For the first time since last August, we had a chance on Wednesday to watch an entire Eagles practice, and it was certainly fascinating. A lot of this week\u2019s observations come from that 90-minute indoor practice session, starting out with the latest on safety Drew Mukuba.<\/p>\n
We’ll also get into Jalen Hurts\u2019 revealing comments about Sean Mannion, the latest on Uar Bernard and a fun observation on Andrew Greenard.<\/p>\n
So welcome to our final Roob\u2019s 10 Random Eagles Observations of May. The next one will be in June and that\u2019s the month before training camp starts!<\/p>\n
ENCOURAGING SIGNS FROM MUKUBA: We didn\u2019t know what Drew Mukuba\u2019s status was until we walked into the Bubble Thursday afternoon. It\u2019s only been six months since he suffered a broken ankle and fibula in a Week 12 game against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium and nobody knew if he’d be back in time for OTAs. But there he was looking fast, spry and healthy as the Eagles held their first OTA practice open to the media. This is huge both for Mukuba and for the Eagles. This is a 23-year-old kid who\u2019s only played 11 NFL games and is being counted on to start this year. He needs the work. The less summer practice time he misses the better as he learns how to be an NFL safety and gets comfortable playing next to Marcus Epps, who replaced him last year when he got hurt. Mukuba got off to a bit of an inconsistent start as a rookie last year but was playing very good football before he got hurt. But there\u2019s no Plan B this year. Reed Blankenship is gone, Sydney Brown is gone, and the Eagles are depending on Mukuba to play at a high level. There aren\u2019t a ton of question marks on this defense or on this entire team, for that matter. Safety is one of them. Epps is a smart, solid veteran, and Mukuba is a promising 2nd-year pro. But they\u2019re still unproven. Mukuba needs to tackle better and has to be more consistent in coverage. But he\u2019s got a chance, and seeing him out there Thursday was an encouraging first step.<\/p>\n
HE SURE LOOKS LIKE A DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: And it was sure fun to see Uar Bernard for the first time. The 21-year-old Nigerian defensive tackle, with zero football background, participated in individual drills and certainly looked the part – big, strong and explosive, although he\u2019s stiff moving around, which shouldn\u2019t be surprising considering he has no idea what he’s doing. But there\u2019s definitely something there with his physical traits, although who knows if he\u2019ll ever be figure it all out enough to play on Sundays. Watching him you had to wonder what it felt like running around trying a sport he\u2019s never participated in around guys who\u2019ve been doing this their entire lives. Jordan Davis was effusive in his praise of Bernard, who the Eagles drafted in the seventh round: \u201cGreat guy. He’s really meshing into the room well. And not that we had any reservations or doubt that he would, but just seeing him flourish in the room and seeing him get connected with the guys. And especially because of Moro (Ojomo), obviously we all know that he’s Nigerian as well. And just having that connection in that room, probably paying dividends in itself. But just getting to know him, him getting to know us. understanding that he\u2019s learning a new sport. I mean, when I started playing football in 10th grade, it was already hard enough, and I could just only imagine at his point in his career and coming into the highest level of learning in the NFL. So aside from that, day by day, he gets better and obviously we all know that’s not gonna happen overnight, but just seeing this progression and seeing him work and just understanding the type of humility that kid has. It’s just amazing. We’re excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
JUST ONE IN 25 YEARS: Eighteen Eagles have had at least seven interceptions in a season a total of 23 times. None have done it in the last 15 years. Asante Samuel is the only Eagle in the last quarter century with seven INTs in a season. He had nine in 2009 and seven in 2010. Before that, William Thomas in 1995 and Troy Vincent in 1999 had seven each. So only three different Eagles have had seven INTs in a season in the last 35 years. Eight former or future Eagles have had at least seven INTs in a season during that span: Mark McMillian (eight with the Chiefs in 1997), Samuel (10 with the Patriots in 2006), Nnamdi Asomugha (eight with the Raiders in 2006), O.J. Atogwe (eight with the Rams in 2007), Kyle Arrington (seven with the Patriots in 2011), Kurt Coleman (seven with the Panthers in 2015), Darius Slay (eight with the Lions in 2017), Kevin Byard (eight with the Titans in 2017, seven with the Bears in 2025),<\/p>\n
YOU HAVE TO LOVE HEARING JALEN ON MANNION: I don\u2019t know how you can\u2019t be encouraged after listening to Jalen Hurts speak Thursday about Sean Mannion. One thing stuck out in particular: He emphasized how Mannion hasn\u2019t just taught him how to run the offense, he\u2019s given him the \u201cwhy\u2019s\u201d of the offense and what the purpose of all the new stuff is. \u201cYou can throw anyone under center. I think the question you ask is why? You know, why are you doing what you’re doing? What are you doing? What are you complimenting? What’s your M.O. behind what you do? And so philosophically, it’s different than what we’ve done in the past.\u201d If you understand why you\u2019re doing something and why it\u2019s going to help the offense and help you, you\u2019re much more apt to master it then if you\u2019re just being told what to do with no context. Hurts never spoke of Kevin Patullo like this. Not even close<\/p>\n
JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE WEEK: Only eight players in NFL history have more postseason rushing touchdowns than Hurts, who has 10. Six of the eight are Hall of Famers \u2013 Emmitt Smith, Mount Holly\u2019s Franco Harris, Thurman Thomas, Terrell Davis, John Riggins and Marcus Allen \u2013 and the others are Marshawn Lynch (who should eventually get in) and former Eagle LeGarrette Blount.<\/p>\n
WHAT’S HE DOING THERE? Another fun note from Thursday\u2019s OTA: As practice was winding down, the speciaists \u2013 punter Braden Mann, kicker Jake Elliott and long snapper Rocco Underwood \u2013 were doing a series of gassers across the field. They were joined by special teams coach Michael Clay, who is a heck of an athlete and held his own, and for most of the sprints they were joined by Jonathan Greenard, who wasn\u2019t involved in a drill at that point. Why would an edge rusher with a $100 million contract voluntarily jump in a series of gassers? I don\u2019t know, but I thought it was great. Greenard is now 29 and it was a long, hard practce, but he preferred just doing something than standing around during the final minutes of practice. I love that. I love that mentality. Greenard didn\u2019t win any of the sprints, but he usually wasn\u2019t last, either. For the record, Mann won just about every race, even one in which he gave the rest of the field a 10-meter head start. The dude can fly.<\/p>\n
WELCOME TO THE FUN EAGLES POSTSEASON TIGHT ENDS SECTION:
Fun Eagles Postseason Tight End Stat #1: Keith Jackson had 15 catches and 305 yards in his first three career playoff games: 7-for-142 in the Fog Bowl in Chicago in 1988, 3-for-47 in the loss to the Rams at the Vet in 1989 and 5-for-116 in the home wild-card loss to Washington in 1990. No other tight end in NFL history has had 15 catches and at least 305 yards in his first three playoff games.
Fun Eagles Postseason Tight End Stat #2: Jackson had four 100-yard postseason games. Only Travis Kelce has ever had more among tight ends, with nine. Jackson had two 100-yard postseason games as an Eagle, one with the Dolphins and one with the Packers. He\u2019s the only tight end ever with 100-yard games for three teams. Only Greg Olsen also had 100-yard games for two teams (Bears and Panthers).
Fun Eagles Postseason Tight End Stat #3: Only 10 tight ends have 50 career postseason catches and the Eagles drafted three of them \u2013 Jackson in the first round in 1988, Zach Ertz in the second round in 2013 and Dallas Goedert in the second round 2018. Goedert ranks seventh in NFL postseason history with 56 catches, Ertz is eighth with 54 and Jackson is ninth.
Fun Eagles Postseason Tight End Stat #4: Goedert has had three or more catches in 10 of his 14 career playoff games. Only four tight ends have had more postseason games with at least three receptions \u2013 Kelce, Gronk, Brent Jones and Jay Novacek.
Fun Eagles Postseason Tight End Stat #5: Ertz and Goedert have both had two or more catches in 11 consecutive playoff games, which is tied for the 6th-longest streak ever. Kelce had two catches in 25 straight, Brent Jones 13 in a row and Dallas Clark, Novaceck and Shannon Sharpe 12 straight games. Ertz has never had fewer than two catches in a postseason game. Only Kelce, Clarke and Sharpe also began their careers with at least two catches in 11 straight playoff games.<\/p>\n
THE INSPIRING CORRELL BUCKHALTER STORY: All these years later, I\u2019m still amazed how Correll Buckhalter bounced back after suffering three season-ending knee injuries in a four-year span. Buck missed 2002 with a torn ACL in his left knee, played in 2003, then missed all of 2004 and 2005 with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. From 2002 through 2005, he played in only 15 games. But he always had this incredibly positive outlook while he was rehabbing, and after he worked his way back on the field he was one of the most productive backs in the league. From 2006 through 2009 \u2013 his last three seasons with the Eagles and first season with the Broncos \u2013 he played in 52 of a possible 58 games and his 4.9 average during that four-year span was 8th-highest of 62 running backs who had at least 300 carries. He also had 93 catches for 907 yards, and his 9.8 yards per catch average was 3rd-highest among RBs from 2006 through 2009. His touches were always limited out of concern about his knees, but that dude was so talented and I have ultimate respect for the way he battled back on the field and the positive vibes he always had despite injury after injury. Not the best Eagles running back ever but maybe the most inspiring.<\/p>\n
SEE YOU IN CANTON: Jason Kelce and Jason Peters will last played in 2023, so both will be eligible for the Hall of Fame during the 2028 voting process and the 2029 enshrinement class. Kelce and Peters were teammates here for 10 years \u2013 2011 through 2020 \u2013 and it would be insane if they went in together. I\u2019m not sure Peters is first-ballot, and maybe the Kelce vote will dilute the Peters vote. I don\u2019t know if the voters will want to put two Eagles offensive linemen in on the first ballot the same year. And Kelce is a slam-dunk 1st-ballot Hall of Famer. But J.P. should go in his first year of eligibility. Peters is one of 11 offensive tackles to make nine Pro Bowls and the only other ones who aren\u2019t in the Hall are Trent Williams, who\u2019s still playing, and Jim Tyrer, who has been omitted for some pretty horrible non-football reasons. Peters is one of the best to ever do it, and that\u2019s what the Hall of Fame is for. The best of the best. Any way you measure it, J.P. belongs. And how cool would it be if both Jasons go in at the same time? I\u2019m not sure Canton, Ohio, has ever experienced anything like what it would that weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the first time since last August, we had a chance on Wednesday to watch an entire Eagles…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206800,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[6107,69,71,70],"class_list":["post-206799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-eagles-blog","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}