Roundup

Soooo, the trip to san diego was flipping great, back to the business of the birds.

Noteables

• I have faith with Reggie Brown. I truly think that the guys is going to be the real deal. As quick an impact as (that guy), but still will be a force to be reckoned with. As usual, there is the typical Philly doubt.
• Have I told you how much I LOVE Brian Dawkins? He says it will be fixed, I believe it.
• Bloom watch. This guy is something special and I think he's going to dwarf what Brian Mitchell did for us. Bloom's kickass website.

out for a while

Doing a little campaigning in sunny san diego... will be raring to go on Friday 5/9

Humpday Headlines

• So my co-worker pointed this out to me. He's an absolute D-Bag, the co-worker. He's a Steelers fan, that explains a lot. This guy contends that the Birds should not even be considered as a Superbowl Contender because of the "new and improved" NFC-East. Seriously? Come on. My prediction right off of this guy.

1. Philly 2. NYG 3. dalASS 4. Warshingtun

• My Buddy Bloom, impressing still. What a class act.
• LaJuan Ramsey who?

Tuesday, Back At It

I hope all had a great weekend relaxing and thinking of those who have served so well over the years defending our America. Brian Dawkins, you are such a class act. This is why you're overwhelmingly my favorite player. God Bless You.

Back to the Birds.

• Ricky Williams gives me another reason to be glad we've got D-Mac.

• I'm getting excited about this defensive line. It seems like this Bunkley guy is really worth it.
  

Back at the grind in the morning.

Andrews fighting weight

Come on brotha! Don't lose all of your "gusto."

Andrews battles his weight
The grieving Eagles guard is trying to gain control of his weight.
By Ashley Fox- Philly Inquirer
A slimmed-down Shawn Andrews tries to lift sumo wrestler Casey Burns, whose listed weight is 460 pounds, during a visit to the NovaCare Complex.

This is about food, and fat, and fear.
His whole life, Shawn Andrews has struggled with food. Pancakes drowned in syrup. Cheesesteaks. Baked macaroni. Pizza.
After the Eagles' season ended in January, Andrews gained 10 pounds, pushing perilously close to a weight that began with the number four. He made a decision. Enough was enough. He had to stop.
In April, weeks into a diet that was showing results, Andrews went to a park near his Arkansas home with a childhood buddy named Willie. The two had ridden the bus together to third grade, had pigged out in home economics class, had played hoops. Like Andrews, Willie was a big man, but unlike Andrews, he had stopped working out years ago.
That day, Andrews and Willie sat at the park watching the cars go by, talking about their lives and winking at girls. Afterward, Andrews went to Subway, ordering a chicken teriyaki sandwich on whole wheat bread, Sun chips, and a bottle of water. Two hours later, he got the call. Willie was dead, apparently of a heart attack brought on by high blood pressure. He was 23.
"It was tough," the 23-year-old Andrews said yesterday. "It was bad. It's been about a month now. I don't want to die because I'm too fat. Everybody has problems. Everybody has things they have to work on, you know. Everybody's human.
"But it's just one of the things I've been faced with for a long time, and hopefully I can keep it under control."
By definition, offensive linemen in the NFL are supposed to be large, immovable objects. If Andrews were not big and strong, he would not be making large sums of money playing a game Sundays in the fall.
But nearly 400 pounds? The Eagles' right guard didn't want that, and yesterday after eating half a tuna wrap and a Caesar salad - with four olives, he pointed out - for lunch, Andrews reported that he has dropped nearly 35 pounds. He is following a strict diet and working out twice daily, and now is down to from 355 to 358 pounds.
After working out with the Eagles' rookies yesterday, Andrews showed off his slimmed-down physique for a slew of cameras at the NovaCare Complex, where he helped a couple of sumo wrestlers promote an event at the Wachovia Center.
Andrews let the wrestlers teach him a few basics of their sport, and laughed after one, who was visibly lighter, easily picked him off the ground and moved him a few feet. He clearly was the happy, affable player the Eagles selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2004 draft.
"I definitely have more energy," Andrews said. "I can get in my stance without my stomach being all in the way, and huffing and puffing. I can fire off the ball like the old me. I can, right now if I had to, go for six or seven quarters, I believe."
Entering the 2005 season after missing almost all of his rookie year with a broken right leg, Andrews was listed at 340 pounds but played at a higher weight. He said his goal is to come into training camp around 355, although he acknowledged that his optimal weight was the 345 pounds he played at during his freshman year at Arkansas.
Could he get too skinny? Could he become too light? Could he get too comfortable with losing weight? Andrews said no, not a chance. For him, weight will always be a battle.
"I'd say if I could get down to 200 pounds, I could probably eat my way back in a week to 350," Andrews said.
What losing weight will do, Andrews said, is give him the athleticism to block downfield without getting winded. He said that if he ever got far downfield last year, he would hope for a defensive penalty, so he'd have a few extra moments to recover.
"I just think it's going to be a lot better for me, a lot more beautiful to see me pulling around on the slow screen right," Andrew said. "Just, wow. It's going to be great, man. You'll see, Lord willing, I make it through training camp healthy, which I will. It's going to be exciting... .
"I'm trying to give you the side of me to be healthy the rest of my life. When you talk about me, I want it to be, 'Hey, he could be the next LeBron James of the offensive line.' "
So for now, Andrews will continue watching what he eats, save for a weekly trip to a Philadelphia restaurant for a filet mignon and lobster tail, with a side of asparagus. He will mourn his friend Willie, who died much too young. And he will continue to study successful linemen who are on the lighter side, like Minnesota Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson (who is listed at 313 pounds) and San Francisco 49ers guard Larry Allen (325).
"I'm just kind of taking it upon myself to realize you're a grown man, you have responsibilities," Andrews said. "You're still a mama's boy. You just have to... change your eating habits and work out more."
And then, Andrews added quietly: "I'm really proud of myself."

Met Draftee Bloom

Sooooo, tonight (may 16, for some reason the date is messed up) I had the opportunity to go to the Olympic Winter Games dinner in Washington, D.C. as a part of my job. The dinner was at the Washington Hilton in Northwest D.C. It featured almost every athlete that competed in the games. After the dinner, at the reception, I had the opportunity to meet the newest EAGLE and welcome him to the team. Got a picture, will post later.

Would have to say that the guy is really excited to be part of the team and part of the community. I'd say on the level of personalities, the guy's a great addition.

Grasmanis Rides into the Sunset

As reported @ the Bird's site, grunt-man Paul Grasmanis calls it quits after 10 years in the NFL. Thanks for the good seasons and hard work for the fans of Philly. You've earned your wings.

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/homeNewsDetail.jsp?id=49205

Back In Bid'ness

After about a 5 month break, it returns. EXPERT commentary and linking to the most up to date and insightful writings about our beloved Philadelphia Eagles!

Getting rid of T.O.?

This is the first significant step in the offseason to get rid of the cancerous T.O. I actually shouldn't capitalize his initials anymore. It feeds the insanity.
From www.ESPN.go.com :


Formality? Agent gets permission to seek T.O. trade
By Len PasquarelliESPN.com

Although the odds of a deal are slim given the circumstances, the Philadelphia Eagles have granted agent Drew Rosenhaus verbal permission to speak to other franchises about the possibility of acquiring estranged wide receiver Terrell Owens in a trade.
Rosenhaus has been able to orchestrate trades under difficult circumstances in the past, but finding a franchise that is inclined to surrender even a low-round draft choice for Owens might be expecting too much.
But even the teams seriously interested in taking on the controversial Owens for next season aren't likely to be very interested in a trade, since they know the Eagles will release him in the spring. Rosenhaus did not immediately return messages Monday evening.
One league source, acknowledging that there is virtually no chance for a trade, called the move "a formality," and agreed Owens eventually will be cut and then sign elsewhere as a free agent. Granting permission for a trade might be a last-gasp effort by the Eagles to try to elicit something in return for Owens before being forced to release him in less than two months.
Owens
His off-field actions aside, it is believed that Owens, still a premier playmaker, will draw interest from several teams once he is released. Rosenhaus has been able to orchestrate trades under difficult circumstances in the past, but finding a franchise that is inclined to surrender even a low-round draft choice for Owens might be expecting too much.
Philadelphia could, of course, arrange a trade on its own. But given Owens' contract status, and the likelihood any team acquiring him would probably need him to rework his existing deal, his cooperation would be necessary.
Owens, 32, has five seasons remaining on the seven-year, $49 million contract he signed with Philadelphia after the Eagles acquired him in a three-team trade in 2004. In March he is due two roster bonuses totaling $7.5 million -- one a payment of $5 million on March 5 and a second payment of $2.5 million later in the month.
Certainly, with what transpired during this season, Owens cannot return to the Eagles and teams interested in him will use that knowledge to their advantage.
The 10-year veteran, one of the game's premier receivers, was suspended twice last season, once during summer training camp for a week, then at midseason. He appeared in a career-low seven games and caught 47 passes for 763 yards and six touchdowns.
In November, arbitrator Richard Bloch upheld the Eagles' right to suspend Owens four games for conduct detrimental to the team, and to place him on the inactive list every week after that for the balance of the season. The in-season suspension cost Owens $764,705 of his scheduled $3.25 million base salary for 2005.
The Eagles are also trying to recover $1.725 million, a prorated share of the $8.5 million signing bonus Owens received in '04. The NFL Players' Association has filed a grievance on his behalf in that case. It is not known when the grievance will be heard.
Owens, who began his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers as a third-round pick in the 1996 draft, has 716 career receptions for 10,535 yards and 101 touchdowns. He has appeared in 142 games (128 as a starter) and has been chosen for the Pro Bowl five times.
Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.