One tough Bird | Sports Daily Newsletter

A day after he had meniscus surgery on his right knee, Landon Dickerson was at Eagles training camp yesterday handing out beers to linemen from the Birds and Cleveland Browns.

The Eagles guard is popular with his teammates for more than just that. Center Cam Jurgens calls Dickerson “the toughest guy I know.” Both Dickerson and Jurgens fought through injuries last season to play in the Super Bowl and now the Pro Bowl guard is hurt again.

Don’t count him out for the Sept. 4 opener against the Cowboys, though. In his four seasons, Dickerson has missed only two games because of injuries. “It doesn’t matter what injury he’s going through during the game,” tackle Jordan Mailata says. “He’s just going to keep pushing through. It’s inspiring.”

There have been a few inspiring moments in Eagles training camp as players fight to make the 53-man roster. Jeff Neiburg looks at the winners and losers from the joint workouts with the Browns.

Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett was all over the field Thursday in a dominant performance that makes us wonder: Will the Eagles offense be ready for the opener? Jeff McLane takes a closer look in his practice observations.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The Eagles will play their second preseason game Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field against the Cleveland Browns. Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will discuss all things Eagles before the game on Gameday Central at 11:30 a.m.

Aaron Nola will come back from three months on the injured list to start Sunday for the Phillies, as expected, against the Washington Nationals. But instead of bumping a starter to the bullpen, manager Rob Thomson decided to use a six-man rotation for at least one turn.

Even though they collected 10 hits, the travel-weary Phillies dropped their series opener to the Nationals. Despite the loss, the Phillies kept their five-game lead over the Mets in the NL East race.

The 76ers’ season will begin against a weakened Boston Celtics roster as part of a soft start to a campaign that includes 14 of the first 23 games at home.

If Marcus Hayes has his way, Joel Embiid and Paul George will spend ample time in street clothes throughout the season and stay fresh for the playoffs.

Brad Wanamaker knows all about Roman Catholic’s winning tradition in basketball as a former star for the Cahillites. Now he is charged with keeping it going as Roman’s new head coach.

Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors will pick our best shots from the last seven days and share them with you, our readers. This week, photos include a secret handshake on the Eagles, the Rumph Classic, and a reunion for Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson.

We asked you: Who’s a Philly athlete who you think defied the odds? Among your responses:

Chris Coste comes to mind. What a real “defied the odds” story. Somehow he became a crowd favorite from 2006-09. A great example of believing in yourself and sticking it out! — Dave S.

Nick Foles. Saint Nick stepped into a seemingly hopeless situation and defied the odds to bring the Eagles their first SB win in 2018. Nothing can compare to that. — Kathy T.

To me Darren Sproles defied the odds coming out of K-State as a 5′6″ running back. He really had a great career playing with the Chargers, Saints and finally the Eagles. — Bill R.

Two Philly outstanding athletes who defied the odds especially due to their lack of height for their positions were 5 foot 6 Darren Sproles and 6 foot Allen Iverson. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Scott Lauber, Keith Pompey, Marcus Hayes, Isabella DiAmore, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gabriela Carroll, and Ariel Simpson.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading, as always. We’ll see you Monday. — Jim