Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Observations

There was Eagles football played on a Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field, sort of. The team held the second of their two open practices in front of over 43,000 fans and military personnel in attendance for a day honoring our country’s armed forces. A week from Sunday, the next rung up on the competitiveness level will grace the Lincoln Financial Field gridiron in the form of the Eagles preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Until then, what took place on the field August 9th was as close to football as Eagles fans were privy to.

The free admission to the event allowed non-credentialed individuals such as myself to take in the practice and see what stood out on the field. The first highlight, however, occurred prior to any action. Nearly immediately following the completion of the National Anthem, a plane soared above the stadium with a message from Dallas Cowboys nation.

With the fans worked into a mild frenzy and a good chunk of the players feeding off the enthusiasm, practice got underway. The team took part in various team and individual drills over roughly an hour and a half. Afterward, the players lined up on one end of the field with the military personnel on the other end. Each member of the Eagles removed his jersey and walked it over to the individual across from them. There, the players signed autographs and talked with various members of the armed forces before speaking with the media and eventually receding to the locker room.

Before getting into what jumped out during the practice, there was a potentially serious injury that occurred to 6th round draft pick defensive back JaCorey Shepherd. The Kansas product, praised throughout the early portions of training camp, was in coverage on one of the team’s 7-on-7 drills. Darren Sproles caught a short pass and initiated a collision with Shepherd who tumbled to the ground. It was immediately apparent that this was a serious matter as Shepherd remained on the field. After a failed attempt to be helped off by trainers, the rookie was eventually carted into the locker room for the remainder of practice.

Having traded away Brandon Boykin, losing Shepherd would be a blow to the team’s secondary depth.

On to a handful of things that stood out about your 2015 Philadelphia Eagles.