As the Philadelphia Eagles head into the tenth day of training camp, they are edging closer and closer to their first preseason game of the year on Sunday.
Prior to today's practice, Eagles' defensive coordinator Bill Davis spoke with the Philadelphia media.
Davis identified a couple of the defense's main focuses as the team prepares for it's first exhibition game of the year.
"I'm looking for the tackling piece, because you don't see that," Davis said. "Communication when the lights are on. I tell the guys it's about evaluating your ability combined with your coachability. Playing great defense is eleven guys playing as one."
Davis also noted that the injuries in the starting lineup are not a huge concern for him.
"Even if the starters are playing it's usually a limited role," he said. "The preseason is awesome from my standpoint because all these young guys, they get a lot of playing time, and we all get this evaluation time."
Lastly, Davis described quarterback Sam Bradford as being tougher than what some people might think.
"I'm highly impressed with Sam," Davis said.
"I was the defensive coordinator in Arizona his rookie year, the first game he played," he said. "I blitzed Adrian Wilson off the edge probably 10 to 15 times. He kept hitting Sam and hitting Sam. Must have been the third quarter (when) Adrian comes over to me and says, 'Hey, Billy D, we're in for a long one. This boy's not getting rattled. I keep hitting him with everything I have and he just won't rattle. I can't shake him.' So we knew right then that Sam had the mental toughness."
As it pertains to today's practice, the biggest takeaway from today may be the number of Eagles' players that were inactive.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebackers DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, Kiko Alonso and Bryan Braman didn't participate in practice. The same can be said of defensive backs Earl Wolff and Jerome Couplin.
As it pertains to the offense, running back DeMarco Murray and tight-end Zach Ertz both were in their jerseys without shoulder pads on.
Eagles' free safety Malcolm Jenkins poked some fun at all of the Eagles' inactive players. Prior to practice, he reportedly pulled out a chair for Murray and the others to sit on while they spectate practice.
"I wanted to make sure they had a nice little seat in the shade," Jenkins jokingly said after practice.
Here are some more news and notes from today's training camp sessions:
- Bradford seems to moving around more smoothly than he has in previous days. He even tucked the ball and ran for an intermediate gain. It was his second rush attempt of all of camp. There seems to be no question marks about the quarterback's arm strength.
- Eric Rowe took first-team repetitions at the slot corner-back position. E.J Biggers took snaps with the second-team. Jaylen Watkins worked with the third unit.
- Offensive lineman Andrew Gardner received first-team reps at the right guard position for the second consecutive day. He seems to be the man to beat in the right guard competition.
- Emmanuel Acho and Brad Jones took first-team defensive reps in replace of Ryans and Kendricks. Jordan Hicks and Najgee Goode played inside linebacker with the second-team defensive.
- Wide-receiver Nelson Agholor beat Byron Maxwell in the first couple rounds of 1-on-1 drills. However, he made another crucial drop today.
- Quarterback Mark Sanchez didn't get off to a good start. He threw two consecutive interceptions at one point. However, he did bounce back with a couple of pretty throws to running back Darren Sproles.
- Injury Report: Alonso (concussion), Braman, Couplin (appendicitis), Ertz (shoulder), Kendricks, Murray, Wolff and Ryans (rest).
The Eagles will have another full practice tomorrow and a walk-through session on Saturday before they take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
