New Faces at Eagles Camp
Donovan McNabb looked around and probably wondered where the name tags were. McNabb`s two top targets at wide receiver -- Charles Johnson and Torrance Small -- are gone. The NFL`s MVP runnerup has new weapons to work with this year and he`s spending the Eagles` first minicamp getting familiar with the new faces. "They`ve been working hard in the offseason and they`ve really developed a chemistry with myself and the other quarterbacks," McNabb said about Philadelphia`s young receivers. "Everyone has the same idea of going out and making an impact." Johnson had 56 catches for 642 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Small made 40 receptions for 569 yards and three TDs. Five teams had one receiver catch more passes than Johnson and Small had combined. Small was released prior to the draft, but Johnson wasn`t until last week.
The Eagles new No. 1 receiver is James Thrash, who had 50 catches for 653 yards and two touchdowns for the Washington Redskins last season. First-round pick Freddie Mitchell and Todd Pinkston, a second-round selection last year, will compete for the second spot. Na Brown and Gari Scott also are vying for playing time.
"You can see the maturation of those guys going on," McNabb said. "They`ve learned the offense, they`ve been in it for a year and now they`re able to go out and just worry about football instead of worrying about if they`re in the right position, if the timing is right."
Mitchell, a flashy receiver with good speed, has only been around the Eagles` offense for a few days. But he doesn`t lack any confidence.
"He came out on the practice field like he owned it," Pro Bowl tight end Chad Lewis said of his first impression of Mitchell. "That`s great to have. You don`t want guys who are shy and timid."
Mitchell, who worked in a variation of the West Coast offense in college, is just trying to learn the new system.
"There`s a lot to learn, getting the terminology right," Mitchell said. "I need to learn the routes. It`s a lot faster pace than college practices."
Pinkston showed an ability to spread defenses by averaging 18.1 yards on 10 catches as a rookie. He appeared in all 16 games and is among the receivers who have impressed coach Andy Reid this offseason.
"The thing that`s obvious is that they are young. And the other thing is that they possess some talent," Reid said. "I have been very happy with their progress this offseason. It`s just a matter of them getting in the game and playing. They`ve had all the preliminary work that they need. Now it`s time for them to step in and play and contribute. I feel comfortable that they can do that."
Despite having an average group receivers and a poor running game after Duce Staley went down with a season-ending foot injury, the Eagles managed to win 12 games, including a playoff victory.
McNabb established himself as one of the rising stars, and promises more of the same this year.
"You`re going to see some different things this year, see some different guys," he said. "The things we`re trying to do on the offensive side are just about the same. Once everyone comes back around for training camp, we`ll all be back with same idea to go out and be very productive."
(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
advertisement
Author: ap
Archives
More Articles
