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Football at Four: Eagles We're Keying In On Training Camp · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We got football four on a Tuesday. Adam Kaplan is
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: here and we are now one week from Eagles reporting.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: They will be reporting a week from today, and what
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: we are keeping an eye on in training camp. Adam
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Kaplan is here to give us all the matchups and
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: all the things in terms of position battles on the
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: offense and the defensive side of the ball. What are
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: some of the things we will be keeping an eye
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: on from the inside of the Burns podcast. At Kaplan
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: joins us right now on today's football at for Adam
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: one week away.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, exactly one week away they report and
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: the next day they can have the first practice. Yeah,
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: it's cool. I mean, we're it's weird. A majority of
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: the practice are back. They're actually starting five to seven
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: days late for I don't know why they're doing that.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure if the Coaches World Cup. It might
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: be the league never really said why. That's fine, it's
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: no big deal that the lessisn't changing, is just starting later.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: But yeah, So the thing about this segment today, Mike
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: is we're gonna talk about the players. At least I'm
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: king on Andrew de Check will have his Jeff most
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: sure of his but the little heads up will give
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: you a little scoop here on what's coming up on
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: inside the birds on Wednesday and Thursday. So Jeff came
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: up with this idea. We've done this before, loosely, but
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: never to this degree. So Jeff came up with this
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  Speaker 2: great term called Lee Heisman's guys who did great at
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: at Lee High came out. And the rule for me
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  Speaker 2: was generally they had to be an undirector free agent
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  Speaker 2: or a late round pick that came out of nowhere
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  Speaker 2: to do great in training camp but may or may
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  Speaker 2: not have made the Eagles roster. And I tell this
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  Speaker 2: story about when I, you know, I broke a story
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  Speaker 2: on one of these guys who was like one of
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  Speaker 2: the biggest training camp heroes of my career in twenty
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  Speaker 2: seven years of the guy come coming out of nowhere,
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  Speaker 2: and I actually, you know, I put the scoop out
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  Speaker 2: and I like to always give the reason why, and
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  Speaker 2: people thought I made it up and I was lying
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: and being they got to block people. That's how vicious
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: it became. This guy because I understand like the venom
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  Speaker 2: and I I didn't respond any of it, but I
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: get it. When you get attached to a player, and
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  Speaker 2: I also thought it was wrong until I talked to him.
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  Speaker 2: I said, why are you cutting him? They explained to
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  Speaker 2: me the reason, and they're right about it. But that's
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  Speaker 2: coming offense tomorrow and Thursday's defense.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I like the Lee Heisman word. That's a that's
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  Speaker 1: a good one there Lee High back.
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  Speaker 2: When that maybe laughed hysterically.
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  Speaker 1: There's a lot of young people maybe out there listening
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  Speaker 1: that don't even remember the Lee High days.
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  Speaker 2: Hell, I remember going to west Chester once or twice,
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  Speaker 2: Mike Billy hasher Billy Has.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: I am a little I do remember west Chester, but
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: I'm a little young in terms of like remembering much
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  Speaker 1: about west Chester. Any I do remember they used to
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: be there, but I don't. I don't remember too much
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: about Westchester, but Lee High. I was at Lehigh when
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  Speaker 1: I interned back in nineteen ninety eight.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: You know what I don't miss. The drive for me
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: was like almost ninety minutes of plus 's Roy's construction.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: But there were some good restaurants. But Mike, I just
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: I hated the damn humidity. He because you're right in
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  Speaker 2: the middle.
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  Speaker 3: Oh you were in that yes, Oh, I definitely was
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  Speaker 3: terrible up there.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Let's take a look at some Eagles were
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: keeping an eye on in training camp.
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  Speaker 3: Let's start on the offensive side of the ball.
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  Speaker 1: Let's take a look at some of the guys you're
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  Speaker 1: keeping an eye on a training camp.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, New West Coast offense and offense. They've not
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  Speaker 2: run here under Nick Sirianni, the timing offense, Mike. Here
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  Speaker 2: with Jalen Hurts, we want to see the development and
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: the relationship of Hurts with Sean Mannion Tanner McKee. Tarner
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: McKee technically is not won the two job yet. He
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  Speaker 2: needs to have a good trend camp. Finally, you were
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  Speaker 2: as a rookie deal a lot of pressure on him
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: here to do well. Mike, I want to see how
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  Speaker 2: well he does because remember asking grekov sell this, he
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  Speaker 2: thought this is for McKee. This is a great fit
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  Speaker 2: for him because he generally generally throws on time. Well,
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  Speaker 2: So I'm looking forward to that, Mike, to seeing how
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  Speaker 2: these guys fit in in the West Coast offensive quarterback.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously both the incumbents from last season do have Andy
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  Speaker 1: Dalton here that will be in the mix, and that's
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  Speaker 1: one of the reasons why he is here, right because
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: he has run this offense he.
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  Speaker 2: Has with the Cincinnati Bengals, Yes, under Jay Gruden. And
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: by the way, Howie rose him and has a re
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  Speaker 2: report at the time loved him. It came down to
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: be prior him to signing the Panthers, is actually going
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: to be the Eagles, and for family purposes. I was
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: told he changed his mind. He went to sign with
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: the Panthers. But how he got his guy. They're going
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  Speaker 2: to pay him one point five million and to get
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  Speaker 2: a seventh round pick for him.
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  Speaker 1: All right, let's look at the wide receivers that you'll
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  Speaker 1: be keeping an eye on in this offense in training camp.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Don Tavian Wis, Mike, big bodied receiver, you know,
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  Speaker 2: average speed, but run after the catch guy. Good fit
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  Speaker 2: for this offense. He played in Green Bay. No, Sean
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  Speaker 2: Mannion looking forward to this one. And Makay Lemon he's
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: healed from the hamster injury. Look, Mike, he missed the
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: chuck of the off season. That's not good. So we
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  Speaker 2: want to see where he's at. And Mike, they've never
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  Speaker 2: really been they haven't had a true slot receiver. And
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  Speaker 2: I don't know how long.
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  Speaker 3: Maybe the last one.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know what when Nelly got moved to the slot.
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  Speaker 2: Yet it's a good call. Yes, So that's been a
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  Speaker 2: number of years. That's why I said I could remember. So, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: he's a true slot. He is a slot and he's
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  Speaker 2: physically he's tough, great run after the catch, good hands,
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  Speaker 2: good at trigger, a quick as doesn't have long speed.
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  Speaker 2: I'm really looking forward to seeing how well this first
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  Speaker 2: round pick doesn't training camp.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, me too. I like that pick a lot when
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  Speaker 1: they made it. Now we're a week away from seeing him.
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  Speaker 1: I am trumpidacious about having hamstring issues though that I
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  Speaker 1: don't like to hear. So hopefully he gets in and
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  Speaker 1: doesn't have any of those problems that he had in
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: the offseason. OTAs Wicks, of course, was in the Green
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  Speaker 1: Bay offense last year.
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  Speaker 3: What about it?
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  Speaker 2: Tight end, Yeah, Eli Stowers, Mike, you know, I keep
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: telling people he's not going to play a lot as
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  Speaker 2: a rookie. It's it's goddard. Now, this is predicated on
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  Speaker 2: the health of everybody else. It's got her. Mutt makes
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: the team, he'll be there. He'll be there backup why
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: and it'll be stours And those are the guys who'll play. Remember,
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  Speaker 2: zach Ertz only played forty one percent of the Stamps
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: as a rookie. That's a lot like That's like if
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  Speaker 2: if Stowers played forty percent more, that's considered that a
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: win in terms of playing time. But I want to
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: see how they use him. See, I'm looking for usage.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not I'm not worried about is he being used
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  Speaker 2: a lot? I'm talking about where are they aligning him
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  Speaker 2: up slot tight end? Do they use at the exposition
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  Speaker 2: at receiver where they're pretty weak. I want to watch.
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  Speaker 2: I just want to see where he's where the alignment
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  Speaker 2: is for him.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know that Grant Kakata obviously somebody who's been
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  Speaker 1: here before more of a receiving tight end as well.
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  Speaker 1: So those two guys will see how they fit into
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  Speaker 1: the Eagle offense. Let's go to the offensive line and
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  Speaker 1: what this offense means for a couple of guys there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well all right, So before we go to defense,
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  Speaker 2: it's strictly health with Landon Dickerson. Seeing how he moves around.
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  Speaker 2: My understanding is he's lost some weight. I couldn't tell
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  Speaker 2: you how much he didn't look by the way he
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  Speaker 2: did look like he lost it when I saw him
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  Speaker 2: an OTAs. I want to see Cam Jurgens in the
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  Speaker 2: bad back, how well he moves. Shame on us for
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: not watching this last season, last last training camp. We
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: didn't know that what both were dealing with. But we
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: don't now, and I want to watch these guys. That's
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  Speaker 2: a big story. That's certainly one of the big storylines
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  Speaker 2: for training camp, the health of these two buds.
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  Speaker 3: All right, we'll go to defense now.
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  Speaker 1: These are guys that we're keeping an eye on in
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  Speaker 1: training camp. Adam Gaplin from the Inside of the Birds podcast,
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  Speaker 1: defensive Tackle. They are some high talent guys at the
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  Speaker 1: top of the depth chart.
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  Speaker 3: But who are you keeping an eye on?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, no question, Ty Robinson. Look, I understand he was
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  Speaker 2: only a rookie twenty five percent of his rookie deal,
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  Speaker 2: so you don't make a big deal out of it.
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  Speaker 2: Didn't contribute, didn't have a good training camp, didn't have
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  Speaker 2: a good preseason. As I talked about on one of
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  Speaker 2: our last shows, Mike on Inside the Birds and we
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: talked about the who's on the bubble? Well, remember Borrowing
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  Speaker 2: Young's ahead of him. That's not even up to debate.
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  Speaker 2: He's the first guy off the bench. The question is
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  Speaker 2: is tyro Robinson is a fourth round picking to make it,
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  Speaker 2: Donald Pumphrey was cut, he goes cut him after one year.
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  Speaker 2: He was a fourth front pick. So it's not like
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  Speaker 2: it's never happened. So ty Robinson was a guy that
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people in the scouting community love, and
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  Speaker 2: I understand it. I talked to so many the people
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  Speaker 2: that I trust in the NFL and they loved him.
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  Speaker 2: There wasn't anyone who didn't like him. But he's a
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  Speaker 2: little bit raw. He's sort of a tweener in terms
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  Speaker 2: of where do you line him up. So he's got
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  Speaker 2: it to be better, Mike, and he's a guy I'm
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  Speaker 2: gonna be watching in training camp, all right.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously they have some interesting edge stories as well. You
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  Speaker 1: can probably pick any of the the you know, the
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: top three guys here, but who stands out as the
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  Speaker 1: guy you want to see the most well?
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: Johnth Grenard plays in Vic Fangui's defense for the first
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: time he's played in a similar defense before. He's a
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: stand up at rusher. He's got an incredible one of
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  Speaker 2: the most explosive first steps in the National Football League
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: come up major shoulder surgery. He's had a lot of
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: injuries in his career. He'll play next to Jex Hunt
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: and Nolan Smith. Really excited to see Johnathan Grennard here
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: and see where he is physically, how recovered he is all.
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  Speaker 1: Right, Adam Capll, let's go to linebacker. For years we
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: would have conversations in this would be the weakest spot
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  Speaker 1: on the team. But now who are you looking at
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  Speaker 1: in this training camp?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Joheid Campbell coming off of yet his second major
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: shoulder surgery. He's concerning Mike. He's had a number of
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: injuries in his football playing career, knee problems at Alabama.
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  Speaker 2: But once he gets on the field, which will be
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: early in training camp, where we should see he's not
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: competing for against anyone. He is the starter, Mike. He
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: needs to get off to a good start. This is
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: to be a full time starter. With Vic Fangio, they
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: got to be patient with him. Did fairly well before
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: he got hurt. Wasn't perfect. He had some mistakes, but
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: overall pretty good. Now he's a full time starter. There's
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: nowhere else to go here, Mike. He's got to get
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: the job done. I'm very interest to.
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: See him well and of course.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he's filling in for na Kobe Dean who had
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: a really good run here in Philadelphia. So Jehide Campbell
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: who played well by the way while Dean was out
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: last year. But you know, it was a situation where
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: when Dean came back, Campbell essentially was out of the
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: mix there. So we'll see how he steps into that
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: role here. What about at corner where there's a couple
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: interesting names on this list, one.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Guy on defense on a watch and everyone because you
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: got hype by the reporters who went to four practices,
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: they were a low to watch in Otas's Rake Willen.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: He's on a one year deal with twelve million fully guaranteed,
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: so he knows he's got to have a great season
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: and how he goes the defense is going to go
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: because if he gets benched, Mike, they have a they're
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: not they're not getting close to sup Well. If he
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: gets benched, they're in trouble. They don't have good depth
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: of corner. They don't want to move or they could
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: have they might. They do not want to move Cooper
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: Degen back to the corner. That's that's not even the plans.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: But if Willan gets hurt or he gets benched. There's
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: no choice here, like it's got to be Coop. That's
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: like again, to be clear, they're not thinking like that.
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: It's not gonna work. But riek Will's got a lot
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: to prove great OTAs, but it doesn't mean all that much.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to warn people. OTAs or double a baseball
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: to me, A lot of reporters could get full not me.
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: I know better. I've learned my lesson from all mistakes
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: I made. I thinking it matters. You just take the
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: confidence that you have. And now now there's gonna be
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: some game. You know, there's not game planning, but there's
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: gonna be structure. There's gonna be some They're gonna be
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: running their defense here, so there's physical play. Mike. I
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: want to see how he does against Smitty and the
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: other guy. So we'll see what happens, all right.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: Then there's safety, which has some very interesting names here.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Who stands out well.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: The guy that I want to talk about is Cooper Degene.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: It's a new position for him at the National Football
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: League level. He's been comfor for at corner end of
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: Nickels so far obviously, but now he's gonna be playing
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: at this new position, and he look, there's there's a
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: belief that this is his best position, and there's some
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: times thought by far this would be his best position.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: But I want to see where he's at Mentley. I'm
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: very interested to see do they blitz him, like does
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: he is he a coverage safety? Like? What are they
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: doing with him? We don't know yet, Mike, but we're
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: gonna find out. And I'm really interested to seeing him
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: in trading camp.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: Well, that would be interesting if they find what different
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: you know, and what was the position they called him
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: in at Iowa. I forget how what they kind of
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: referred to him as, but if you see him kind
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: of being used in all these different new ways, that
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: would be something that I would be intrigued by.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the star position was the star position. We talked
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: about this on Inside the Birds seven Years of Great
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: years ago, which Malcolm Jenkins played, but that that was
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: more of a hybrid linebacker safety rover a different position.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: But yeah, we'll see. But oh, one more I want
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: to get one more guy. I want to talk about
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: it corner before we get out of here. And this
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: guy was a very big disappointment. He was traded straight
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: up for Thomas Booker. Is Jacoryan Bennett. Yeah, he missed
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: most of the season with the torn pectoral muscle. He
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: was never a factor of Mike. He's on the final
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: vers rookie deal. This guy could run. He's talented. He's
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: had a lot of injuries. I get that, but he's
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: got to have a good training kip to make it.
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: He's another guy's on the bubble, but I want to
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: see this guy. He could run. Mikey the guy. The
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: guy could play. He just has to get this defense.
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: All right. Well, there you go.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: There's a little bit one week from today, the Eagles
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: will report and then likely they will be on the
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: field on Wednesday for the first time. By the way,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: many camps did open today in the NFL, football is
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: officially back for twenty twenty six, and of course, the
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: Inside the Birds podcast and Football at four has you
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: covered right here on the Sports Best. Thanks Adam, Thank
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: you Adam Kaplan giving you the guys he's keeping an
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: eye on at training camp.