AFTERNOON PRACTICE

• 4:20 PM: Practice is now over, and an exciting day of physical play is in the books. It was interesting to see some players step it up, but you can't keep your eyes on all the players at once, and this is only one day.
  
  
• 4:04 PM: A great matchup on display now is Kearse vs. Runyan. Despite currently weighing only 248 pounds, Kearse drives Runyan right back into the quarterback. However, the next play goes the other way, as Runyan easily keeps "The Freak" at bay.
  
  
• 3:55 PM: Kolb barely misses a diving Avant. The second-year wideout isn't the fastest guy on the team, but he's a great route-runner with pretty good hands, that effort was one of the few he's missed today.
  
  
• 3:42 PM: While the 7-on-7s are going on, the defensive and offensive linemen are working in one-on-one drills. End Marques Murrell is undersized at 246 pounds, but he is having a nice day, this time getting the best of Jacob Hobbs. While walking around I see a New York Dragons scout from the Arena Football League. His team went a weak 5-11 last year, and 1-5 in the division. They really need some help.
  
  
• 3:37 PM: Now in the 7-on-7 drills, McNabb hits a wide open Kevin Curtis for a 35-yard gain. But out of nowhere Brian Dawkins strips Curtis and the defense recovers. Cornerback Joselio Hanson makes a diving pass deflection off of a Kelly Holcomb pass.
  
  
• 3:26 PM: The second-unit offensive line is looking sharper as they create Feeley a nice pocket to throw out of, leading to a completion in the full-team drill. Holcomb then shows some nice touch on the ball as he hits Bloom 20-yards downfield on a fade route. The defense gets the last laugh, however, as cornerback Rashad Barksdale and linebacker Stewart Bradley immediately converge on the quarterback.
  
  
• 3:09 PM: The defense and offense are separately practicing now. On defense the focus is on positioning and coordination immediately after the snap. The offense is running through plays, one of which that also worked earlier this afternoon is where McNabb fakes a handoff to Correll Buckhalter coming from left to right, and gives it to Westbrook going from the right side around the left tackle.
  
  
• 3:01 PM: Tight end L.J. Smith, who had sports hernia surgery this offseason, is practicing again this afternoon and looking pretty good. In the tight ends drill he is able to run a short route, plant quickly and catch easily.
  
• 2:50 PM: The coaches are all doing individual position drills for now. The running backs are working on securing the ball, linebackers are working on foot speed and reaction time and the offensive linemen practicing their drop back and at-the-snap quickness.
  
  
• 2:44 PM: The players are out for the afternoon practice, but this time in shorts and shells, no full pads. It was great to see some hitting this morning, but it's hotter out here now, and they can't get hit all day, so it's all usual drills from here.

MORNING PRACTICE

• 10:08 AM: Wow. Sheldon Brown NAILS Hank Baskett on a five-yard pass from Feeley off of a fake handoff. Baskett did a hook route, and Brown was on him the whole time, putting him and the ball on the ground. Brown celebrates by waving his hands incomplete and the defense team mobs him. After a few special teams drills practice is over and the team gets to recover and come out hitting again tomorrow.
  
  
• 10:04 AM: The defense gets called for an offsides penalty, Feeley yells encouragement and the crowd loves it. Linebacker Chris Gocong and a couple other players look like they have fullback Jason Davis tackled, but Davis brings them along for a few more yards.
  
  
• 9:58 AM: Here we go, the team goes LIVE, meaning 11-on-11 with full hitting til every running back goes down. The first-team offense goes against the second-team defense and then vice versa. Westbrook starts it off with a run, but rookie safety C.J. Gaddis breaks it up in the backfield. The defense is looking real good, but they always say that the defense looks better than the offense early on.
  
  
• 9:38 AM: The offensive line is starting to get it going, and McNabb completes a pass to Hank Baskett. Jonathan Palmer, who had some trouble with McDougle, holds his own on this play against the Juqua Thomas. Quick rookie defensive end Marques Murrell bursts free for a sack.
  
  
• 9:29 AM: Defensive end Jerome McDougle is looking pretty good. He overpowers his man one play for a "sack" (there is no hitting on the quarterbacks) and then the next play he starts on the left, and stunts around to the right side for another sack. Mike Patterson then bursts free, stripping McNabb as Darren Howard recovers.
  
  
• 9:20 AM: It's just getting better as the full-team, full-contact drills start. The defense is getting the best of the offense to start as Darren Howard and Brodrick Bunkley get through to McNabb just before he gets the ball to Brian Westbrook on a screen. With the second-team in, tight end Lee Vickers thinks he has a completion, but Omar Gaither swipes the ball away. There are a lot of running plays, though they usually are instructed to let the back through un-tackled.
  
  
• 9:08 AM: Finally, here's the good stuff. The first hit comes as the linebackers, defensive line and offensive line work on running plays. On the other side, quarterbacks throw to receivers who go one-on-one against cornerbacks. Jason Avant is looking real sharp today, as he fakes out cornerback Will James on a double-move. Lito Sheppard makes a great play on the ball against Reggie Brown, but he pops the ball up in the air right back into Brown's arms. Brown then muscles a pass away from Sheldon Brown, who had pretty tough coverage on. The top two corners are looking real good though despite those two completions. Kevin Curtis also shows his speed, blowing by most backup corners.
  
  
• 8:54 AM: Quarterbacks and wideouts are running routes now, doing out- and in-patterns. Wide receivers coach David Culley tells his guys to sell the fakes - if you're running an out route look inside first. Villanova product J.J. Outlaw looks good, somehow getting his feet inbounds on a nice catch. They're now practicing double-moves with a fake post inside, then fading out. These throws start out a little shaky, but Feeley starts to look real sharp, hitting Zac Collie, Jermaine Jamison and a particularly nice one to Jason Avant.
  
  
• 8:38 AM: Finally, the first audible E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles! chant, following a running play. A fan yells "alright Andy, keep running it!" I can't think of too many teams whose  fans yell at their coaches to pass the ball less. The linebackers are the most interesting position in the individual drills. One guy runs in front of a large pad carrying a football, while another guy comes up (from a 90-degree angle) and nails him onto the pad.
  
  
• 8:33 AM: After a throw, McNabb jumps into the wide receiver drill and runs a route as the crowd definitely approves.
  
  
• 8:23 AM: The wide receivers are practicing one-handed catches on lob passes, and none are hitting the ground. From what I've seen so far, I'd say Kevin Curtis is the guy most likely to make a circus catch - he can almost palm the ball as he brings it in. The defense, which wears white jerseys, also has white pants on, like the offense. I'm wondering if these are their normal uniforms, but they're probably just trying to wear as much white as possible to reflect the sun.
  
  
• 8:15 AM: The stands are getting pretty full, and it's a great day to watch, it's sunny but really not too hot. One fan yells from way across the field "good morning Harold!" to the former wide receiver Harold Carmichael, who raises his arms to say hello. There no hitting yet, but it'll come soon when the 7-on-7 and full-team drills start.
  
  
• 8:09 AM: Donovan McNabb shows up, getting a little applause from the fans. The quarterbacks are just warming up, taking practice snaps, and a few minutes later start throwing to each other. Each quarterback - McNabb, A.J. Feeley, Kelly Holcomb and Kevin Kolb - have a designated receiver for playing catch except for Kolb. There's no hazing, but rookies can't get all of the same liberties as veterans.
  
  
• 8:04 AM: It's 15 minutes before practice and already there are as many fans as in previous days. There's a buzz in the air, as not only are all of the veterans back, but the first day of hitting begins this camp. It'll be a great day to watch all of the young guys play in a game situation.