Dawkins: Let's get back to the Superbowl

Brian Dawkins talked to reporters about the T.O. situation.
"When this thing is kicked off when we play Atlanta, all that stuff will be ironed out," Dawkins said. "However way it (goes it) will be ironed out and we will be rolling."
"We want to get to the Super Bowl and everything will be taken care of for us to get to that point."
There are no sightings of T.O. yet but Jeremiah Trotter came out and said, "hey, T.O. is here." Everyone is being a comedian.

Darwin Walker walks into Lehigh

Defensive tackle Darwin Walker said the issue of T.O.'s contract was not much of a distrations. "We pretty much know T.O.'s personality around here so it is not a big deal."
"As a player, there is a short window of opportunity and you want to maximize that opportunity while you can. It's just a compromise. T.O. is going to be T.O. and the Eagles are going to be the Eagles and I will leave it at that." Rumors swirled that T.O. was not coming today.

Jeremiah Trotter arrives at camp

From Inquirer sports reporter Marc Narducci - As linebacker Jeremiah Trotter arrived at Eagles Training Camp at Lehigh University today, he was surrounded by reporters and asked about wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Trotter said he talked to T.O. on Sunday night. "We talked about life in general. You have to talk to T.O. when he gets here and see how he is feeling."
Trotter said he has a "pretty close" relationship with Owens, "I talk to him all the time. After going through a similar situation myselt the first time, I can kind of relate to what he is going through. I talked to him and let him know this is a tough business and that's how it goes."

Rookies enjoy final day in the spotlight

From Inquirer staff reporter Marc Narducci:

Today was the final day for Eagles rookies to truly feel like first-year players.

The entire squad is due to report to training camp at Lehigh University by 5 p.m. And, of course, there is the much-anticipated arrival of wide receiver Terrell Owens.

The Eagles will have testing and a light afternoon workout for the entire squad tomorrow and conduct the first day of practice in full pads on Wednesday.

Practice this morning consisted primarily of rookies who are learning the NFL ropes before they start To compete with the veterans.

"It helped me a lot [working with mainly the rookies] but now those days are over," said running back Ryan Moats, a third-round draft choice from Louisiana Tech. "The veterans are coming so I have to turn it up a notch and know what I’m doing."

Most of the players on the field were rookies, but veteran quarterbacks Koy Detmer and Mike McMahon, along with Andy Hall, who spent last season on the practice squad, also worked out.

McMahon, who played the previous four seasons for the Detroit Lions, is looking to battle Detmer for the backup job behind Donovan McNabb.

Despite those subplots, the main story continues to be Owens, who complained about his contract throughout the off-season and hasn’t promised to be a model citizen in camp.

Owens also made some less-than-flattering references perceived to be about Donovan McNabb; many feel the players’ differences will have to be patched up.

Despite the so-called distraction, Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress said he anticipates no friction between Owens and his teammates. Childress said he hasn’t talked to Owens during the offseason. He said he doesn’t believe the fact that Owens missed minicamps will put him behind others.

"I don’t believe so," Childress said. "He’s been doing this system for a long time. … He’s savvy enough that he will be able to pick those up."

Welcome to the Eagles Camp blog

This blog is the place to read about all the newest news, tidbits and observations by members of the Philadelphia Inquirer sports staff regarding the Philadelphia Eagles training camp at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. It will include reports from various staff reporters and columnists as they cover what is sure to be an eventful three weeks in the Lehigh Valley.

Check back often!