Head coach Andy Reid was very "impressed with the energy and work level and the effort" that his team put forth in the past three-plus weeks at training camp. The Eagles broke camp on Wednesday after a brief morning workout as they mark their final preparations for Friday night's preseason game in Cincinnati.

Reid was able to quantify the additional amount of work that his team put in compared to last season. He said that his squad was at Lehigh for about 200 plays more than last year. Part of the reason for that was the weather. Only one practice had to be moved indoors due to the weather. The other reason was the necessity to get the rookies up to speed.

"I think they (needed) to be introduced to what the National Football League is all about," Reid said. "It's faster, there's more pressure put on you mentally and physically than what you had at the college level, and there's no better place to figure all that out than right here. I'd rather have them figure it out here then when they get in the games they're not worried about their conditioning or the plays that they've already studied, that they can go in and play football."

Many times throughout Wednesday's press conference, Reid noted the energy that his team had throughout camp. But to determine whether camp was a successor not won't be determined until the end of the season.

"I've been happy with the way the guys have performed here and how they've done," he said. "But, the games are what you're measured on and this is preparation for those games. I think the guys have handled themselves well through this period right here. But, I think if you're going to measure success, we'll do that later."

Known for running one of the most physical training camps in the league, Reid said that at the end of the day it's all about getting to the basics of what football is all about.

"I think the game is about blocking and tackling, so we practiced those things. It's about that simple," Reid said. "I think it's just one of the major parts of the game."

-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 1:15 p.m., August 18