The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page D03

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER www.philly.com D3 Monday, August 16, 2010 Eagles Notes Straining calf, Bell hurt again Tebow scores but Denver falls short DAVID MAIALETTI Staff Photographer Joselio Hanson (left) breaks up a pass to Jason Avant, who, by a coach's count, had caught 80 passes without a drop. Avant insisted he didn't drop it. Coach Marty Mornhinweg said he did. At long last, Avant drops a pass LIVE BRJg LEHIGH Still, he insisted the streak was intact. Reporters later checked with Mornhinweg.

The coordinator consulted with fellow coaches and returned with a verdict: "Drop." Sorry, Jason. Avant, for what it's worth, spent the special-teams portion of the afternoon practice catching passes thrown hard and at odd angles. His hands appeared to be fine. Jonathan Tamari knee and "should be on the mend pretty quick," coach Andy Reid said. Safety Antoine Harris suffered a Lisfranc foot sprain in the game and was placed on injured reserve.

With Demps and Harris out, the Eagles worked out two safeties Jamaal Fudge, a four-year veteran who last played in Atlanta, and Terrell Skinner, an undrafted rookie out of Maryland. Extra points Cornerback Macho Harris (hamstring), defensive tackle Antonio Dixon (concussion), and wide receiver Hank Bas-kett (knee) returned to practice. Punter Ken Parrish was released. He got a chance to show his kickoff ability in Friday's game but never really threatened to unseat Sav Roc-ca as the punter. After the first-team offense twice got inside the Jaguars' 20-yard line Friday without scoring, it struggled in red-zone drills Sunday.

The first team did not score against the first-team defense. Rookie tight end Clay Harbor continued to work with the first team in two-tight-end formations. He has passed Cornelius Ingram in the competition to back up Brent Celek. Safety Kurt Coleman, who showed strong tackling skills Friday, snuffed out an end around to Chad Hall. He was one on one with the elusive receiver but wrapped him up around the waist before letting go because it was not a full-tackling drill.

Trent Cole said the defense was eager for more action; he played just six snaps against the Jaguars. "I was pretty hungry," Cole said, adding that he can speak for the entire defense in that regard. Asked if he might use the Wildcat formation less this year to help avoid injuries to Michael Vick, now the No. 2 quarterback, Reid said, "Not at all." The afternoon practice was moved indoors because of rain. By Jonathan Tamari INQUIRER STAFF WRITER BETHLEHEM, Pa.

Eagles running back Mike Bell, who only recently returned from a hamstring injury, had to be carted off the field again Sunday at Lehigh University, this time with a right calf strain. Bell appeared despondent when he emerged from the locker room after the morning practice, moving with a pronounced limp and talking politely to reporters but staring into the distance in obvious frustration. He has struggled with injuries throughout his career. "You put so much into it and something happens that you can't control, you kind of lose it," Bell said. As he spoke, the back who may battle him for carries, El-dra Buckley, emerged from the locker room and sat down nearby as both waited for rides back to the Eagles' dorms.

Bell, a former New Orleans Saint who was signed in the off-season to provide a powerful complement to LeSean McCoy, tried to stress positives, saying the injury would provide a test of his mental strength and maturity. And he was thankful that it was a muscle strain rather than a season-ending injury such as a torn Achilles tendon or knee ligament. Bell was hurt on a running play early in practice. He was taken into the trainer's tent midway through the workout and limped to a cart before being driven away, visibly upset. Two years ago, Denver and Houston released Bell after he was injured and fell out of favor.

He was clearly worried about a similar fate in Philadelphia when he first hurt his left hamstring. He impressed during the first few days of camp, but had not returned to full-contact drills since. Sick bay Safety Quintin Demps, who left Friday's preseason win against Jacksonville early, has a bone bruise on his left BETHLEHEM, Pa. It finally happened. A pass hit Jason Avant's fingers, and then the grass at Lehigh.

Let the record show it happened Sunday morning, during an 11-on-ll drill, on a short throw over the middle from Kevin Kolb. By the coaches' count, it was Avant's first drop of Eagles training camp. Until then, he had kept the pigskin pristine. By offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's count early last week, Avant had caught 80 passes in competitive drills (seven-on-seven or full team) without a single drop. On the play in question, the ball hit Avant's hands Veteran linemen back Contact staff writer Jonathan Tamari at 215-854-5214 or jtamariphillynews.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Fans booed. Flashes went off. Tim Tebow had arrived in the NFL with a much better haircut and a touchdown, no less. The rookie quarterback out of Florida made his first preseason appearance Sunday night in Cincinnati, and got into the end zone on the final play of Denver's 33-24 loss to the Bengals. Tebow went 8 of 13 for 105 yards in the second half, with most of the completions and yards coming on the final drive.

That one ended with Tebow scrambling 7 yards for a touchdown, running over safety Kyries Hebert to score. Tebow also got rid of his friar haircut in favor of a buzz cut. Cincinnati's Terrell Owens caught four passes for 23 yards. 49ers 37, Colts 17 INDIANAPOLIS David Carr threw one TD pass, and San Francisco scored 34 straight points to pull away for a preseason victory. Six of the Colts starters did not play, and Peyton Manning led the Colts to a field goal and a touchdown on their first two series.

Burgess back. New England linebacker Derrick Burgess practiced for the first time with the team Sunday. Veteran receiver Torry Holt, signed as a free agent in April, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Free-agent rookie defensive back Ross Ventrone of Villano-va was waived. Help wanted.

Saints coach Sean Payton said they were pursuing a replacement for running back Lynell Hamilton, who suffered a torn knee ligament. Tough-luck Titan. Rookie Stafon Johnson has a game ball from his NFL debut. He also had his dislocated right ankle repaired, and Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher isn't ready to call the running back's season over just yet. Fisher said the doctors "got it all put back together," adding that Johnson also suffered a fractured fibula.

Rookie hurt. Texans rookie running back Ben Tate will need surgery, to be performed possibly Tuesday, after suffering a "pretty severe" ankle injury in Saturday's preseason opener in Arizona. The 5-foot-ll, 211-pound Tate was hurt in the third quarter of the Texans' 19-16 loss to the Cardinals. Our house. Bragging rights and a happy housewarming are on the line.

And, with all the trash talking going on between the Jets and Giants, it's clear both teams want to celebrate the first football game at the New Meadowlands Stadium with a victory Monday night. "It will be a big-time rivalry game, us against the Giants," Jets QB Mark Sanchez said. The teams traditionally meet in the third game of the preseason, but both wanted to be part of the unveiling of their new $1.6 billion, stadium to football fans. Oops. Unfortunately for the officials, it was open mic night at Heinz Field on Saturday.

After the Steelers scored their first touchdown in a 23-7 exhibition victory over the Lions, referee Jeff Triplette's field microphone picked up expletives uttered by him or one of his crew members apparently aimed at the replay official. Unhappy that a review of quarterback Dennis Dixon's 5-yard run was ordered during a heavy rainstorm, an official was clearly heard saying, "It's raining like this I'll kick his followed by several expletives. Woods' son dies. The teenage son of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods died days after he collapsed from an asthma attack. School officials say 16-year-old Elbert Jovante Woods died Saturday night at a Cincinnati hospital.

''j but cornerback Joselio Hanson reached in to push it loose. Avant, with a smile, denied he had dropped it. "I caught it and he poked it out. It was a fumble," Avant said. Avant said he was not worried about the streak, though.

"I don't get caught up in stats," he said with his typical modesty. "Marty came up with it. I wish he had never said it." DAVID MAIALETTI Staff Photographer Jamaal Jackson, ready to snap the ball at practice, is not as likely as Todd Herremans to play Week 1 Andy Reid said. sidelines at Lehigh while the rest of the team practiced. On Sunday, Jackson participated in a small portion of the morning practice.

Herremans was in for part of the morning and all of the light afternoon workout, which moved indoors to a basketball court because of rain. "It felt different. I'm not going to lie," Jackson said. "It felt good just getting out there and just shaking the rust off a little bit. We'll add a little bit more as the days go on and see how it is." Jackson wore braces on both knees.

His elbow hit one brace when he snapped the "Lt. Hall informed me of his goals of joining the NFL the day I met him," Chief Master Sgt. Carl Juntunen, a coworker at Hill, said in the official academy news release announcing Hall's signing. "So when we found out he was selected, I was not surprised." Everything about the success of a small player from a small school, so long away from the game, might be surprising, but not necessarily in Hall's case. He was impressive during a "pro day" tryout at Utah in March, was invited to Philadelphia to work out for the Eagles, and was quickly offered a contract.

With that in hand, he was able to apply for a switch from active status to reserve status with the Air Force, a change that doubles his three-year commitment but also allows him to play football. "It was good to be back in a game," Hall said Friday. Follow the action at training camp with breaking news, analysis, video, photo slide shows and more: www.philly.comeagles from injury ball, he said. He called the morning practice a step along the way to getting back into games. Meanwhile, Nick Cole, one of the men who might stand in for Jackson, also returned to practice after missing time with a sore knee.

He took part only in the afternoon session, which had no contact. He worked with the first team, bumping down Mike McGlynn, who had performed well in Cole's place. Reid said Cole remained his top choice to replace Jackson, despite some struggles early in camp. Cole declined to talk to reporters after practice, but McGlynn said he still hoped to start regardless of who returned to the field. "Everybody wants to start.

That's my goal," said McGlynn, a fourth-round draft pick in 2008. And if Jackson and Cole move ahead of him? "Will I be ticked off? Yeah, anybody would be. I want to be out there and start. I feel like it's time for me to get up and get going." McGlynn delivered all of the snaps in the first team's one quarter of action in the Eagles' first preseason game Friday. After reviewing the game tape, Reid said McGlynn had played "very well." "He needs to play more, and he's got plenty of room for improvement, but for his first time out, that was a pretty good day," Reid said.

Contact staff writer Jonathan Tamari at 215-854-5214 or jtamariphillynews.com. Now there is only the wait to find out if he will remain in the games for the Eagles. Hall said he doesn't really pick over the roster and attempt to figure out all the mathematics that will eventually add up to 53. He just knows he has a chance. "That's way over my head," he said, "All I can look at or care about or control is what I do.

The numbers game is part of the business. I learned that early when people are cut after day one, or brought in and cut after one practice. I know it's a different world here and they're going to make decisions. I can only control me and do the best I can." For the lucky ones, that even turns out to be enough. Contact columnist Bob Ford at 215-854-5842 or bfordphillynews.com.

Read his recent work at http:go.philly.combobford. EAGLES from Dl trounced by the Dallas Cowboys in the next two weeks, ending their season. "You hate to go down with your team in prime position going to the playoffs," Jackson said. "I still think about that last snap that I took, and I still think about it every day. It's something that over time I'm going to have to forget.

There's another season ahead." The 30-year-old Jackson said he was optimistic that he could be ready for the Sept. 12 opener. Reid said he wanted to monitor both players' progress. Jackson, Reid said, is ahead of schedule, but no sure thing for Week 1. "It's too soon," he said.

"I've got to see how his leg reacted after this practice. Then it's going to be the same thing the next day, and we're just going to take it day by day and see how he does, and make sure you don't overwork it." Herremans, 27, is more likely to be ready for the opener, the coach said. "I think he will be, unless there's a setback," Reid said. "Again, I've got to see how his foot reacts to the work that he's given here." Herremans, who missed five weeks last year with an injury in the same foot, said that if sitting out now "is the price to be able to play all season, I'll live with it." Reid also had been optimistic about Herremans before training camp. Herremans and Jackson had been working out on the when to fair-catch it.

He also had a nice play from the receiver position and he ran the ball well." Hall is officially listed as a wide receiver, but his playing background is all about his versatility. Hall was the Mountain West Conference's offensive player of the year in 2007 as a senior at the Air Force Academy. He compiled 2,683 all-purpose yards, the only Division I player to lead his team in rushing, receiving, and all-purpose yards. After graduating with the rank of second lieutenant, Hall was stationed at Hill Air Force Base near Salt Lake City as the assistant officer in charge of maintenance for a squadron of F-l6s. After a full 10- to 12-hour shift on the flight line, he would make the 90-minute round-trip drive to the University of Utah to work out at the football training facility.

DAVID MAIALETTI Staff Photographer Halfback Mike Bell, who had injured a hamstring earlier in camp, collides with safety Kurt Coleman at Lehigh University. Commentary By Bob Ford Air Force product remains on Birds' radar CAMP from Dl stand out every practice." Hall's ticket to the roster probably will have to pass through the special-teams gate. It is his good fortune that DeSean Jackson, a Pro Bowl punt returner last season, has probably become too valuable to the offense for that assignment. Ellis Hobbs is listed as the top kickoff-re-turn man, but someone else has to be back there as well and both Macho Harris and Demps have had injury issues. There is a spot developing for a player who can perform both functions, and if he can operate as an occasional slot receiver or take a hand-off in the backfield now and then, so much the better.

That is what Hall hopes, anyway. He is 5-foot-8 and Friday's exhibition against Jacksonville was his first formal football game in 212 years, but he knows he has a shot at playing in the National Football League. That's all he asked for. "They're giving me an opportunity to see what I can do," Hall said. "I'm thankful for that, thankful to be in this situation.

I'm working my butt off trying to do every extra thing. They gave me this opportunity starting in March and I'm trying not to let them down. I'm looking for a way to make this team better." Hall returned two punts and three kickoffs on Friday. He played one series at receiver, catching three passes, including a 57-yard catch-and-run. He played one series at running back, getting two carries, including one for a 22-yard gain.

"I thought he had a productive day," Reid said. "He was a secure catcher of punts, and it looked like he made good decisions in terms of when to let the ball go and.