Philadelphia Eagles

Ten takeaways from day eight of Eagles Training camp

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The birds returned to the NovaCare Complex today following their first practice of the year open to the public. With one week already in the books, the stories are beginning to snowball and the intensity just keeps on increasing. Here are ten takeaways from day eight of Eagles Training camp.

Injury update:
OUT:
RB Ryan Mathews (Ankle)
OL Brandon Brooks (Hamstring)
WR Marcus Johnson (Calf)

No surprises here, Brooks is expected to return this week along with Mathews, although the Eagles are likely going to take more caution with the running back considering his injury history. Undrafted wide receiver Marcus Johnson is also out, missing his second day of practice.

 

The return of the 10-10-10-:
It was back to basics for the Eagles today as they returned to a 10-10-10 format..a concept introduced by Pederson during the team’s first full practice last week. Here’s what the practice actually means for the Eagles:

The idea was used by Andy Reid during his long tenure as Head Coach of the Eagles but it has even more of a purpose under Doug Pederson. The format for the day will first see ten Offensive plays that are designed to succeed. The Defense won’t be going 100% to ensure that while coverages and scenarios are similar to what you’d see in a full scrimmage, the Offense has more chance of making the play.

After this, ten Defensive plays will take the forefront. The Offense won’t be firing on all cylinders which allows the Defense to execute the play as Schwartz intended and attain the desired result. When Linemen are a little complacent in blocking or a running back is maybe slower in his route, the Defense can read the play better and learn how to efficiently execute a play at a slower pace before speeding things up as camp progresses.

To round out the cycle, the Eagles will complete ten minutes of special teams plays and concepts, with the same idea at the forefront of each drill.

 

Picking up speed:
Carson Wentz had a really, really good day. The rookie was the center of attention in yesterday’s open practice and today saw him steal even more of the spotlight.

It’s been a rollercoaster Training camp for the rookie so far, from stunning plays to some rookie mistakes..it’s great to hear Wentz is really starting to impress on a consistent basis.

 

Receiver rotation:
For those who follow my Doug Pederson play-call analysis articles, you’ll know how much the Eagles Head Coach liked to rotate receivers with the Chiefs last year. It looks like his first year as a Head Coach is going to see just as much rotation, if not more if early Camp signs are to go by.

It’s something that really makes the West-Coast Offense even more dangerous. Camp is going to see even more rotation due to the competitive environment and the coaches wanting to see what their receivers can do in a variety of situations..but it’s something that is probably going to carry over into the regular season.

 

Remember what we said about Ertz?:
The Eagles Tight End didn’t look incredibly dominant yesterday..but he did look very frustrated about it. In yesterday’s’ recap, I noted how we can expect a big day from Ertz today..and well, he delivered.

I spoke to a few people who were present at Practice today who all noted how Ertz seemed to be much more assertive in his route running today. 10-10-10 practices are designed to outweigh one side of the ball but regardless, Ertz looked fired up on the field and made a few impressive catches.

 

Is Givens becoming a lock to make the roster?:
Givens has looked to be in good form since the start of OTA’s and today, found himself lining up on the first team Offense.

With Reuben Randle having an equally impressive camp (we’ll get to that later), Givens needs to keep turning heads if he is to stand out and become a reliable deep threat for the Eagles. The coaches seem to be just as impressed as the rest of us, meaning it will be interesting to see if Givens continues to get reps with the first team.

 

Randle still shining:
The former Giants receiver has been one of the most impressive standouts of Training camp so far and he showed just how much he can help the receiving corps yet again today.

Randle just keeps on impressing. If it isn’t a startling one-handed catch, it’s consistently beating coverage and gaining separation. He is going to be a name to watch for the rest of Camp, especially once pre-season begins next week.

 

Barner stands out to Reich:
I wonder who could have predicted a major role for Kenjon Barner this season a few months ago…*cough*. Anyway, Offensive coordinator Frank Reich seems very impressed with the Eagles running back..although he hasn’t set the world on fire at Camp so far.

It will be interesting to see if that changes this week. With Mathews still absent, he is almost destined to see more reps, it’s just a case of if he can make the most of them.

 

Lights, Camera, Training camp:
The Eagles continue to utilize helmet-cam technologies in Camp and it isn’t just Blake Countess wearing the equipment now.

Chase Daniel appeared to have one on recently too. Does this mean a #BradfordCam is just a couple of practices away? It’s likely. Pederson is obviously keen to implement this into his program and the benefits speak for themselves in the film room. Besides, imagine a first person view of those sleeves..

 

Jason Peters isn’t as durable as he once was:
We kind of knew this going into the 2016. With the degenerative injury haunting him and Chip’s Offense appearing to overwork him and make things even worse, the veteran lineman is showing signs of his durability in camp.

This could have just be a camp-strain..they happen to the best of players. But considering the age of Peters and his condition, it’s probably wise to give him a few more of the breathers that Pederson has been giving him regularly this year.

 

Photo credit: Bill Streicher/ USA TODAY Sports

About the Author

Liam Jenkins

Liam is a 29-year old sports journalist from the UK and founder of the Philly Sports Network. Having now ran PSN for a decade, Liam’s focus remains on building a platform containing the most complete coverage of ALL of Philadelphia’s sports teams.

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