More Rookie Camp Talk

It sounds like everyone is impressed with Brandon Boykin.  He was an athletic playmaker in the SEC so that should be enough to get him instant credibility, but some who don’t follow college football still had their questions about the 4th round pick.  After watching him for a couple of days in practice, it seems that he has shown enough to get people’s attention.

Boykin played the slot and outside.  He fielded punts.  He showed the kind of athleticism and football skills you want from a guy in those roles.  I’m sure he made plenty of simple mistakes. No one comes through rookie camp unscathed.  All the players are learning on the fly.  This is their introduction to the NFL.

We need Boykin to step up as a rookie.  If he can be the nickel corner and KOR, the 2012 Eagles will be a better team for it.

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Mychal Kendricks got a lot of buzz this weekend.  It is good to know that his athleticism is evident to everyone.  Our LBs last year were not exactly the most athletic guys in the world.  The Eagles really liked Kendricks, both scouts and coaches.  Let’s hope they chose well.

For more on Kendricks, check out Les Bowen’s article on him.

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Yesterday I talked about how “interesting” it was to see the Eagles pushing Bryce Brown aggressively.  One reader wondered why this was interesting, since we drafted Brown and Polk was a UDFA.  Fair question.

Brown has barely been relevant since leaving high school.  Polk was the heart and soul of the UW offense for 3 years.  He had 837 touches in that time and helped lead UW to a pair of bowl games (1 win).  Polk is much more experienced than Brown. In theory, he should be much more NFL-ready.

The Eagles drafted Brown because he was the more talented of the pair, but when we talk about trying to develop rookies as role players, you’d wonder if the smart thing isn’t to go with the guy with the better background.  I saw Brown as a major project.  Polk was more of a typical rookie that would have a more normal learning curve.

The Eagles are all in right now with Brown.  He’s the #1 RB in this rookie camp.  Andy Reid is taking time to personally coach him.  It really feels like the Eagles want to see what he can do and if he can hold up to pressure.

I’m not judging this as good or bad.  I just find it fascinating.  To me, this isn’t typical Eagles thinking.  I’m looking forward to seeing if it works or not.

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What should we make of the new format?

I have mixed feelings.  On one hand, there is a strong argument to be made for rookies getting their first taste of action in this format.  The pace is a tad slower.  They can be coached more one-on-one.  The players have a chance to get their feet wet before being in a full team environment, when things are kinda crazy.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for players being in the team practice first so that they can get a taste of what the NFL is really like.  Then the players can go to rookie camps and have an understanding of the level they are shooting for.

The Eagles didn’t choose this arrangement.  It is part of the new CBA.  It will be interesting to see how the 2012 rookies compare to previous classes.  Maybe this format will work better.  Maybe not.  Some people love it when they are thrown into the deep end of the pool.  Others want to get in the shallow part and work their way back.

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PE.com videos are here.  You have to look for the ones that say “Rookie Camp: First look at the OL”.  Or WRs or DL or whatever.  Some are on page1, others on page 2.

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DL Maurice Fountain tore his patellar tendon.  Hate to hear that.  He was a longshot for the team, but you wanted him to be able to continue chasing his dream.