poyer's poor Combine undoubtedly led to his slide in the draft, with perhaps a small assist to a fairly minor incident in which Poyer was arrested for trespassing at a nightclub that he had been ejected from a few months earlier.

However, a poor Combine showing doesn't necessarily mean that a player will be a failure in the pros. For example, the Chiefs' Brandon Flowers is one of the best (and most underrated) CBs in the NFL. Flowers and Poyer had remarkably similar numbers at the Combine:

Note that Poyer is two and a half inches taller than Flowers, and arguably had better college statistics:

• Poyer's numbers at Oregon St.
• Flowers' numbers at Virginia Tech

Flowers was drafted 35th overall in 2008. Somehow, Poyer was drafted 218th overall in 2013.

Poyer is a football player. He makes plays, and seems to enjoy contact. I hate to just post a highlight reel and let that serve as analysis, but just watch him:

Unless there is something else that we don't know about, how in the world does that guy slide to the 7th round?

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

Seems Vick, the 32-year-old quarterback who is the oldest player on the team, grew tired of hearing about his advanced age from McCoy, a 24-year-old runing back in his prime, who had been riding him all week about it. Next thing you know, after getting permission from coach Chip Kelly, the two were each in four-point stances, about to race each other in a 40-yard dash at the NovaCare Complex.

The old guy won.

Apparently by a lot.

"Vick smoked McCoy by roughly five yards over a 40-yard distance, and their teammates went nuts," wrote Mike Florio on ProFootballTalk.com.

Not long after, Vick tweeted: "Beat him by a few yards too lol #SpeedKILLS"

A bunch of his teammates verified the goings-on via Twitter as well.

Vick knows his limitations, though. Responding to someone who asked if he could beat wide receiver DeSean Jackson, Vick replied: "I wouldn't race DeSean lol. No way! No how!"

McCoy's Twitter account was inactive until he finally responded by saying Vick jumped the gun and challenged him to a rematch.

Vick doesn't seem interested.

"FYI it won't be any more races at the facility. We're focus on this up coming season. We need to get back to playing Eagles Football! DONE," he tweeted.

Looks like Shady is DONE, end of story, LOL.

The Eagles were missing their starting QB, their starting RB, a starting WR, their starting TE, and 80% of their starting offensive line. 

Injuries are unavoidable in the NFL, but that level of carnage is near impossible to weather. Still, last season should serve as a reminder that having strong depth is extremely important in such a violent sport.

The Eagles have a lot of new players, so let's go position by position and evaluate their depth:

QB: Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Matt Barkley

It is a fairly safe bet that these will be the three QBs on the Eagles' roster this season. No matter who wins the starting job, the Eagles will have very good depth at QB. But do they have a starter?

RB: LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown, Chris Polk

McCoy and Brown may eventually form one of the best 1-2 combos in the NFL, but Chris Polk is still very much an unknown quantity. The #3 RB may get more work under Chip Kelly than an Eagles' #3 back ever did under Andy Reid. Don't be surprised to see the Eagles add a veteran RB if either Chip Kelly, or perhaps more importantly, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp doesn't believe in Polk.

WR: DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper, Arrelious Benn, Damaris Johnson, Marvin McNutt, and others

The Eagles are plenty deep here, in my opinion. 

TE/H-back: Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, James Casey, Clay Harbor

To be determind how Chip Kelly will utilize his TEs, but the tea leaves say that they will be a huge part of their offense. If the Eagles keep 4 TEs, maybe Clay Harbor survives one more season, but clearly, the Eagles invested a lot in this position during the offseason, and have good depth.

OL: Starters: Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Todd Herremans, Lane Johnson. Backups: Dennis Kelly, Danny Watkins, Dallas Reynolds, Nate Menkin, and others

Kelly should serve as a decent swing tackle in his second year, and the Eagles will hope that Danny Watkins can at least be a decent backup guard after two extremely disappointing seasons as a first round bust. The biggest area of concern would be backup center, especially with Jason Kelce returning from a torn ACL.

DL: This position, along with the secondary, has undergone the most amount of change under Chip Kelly. On February 27th, the depth chart along the DL looked something like this:

It now looks something like this:

The Eagles added a lot of bodies both through free agency, the draft, and in the case of Vinny Curry, from "roster spot limbo." There are a lot of unknown quantities among this group, so it will be interesting to see who emerges during training camp. Because there are so any unknowns, it is tough to really form a strong opinion on how deep they are here.

OLB: Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, Trent Cole, Phillip Hunt

The Eagles have quality depth here, but Barwin is the key. If the Eagles lose Barwin, who is dropping into coverage?

ILB: Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans, Jamar Chaney, Casey Matthews, Emmanuel Acho, Jason Phillips

The Eagles added Acho via a trade for Dion Lewis, and they acquired Phillips in free agency. Chaney and Matthews will have competition in camp from two players the front office clearly has some level of interest in.

CB: Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher, Brandon Boykin, Curtis Marsh, Jordan Poyer, Trevard Lindley

Williams will almost certainly be a starter based on the money the Eagles paid him, and Boykin will be the slot CB, at a minimum. The other starting spot seems to be wide open. My best bet would be on Fletcher winning that job. Otherwise, the Eagles' depth at CB looks a lot like it did a year ago, plus the addition of Poyer in the 7th round of the draft. Again, this could be one of those situations where the Eagles' depth isn't bad, but they may have below average starters.

S: Kenny Phillips, Patrick Chung, Nate Allen, Earl Wolff, Kurt Coleman, Colt Anderson, David Sims

Wolff is a great bet to make the team, although it's possible it may take some time for him to see the active 45 man roster on game day. Anderson is also a decent bet to stick based on his special teams play. Neither player will start, which leaves little room on the roster after the two starters are decided. How many safeties will the Eagles keep? 4? 5? This will be a positional group to keep a close eye on during camp. There isn't a single safety among this group that doesn't come without serious question marks, and therefore, it's hard to say the Eagles have good depth here.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

According to LSU wide receiver Russell Shepard, he and the Eagles had reached an agreement even before the NFL Draft was over on Saturday, which is a violation of league rules.

Teams apparently do this all the time, and really, what's the harm? It's like one of the gazillion dumb rules of golf. If teams like a player so much, then just draft him, for cripes sake. And if they don't like him enough to draft him, what's the harm of talking to him (while he's entertaining offers from other teams) as early as possible in the process?

But rules are rules. And the Eagles who still actually haven't even signed Shepard, might have broken one.

The development has prompted a statement from the team:

"Russell Shepard has not signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, we did come to terms on a contract with he and his agent after the draft was completed. We anticipate he, like all of the rookie free agents we have agreed to terms with, will take a physical examination upon arriving in Philadelphia prior to next week’s rookie mini-camp and then sign a contract."

It also has prompted an investigation by the league.

“Yes, we are looking into it to determine the facts,” league spokesman Greg Aiello told Tim McManus of Phillymag.com.

Shepard was suspended for having an illegal discussion with a teammate about an interview that teammate was scheduled to have with NCAA investigators about recruiting violations.

So in a sense, the Eagles get what they pay for here: some ironic and poetic justice.

If the league does punish the Eagles, it shouldn't be too harsh, considering how everybody knows all these teams operate the same way. Maybe dock them a seventh-round pick -- nothing they can't get back by trading a player they no longer have use for anyway.

The rookie Eagles coach doesn't necessarily need his quarterback to be a runner or even be a threat to run, or else he never would have even selected USC's Matt Barkley in the fourth round, much less traded up to get him in the NFL Draft, like the Eagles did.

Yes, this was a value pick. As general manager Howie Roseman said, Barkley still sitting undrafted heading into the final day "stood out like a sore thumb."

But it also was so much more. This was the surest sign yet that the quarterback job is truly an open competition and that nobody yet has so much as an inside track.

Kelly wants a fast, fearless and obviously mostly correct decision-maker for his quarterback. And because a quarterback's accuracy is so tied to his decision-making, especially at this level, that's really the only skill set he's concerned with in attempting to make the rare successful switch from college coach with no pro experience to NFL head coach.

If you can run like a gazelle or toss the ball 70 yards in the air while backpedaling, like Michael Vick can (or once did), those skills won't help one bit unless you can handle the first part of the equation. (Think of professor Kingsfield's tirade about the useless value of a photographic memory in The Paper Chase.)

If Michael Vick can adapt to Kelly's system with the right reads, then obviously his skill set becomes the dealbreaker. But that has to be proved over time.

Kelly has said he wants the ball out in less than two seconds on every pass, which is a pipe dream in the NFL, unless you don't mind trying to overcome a minimum of four interceptions per game, but nevertheless something for his quarterbacks to strive for in mastering his system.

Clearly, this is a wide-open competition to identify the quarterback with the strongest mind, not the fastest legs or the strongest arm.

Kelly has bristled all along at being typecast as a read-option, running quarterback kind of coach, but few took him seriously before the draft.

Now only fools continue to think Kelly won't attach himself to a non-runner under any circumstance. The evidence is just too strong.

So the leader for the starting quarterback job for 2013 remains a guy by the name of Vacant. No first name.

Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State: Brown is probably the best ILB in this draft class, but the biggest concern is his size. He goes 6’0, 241, which is not ideal, although it’s not like he’s Brian Rolle at 5’10, 229.

Last year, the Buccaneers took Lavonte David with the 58th overall pick. David is 6’1, 233. The Seahawks drafted Bobby Wagner with the 47th overall pick. Wagner is 6’0, 241, the same exact measurements as Brown. Both players were in the top 10 in the NFL in tackles last season:

I’m willing to trade a little bit of size for production at pick 35. Brown would not fill an immediate need, but he could be the eventual successor to DeMeco Ryans.

He's also the older brother of Eagles RB Bryce Brown. If the Eagles draft him, let's hope he's better than Stacy Andrews.

Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: The Eagles were linked to Smith ever since Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman and Chip Kelly all flew to West Virginia to meet with him. Smith is the latest draft day "green room casuality," who unexpectedly fell out of the first round. If the Eagles are interested, Smith will have to get past Jacksonville at 33. NFL.com's Gil Brandt seems to think that's a good possibility:

Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford: Ertz is a nice fit for what we perceive Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense will be, with TEs creating matchup advantages. There’s a great article by Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, where he explained the thought process of the Patriots designing their offense around the TE position. Here’s an excerpt of the two different types of TEs they look to target:

The Patriots have always had two classes of tight ends. There is the traditional “Y,” whose job requirements read: 6 feet 5 inches or taller, at least 255 pounds, can run but absolutely must be a standout blocker. He has to be a viable receiver, but not a great one.

The “F” or flex tight end is 6-3 or taller, around 235 pounds, must be able to run and be an excellent pass receiver. Does not need to be a good blocker.

Recently signed James Casey, at 6’3, 240, would be an “F” in the mold of Aaron Hernandez. Ertz, at 6'5, 250, would be the more traditional "Y" in the mold of Rob Gronkowski, and would give the Eagles three talented TEs.

Ertz played for Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, and would make a ton of sense for the Niners at 34, who recently lost TE Delanie Walker in free agency.

Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International: Cyprien has had a meteoric rise over the last few months after standing out at the Senior Bowl, where he laid several big hits on ball carriers in practice. He also has good athleticism and ball skills. But most importantly, he wears a cool-looking visor, which means he'll be in the Hall of Fame one day.

By the end of tonight, we should know exactly how the Eagles feel about Foles. Everyone knows they like Smith after the owner and team president were part of a huge entourage that visited him in person before this NFL Draft, which continues tonight with Rounds 2 and 3 before wrapping up tomorrow with Rounds 4-7.

They especially like Smith at No. 35 overall, which is where they're due to pick next. Problem is, they really can't trade up to get him now, because the Jacksonville Jaguars, who could use a franchise quarterback themselves, will simply take him if they like him with the first pick of the second round at 33. The San Francisco 49ers pick 34th, so they're really not a threat.

If Smith does fall to the Eagles and is selected at 35, that likely would mean Foles instantly goes on the trade market. If the Eagles pass on Smith at 35, maybe Kelly really does like Foles as much as he's been saying all along. Either way, 32-year-old Michael Vick won't last forever. Heck, he might not even start again for the Eagles, to hear Kelly tell it.

Kelly has succeeded in keeping his true secrets about all personnel matters a secret, but tonight's activity or inactivity with the quarterback position will tell us a lot.

In the meantime, the team still has a bunch of other needs, mostly on defense, and there still are some very talented defensive backs still on the board.

Could the Eagles land Smith in the second round and LSU cornerback Tyrann "Honeybadger" Mathieu in the third? That's worth watching for this evening.

"It could be the Cleveland Browns, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills," said Manuel. "It's just a matter of what team is ready to fall in love with me. I think I've had great interviews with every team that I've been with, so we'll see tomorrow."

The Eagles, Browns, and Bills all called Manuel yesterday to make sure they could find him in case they intended on drafting him. "I got quite a few calls from those teams today," Manuel said last night, "just as far as (making sure they have the correct contact information)."

Other notes from the event:

• LSU OLB Barkevious Mingo is somewhat of a longshot for the Eagles at pick #4, but certainly a possibly. In recent days there have been whispers about the Eagles and Jets having strong interest in Mingo, which he said he has not seen.

"I did not work out with (the Eagles) or have meetings with them," said Mingo. "People asked me the same question this morning about the Jets. I haven't talked to the Jets at all. I haven't visited there, and everybody is dead set on (me being) a Jets pick, so I guess we don't need to draft at all if I'm already on the Jets."

It is not uncommon for a team to have minimal contact with a prospect, who they then wind up drafting with a high pick.

Mingo said he met with the Jaguars, Titans, Browns, Bills, and Panthers.

• Alabama CB Dee Milliner recently had surgery on his shoulder, but he says he'll be ready to play in time for training camp. Milliner also talked about a recently scheduled visit to Philly that was cancelled.

"I think (the Eagles) felt comfortable with me," said Milliner, "so that's why I didn't have to go visit. It was scheduled, but it just disappeared. But there was no problem with it. I still talked to them on the phone."

• Oregon OLB Dion Jordan also recently had shoulder surgery. He thinks he'll be ready to play in time for minicamps. Jordan only had 5 sacks his last season at Oregon, a low total for a potential top 5 pick, which he addressed. "I was in coverage a lot," said Jordan. "Because I played the 3-4 scheme, I had to stand up on my feet, and (cover the slot receivers). If that's what I had to do to help out my team, then that's what I did."

• Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson talked about his recent visits with the Eagles. "They went (well)," said Johnson. "I don't know if they're going to draft me or not, but it would be a good fit."

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

1. Chiefs: OT Luke Joeckel
2. Jaguars: OT Eric Fisher
3. Raiders: DT Sharrif Floyd

I believe this is the absolute dream scenario for the Eagles. Last year, the Vikings held the 3rd overall pick. The Browns were drafting at 4th overall, and were apparently spooked that some other team was going to jump ahead of them to take Trent Richardson, so they moved up one spot to ensure they got their guy. The cost: a 4th round pick, a 6th round pick, and a 7th round pick.

Since the Vikings already had Adrian Peterson, there was no way they were going to take Richardson, and they wound up taking Matt Kalil at 4th overall. They essentially got 3 extra picks… for free.

The Eagles could realistically find themselves in a similar situation.

The ideal scenario for the Eagles would be if two offensive tackles come off the board within the first three picks, most likely Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher. That could set off a bidding war for that 4th overall pick between OT-desperate teams like the Lions (5), Cardinals (7), Chargers (11), and Dolphins (12) for the services of the last remaining stud LT, in this scenario, Lane Johnson.

If at that point in the draft versatile OLB Dion Jordan is still on the board, the Eagles’ best bet might be to simply move back one spot, still get their guy, and pick up some freebies from the Lions in the process.

There is also the possibility that some team has fallen in love with Geno Smith and could inquire about moving up. There are a cluster of teams who might fit that profile at the back half of the top 10, including the Browns (6), Cardinals (7), Bills (8), and Jets (9).

This draft is universally thought to be “weak at the top,” and many have noted that teams drafting in the top 5 could have difficulty trading back. However, if there’s one team that as good a chance as any, it would be the Eagles, and I believe that they will indeed add some extra picks by moving back slightly out of the 4th spot.

While the Eagles’ new coaching staff has been unwilling to put a label on what kind of defense they’re going to run this year, the overwhelming thinking is that it is going to be some sort of 4-3/3-4 hybrid, similar to the one run by the Seahawks. The two OLBs have different jobs, and they are explained here by Sheil Kapadia of Philly Mag.

“One linebacker is lined up across the tight end. This would be your typical outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. You need a player who’s capable of rushing the passer or dropping back into coverage. Chike Okeafor filled this role for the Cardinals in 2008 under new Eagles DC Billy Davis. According to PFF, he rushed the QB about 70 percent of the time and dropped back about 30 percent on passing downs.

And then there’s the pass-rush specialist on the other side. This is the player Davis referred to as the “Predator.” For the Cardinals, that spot was occupied by Bertrand Berry and Travis LaBoy. Per PFF, Berry rushed the passer 94 percent of the time and dropped back just 6 percent. For LaBoy, the exact same percentages applied.”

The Eagles seem to be set at the “Predator” position, which is where Brandon Graham and Trent Cole are likely to line up. The team also added versatile OLB Connor Barwin, who can play either side.

Dion Jordan would fill the role of the first OLB described by Sheil Kapadia perfectly. He’s 6-foot-6, 248, very athletic, and extremely versatile. He can rush the passer, but his real value was that Oregon moved him all over the field and asked him to drop into coverage quite a bit, where he also excelled.

There are a large number of mobile QBs that have flooded the NFC. They would include Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, and even some other guys like Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, and Jay Cutler. The more athletic guys you can add to your defense to chase those QBs around, the better off you’ll be.

The Eagles add a “do-everything” player to their front 7, and can continue to build around him and star-in-the-making Fletcher Cox.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

As details continue to pour in regarding the sweeping changes he's made to the football operations here on the second day of voluntary minicamp, it's become apparent that the coach has customized conditioning and weight plans for each player based on feedback from, among other things, heart monitors used during practice and sleep monitors.

We already know that Kelly is big on sleep. He believes elite athletes need 10-12 hours of it per day. But as Trent Cole, who apparently is switching from defensive end to linebacker in the 3-4 Kelly plans to run, revealed today, the plan is different for each player, based on individualized sleep studies and how their bodies (and hearts) respond during practice.

"It's all done to help us keep peak performance," Cole said.

Under the previous regime, players would come in from practice, head to the locker room, weight room or meeting rooms or the cafeteria to grab a bite. Now, tables line the hallway as soon as they enter, complete with individualized smoothies, fruit, granola bars and the like. All are encouraged and basically required to partake right away, before they even take their gear off.

And don't let the bluster from Kelly about it being too early in the process to determine who fits where fool you. He has a plan for everyone, and it's why Cole is trying to get down from 270 pounds to 260 (to play linebacker), why Vinny Curry is trying to go from 260 to around 280 (to stay at defensive end) and why quarterback Michael Vick has bulked up with extra quality natural padding, aka muscle, to better protect himself from the kinds of hits that can wreck a season or a career.

The goal is to maximize every minute each player spends at work.

As offensive lineman Todd Herremans said last month: "Everything he does is linked to winning."

By all accounts, they're off to an encouraging start.

Back in February, the media got its first meet and greet with the Eagles' new assistant coaches, which was held in the Eagles' cafeteria. At that "Assistant Coach Summit," defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro, who came over to the Eagles with Chip Kelly from Oregon, talked about how at Oregon they tried to think of everything. Azzinaro gave a very interesting example:

"In every situation you go in, you’re trying to figure out ways you can optimize your talent... You try to investigate everything that you can from a sports science standpoint.

(Points to a bottle of relish on the table)

Is that really good relish to be feeding our guys? Is that filled with sodium and sugar? Well, that’s the way we think. I know that it’s important that if my guys are going to come and eat here, that I need to understand what’s going on in that relish bottle.”

At the conclusion of practice today, there were personalized post-practice smoothies lined up on a table for the players to grab as they entered the NovaCare Complex from the practice fields. Eagles DE Vinny Curry gave some insight into the personalized drinks.

"They're just showing us nutrition, you know, taking care of our bodies," Curry said. "Some of us don't get enough vitamins that we need."

When asked if the team is watching their vitamin intake, Curry noted, "Oh yeah, they monitor everything. You just have to (write down what flavors) you like, and what you don't like... I got mango, peanut butter, and banana."

But what about the relish? I took a stroll down to the cafeteria to see if it has survived to this point. So far, so good.

Follw Jimmy on Twitter.

How apropos that the first day coach Chip Kelly was able to get his new team on the field, news breaks about so many NCAA violations committed by his former team, the University of Oregon Ducks.

The university on Tuesday self-proposed a two-year probation and the loss of one scholarship per year over the next three because of recruiting violations committed under Kelly's watch.

Besides the fact that the scholarship penalty is insulting to everyone's intelligence -- who came up with that brilliant proposal anyway? -- the fact is that Kelly has parachuted out into the safety of the NFL, where coaches are punished only for misconduct involving their pro teams.

Kelly is staying silent for now.

“I am aware of the recent reports and of the ongoing investigation being conducted by the NCAA and the University of Oregon," he said in a prepared statement before the first session of camp. "While at Oregon, I know we were fully cooperative with all aspects of the investigation and I will continue to contribute in any way that I can. But until the NCAA rules on the matter, I will have no further comment."

The NCAA report stated: "There were underlying major violations coupled with failure to monitor violations involving the head coach (2009 through 2011) and the athletics department (2008-2011). While the violations were not intentional in nature, coaches and administrators of a sports program at an NCAA member institution have an obligation to ensure that the activities being engaged in comply with NCAA legislation."

Kelly did not have much to add at his post-practice press conference today, saying only that he was aware of what was going on and has cooperated at every turn. He also insisted, as he has before, that his decision to leave Oregon for the NFL had nothing to do with the pending sanctions the program is facing.

As for those sanctions, the opinion here is that the NCAA should drop the hammer on the Ducks, not necessarily for the violations, but on general principle. Because that lame proposal the school's administration came up with is the biggest joke since ... Andrew Bynum.

Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks attempted 373 passes last season. They attempted 685 rushes. That would be a run:pass ratio of roughly 65:35. While I don't expect Kelly's run:pass ratio to be anywhere near as lopsided in his first year in Philly, the Eagles will almost certainly be running the ball a lot more often than they did under Andy Reid.

At the "Assistant Coach Summit" a couple months ago, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur noted that the Eagles would be spreading the ball around to their running backs more to keep them fresh:

“(Bryce Brown) established himself as a good player last year. I know we liked him quite a bit in Cleveland as we did our (draft) evaluations. I’ve always believed that there is a place on the roster, there’s a place in the game to play two RBs. You have your starter, but the other guy or two needs to play so that they can all get through the season together. You have to use more than one RB. It’s a long season, and a guy can run out of gas quickly.”

LeSean McCoy will get the lion's share of the work with Brown being mixed in, but the 3rd RB could be up in the air. Second year player Chris Polk is currently the 3rd back, but he was relegated strictly to special teams last year, and it is unknown what the current staff thinks of him.

One approach to the draft that I have always admired is the way Mike Shanahan has drafted running backs. In 17 years of coaching (which doesn’t include his short stint in Oakland), the Broncos & Redskins drafted 18 running backs under Mike Shanahan. The list of picks:

Running backs get battered more than any other position on the field, so it makes sense to bring in fresh blood every year, particularly in the later rounds. Of those 18 backs Shanahan drafted, 14 of them were taken in the 4th round or later, and 7 of them (Davis, Gary, Anderson, Portis, Bell, Hillis, and Morris) had at least one 1,000 yard season.

If Kelly does indeed intend on running the ball a lot in the pros, he's going to need plenty of depth.

This RB class does not have a "must-draft stud" that any team is going to consider in the Top 15 or so picks, but it is a deep and talented position this year. Two of my favorite prospects could reasonably slip past the first 3 rounds and into the Eagles laps somewhere deeper in the draft. Those two players are Texas A&M's Christine Michael and Utah State's Kerwynn Williams, both of whom I watched at the East-West Shrine Game week of practices down in Tampa.

Christine Michael:

• Rivals.com Top 100 high school recruit in 2009, 22nd overall, third RB behind Bryce Brown and Trent Richardson. The Eagles have a penchant for drafting former high school stars.
• Broke his leg in 2010, tore his ACL in 2011. Major injury concerns.
• Off field issues, noted in detail here.
• Speaking of Bryce Brown, there are many similarities between the two players. Brown is listed at 6'0, 223, while Michael weighed in at the Combine at 5'10, 220. They are both players with rare speed-power combos. You might ask, "Why draft the same guy?" My simple reply would be, "Wouldn't two Bo Jacksons be better than one?" Here's a chart of how Michael's measurables compare with other RBs, via Mockdraftable.com. Very impressive:

I don't expect Michael to make it out of the 3rd round, but if he somehow fell to the Eagles in the 4th round, his raw ability would be hard to pass up.

Kerwynn Williams:

Here's what I wrote about Williams at the Shrine Game week of practices:

In 7-on-7′s, Utah State RB Kerwynn Williams impressed me.  Natural pass catcher.  Catches the ball on the run, and makes it look easy.  He looked so natural that I stopped to look up his receiving numbers during practice.  45 catches, 697 yards (15.5 avg), 5 TD in 2012. Wow. Fantastic numbers. He also ran the ball for 1512 yards and 15 TDs on 218 carries last season (6.9 per). During 11-on-11′s he had a really nice cutback in the hole, found an opening, and burst through.

Williams measured in at the Combine at 5'8, 195. As luck would have it, Dion Lewis lists at 5'8, 195. However, Williams is the far superior pass-catcher, he has good speed at 4.48, and can also return kicks, something that Lewis proved he could not do in the pros.

CBS Sports projects Williams to be drafted near the 5th round.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

Today's athletes entering the NFL, by contrast, have the advantage of training in state of the art complexes, with amenities such as private massage rooms and "Performance Cafes" with an "Executive Chef."

With that in mind, it was interesting to hear NFL Network's Mike Mayock call Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson's performance in Indianapolis a few weeks ago "the freakiest Combine in the history of our coverage of the Combine."

Johnson's Combine performance was definitely good. I certainly won't take that away from him. Among 343 offensive tackles competing at the Combine since 1999, Johnson had the best broad jump and the second best 40 time, among other very impressive numbers:

Mayock's phrasing of Johnson's performance was interesting. Note that he said it was "the freakiest Combine in the history of our coverage of the Combine."

Yeah, maybe. But in 2005, where I'd have to check but I'm not sure cable even existed in those days, Evan Mathis' Combine was better. Better how? Well... Among 295 guards competing at the combine since 1999, Mathis finished 9th or better in every single event in which he participated, and was at least in the 97th percentile in each category:

And he did it wrestling alligators and climbing mountains... with a beard. Because Evan Mathis is awesome, while pansy-ass Lane Johnson trains like he's Ivan Drago and is only willing to commit to a little chin scruf.

Evan Mathis laughs right in the face of your puny Combine performance, Lane Johnson.

*Disclaimer - Combine numbers aside, not all of the statements above are factual.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

Jackson had more compliments for the changes being made at the NovaCare Complex in an NFL Network interview on Wednesday.

"Chip Kelly he has come in and started an energy in this building with determination, with hard work," he said. "I haven’t been doing some of these workouts we are doing right now since college. They are just up-tempo, very fast. We get in and get it done and then we're home. When we're in this building we're definitely going 100 miles an hour and running."

Jackson believes the mismatches Kelly plans to create will clear the way for huge plays by everyone.

"It's still early. They've been putting in plays slowly but surely. But at the same time, the dynamic offense he is bringing in, any given time there is going to be someone on that field that's going to be open within this offense. As long as that quarterback finds it, makes the read and gets the ball to the player that is open, from there [with] my playing style, my ability, hopefully I can make some big plays happen.

"Not only myself, but there are other guys on this team that are in great position to make great things happen for us as well. We are very excited for the opportunity. Whatever it is, whatever my number is called on, that is what I am going to do. I have to get in the end zone a lot more this year."

Jackson also revealed a conversation he had with Michael Vick in which Vick confirmed he has accepted this season as the last to prove himself as the quarterback of the present and the future.

"Mike Vick is at the point in his career where he is 32, he feels him getting a one-year contract, that he still has a lot to go out there and prove," Jackson said. "At the same time, he understand it is a business and the team and organization will have to do whatever they can to make it work. I think he will be ready this year to go and you will see a different Michael Vick this year."

Jackson, Vick and everybody else save center Jason Kelce, who still hasn't been cleared to practice following last season's knee injury, will get their first true taste of Kelly's offense when the coach assembles his team on the field for a three-day minicamp beginning next Tuesday.

All of that changes on Tuesday, when the new coach and almost entirely new staff will begin a three-day minicamp that only new head coaches are allowed to conduct before the NFL Draft, which begins on April 25.

Even if he closes the on-field workouts to the media, we will have a much better understanding by this time next week of what exactly it is he'll be running this first year. Furthermore, the coaches and general manager Howie Roseman hope to be able to finalize their draft strategy based on what they see from the guys they have now.

Don't let the "best available athlete" claims fool you. The Eagles did a few nice things in free agency, but not nearly enough after being burned by the process of pursuing many of the best available free agents the past two years.

They still have immediate needs (offensive line, defensive line, linebacker) and more questions than answers about fitting some of the seemingly square pegs (Brandon Graham, Trent Cole, Vinny Curry) they have into the round holes Kelly is expected to have when he attempts to upgrade the size and ability of his defense and increase the speed at which the offense will operate.

Oh yeah, almost forgot: Who's the quarterback?

Starting on Tuesday, we'll get a better idea of who fits where, who might not fit at all and what they have to do the following week to put a competitive product on the field in 2013.

These next two weeks will go a long way toward determining whether the Eagles have a chance to be good right away or whether they'll have to wait at least one more year to be a factor in the NFC East again.

Johnson stood out to me as well, as he made my list of 10 players that impressed me at the Senior Bowl. But that was only the beginning of Johnson's extraordinarily impressive pre-draft process. At the NFL Combine, Johnson shined. The following is a chart of how Johnson performed at the 2013 Combine, and how he compared with all other offensive tackles that participated in various drills at the Combine since 2003:

Johnson played RT at Oklahoma in 2011, then moved to LT in 2012. If the Eagles were to draft him, Johnson would fit in well with how the Eagles might use him. The idea would be for Johnson to slide right in at RT from Day 1, while Todd Herremans would move to RG. The OL would look like this:

Assuming Johnson panned out, he would eventually take over at LT for Jason Peters whenever Peters is no longer able to play at a high level.

However, another intriguing scenario would be to trade back with Miami, as noted by my buddy Tommy Lawlor over at IgglesBlitz:

The Dolphins are the real team to watch.  They have extra 2nd and 3rd round picks.  Moving up from #12 to #4 would be pricey, but doable. The question with them is what they’re thinking.  They showed little interest in keeping Jake Long around.  They shifted RT Jonathan Martin to LT.  He didn’t light it up at RT and some think the Dolphins are nuts.  Do they trust Martin at LT?

Here's a small sampling of what Tommy is talking about with Jonathan Martin (playing LT):

According to Pro Football Focus, Martin gave up 47 "QB hurries" last season, the most in the NFL.

There are no shortage of NFL "insiders" who believe the Dolphins are poised to make a bold move. Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post:

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com:

The Dolphins are loaded with picks in this draft, with 11:

*Compensatory picks (cannot be traded)

The NFL's draft value chart is an outdated tool, in my opinion. However, for the sake of discussion, if it were to be used in this scenario, the appropriate compensation would be the Dolphins' 12th overall pick (1200 points), their 42nd overall pick (480 points), and their 111th overall pick (72 points). That would total 1752, which would get them close to the value of the Eagles' 4th overall pick (1800), albeit in a draft that is not considered to have tremendous value in the Top 5.

That would still leave the Dolphins with nine picks, and one in each of the first three rounds. The Dolphins made a huge splash in free ageny this season, signing Mike Wallace, Dannell Ellerbe, Brent Grimes, Dustin Keller, Philip Wheeler, and others. Maybe they think they are close to contending, and are willing to pay a healthy price to lock down Johnson, who would protect the blind side of promising 2nd year QB Ryan Tannehill for the foreseeable future.

The cost would be high, but there's a reasonable argument to be made that it could happen. Are the Eagles legitimately interested in drafting Johnson at 4, or could his workout with the Eagles be a subtle message to Miami's brass? To be determind...

Follow Jimmy on Twitter.

All have bought in, at least according to the team's Web czar, Dave Spadaro, whose job is always to spin the glass as being at least half full. However, there's no reason (yet) to question the picture he's painted about the first day of the team's voluntary offseason workout program on Monday, in which a group of wholly enthused players first gathered in the auditorium before breaking off into position groups and eventually dining together.

Monday marked the first day that Kelly and his staff could begin to talk football business with the players, and at least the team hasn't taken a step backward yet, like its baseball counterpart across the street did in its clunker of a season opener Monday night.

Linebacker/defensive end Brandon Graham and left tackle Jason Peters will be made available to reporters today, with quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver DeSean Jackson available tomorrow. Peters, who sat out all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, is expected to be a full go when the Eagles hit the field for their first minicamp later this month.

Expect the positive sound bites to start flowing in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...