Easy does it for the Eagles | Sports Daily Newsletter
They keep workouts short, trying to keep injuries down.
Not so long ago, Eagles coaches would put players through the torture of two-a-days in training camp, toughening them up for the long NFL season.
Those days are gone. Marcus Hayes writes that Nick Sirianni’s Eagles spend less time at practice than Allen Iverson, reducing the workload in an effort to avoid injuries. The Eagles consider the time spent at practices against other teams as valuable for preparation as preseason games, and so they use those practices to prepare their starters.
As Hayes points out, this less-is-more approach by Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman has worked just fine so far: Last season, the Eagles implemented the concept in the preseason and finished 9-8, staying relatively healthy and making the playoffs in a rebuilding year.
So this summer, Hayes writes, the Eagles have doubled down on easing up.
— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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If there was any question about how Bryce Harper fared taking batting practice for the first time on Monday since he broke his thumb, he answered it by posting a four-second video on Instagram. It went pretty well. The Phillies star took 60 swings off a pitcher at Citizens Bank Park and reported back to the Phillies that he felt good. The next step in his return? More batting practice before going out on a minor league assignment before he can return as the Phillies’ DH.
Who will be the Phillies’ No. 3 starter in a potential playoff series? The candidates are on display in their three-game series against the Reds.
Corey Knebel will miss at least two weeks with a familiar injury.
Edmundo Sosa got a rare start and delivered two hits, drove in three runs, and made two slick plays at third base as the Phillies held off the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3.
Next: The Phillies continue their series in Cincinnati at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday (NBCSP). Kyle Gibson (7-5, 4.29 ERA) will start against Reds right-hander T.J. Zeuch (0-1, 13.50).
JJ Arcega-Whiteside tried to maintain a spot in the Eagles’ offense by switching from wide receiver to tight end for this training camp. The former second-round pick’s time with the Eagles ran out on Monday, though, when the team traded him to the Seattle Seahawks for defensive back Ugo Amadi.
Eagles linebacker Davion Taylor was making strides last season before he suffered a knee injury. Now recovered from surgery, Taylor faces plenty of competition in the linebacking corps.
Next: After joint practices with the Browns, the Eagles will play their second preseason game in Cleveland on Sunday at 1 p.m. (NBC10).
The Sixers have pulled down the curtain on the Ben Simmons drama. The team reached a settlement with Simmons’ representatives over the $20 million in salary withheld during the point guard’s holdout last season.
Simmons, who made good on his threat to sit out the 2020-21 season, was fined as he sat out of training camp, preseason, and the first half of the season before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets at February’s trade deadline.
This agreement brings a sense of finality to a story line that hung over the Sixers for more than a year and changed Simmons’ relationship with the city, where he was once revered as a key cog in the team’s transition from “The Process” to the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Flyers will have two Cateses in the organization this season, as the team signed restricted free-agent forward Jackson Cates to a one-year deal on Monday.
Jackson, 24, will join his brother Noah, 23, at training camp next month, with both hoping to earn an opening-night roster spot with the Flyers. The older Cates brother played 11 games last season and scored one goal with the Flyers.
Worth a look
Copper’s precious mettle: North Philly’s Kahleah Copper takes aim at a second straight WNBA title as the Chicago Sky open the playoffs.
Salute to Pete Carril: Mike Jensen remembers Princeton’s innovative basketball coach, who died Monday at age 92.
In her sister’s memory: Jaylah Robinson lost her older sister to gun violence in 2020. Basketball became a coping mechanism for Robinson, who is headed to Arizona State on a scholarship.
Talley no: Ken Talley, a freshman defensive end from Northeast High, has chosen to enter the transfer portal, leaving Penn State just weeks before the season.
Quakers start over: An experienced roster returns for Penn’s football team, which went 1-6 in the Ivy League last season.
Trivia Tuesday
Who is the Eagles’ all-time scoring leader? First with the correct response will be featured in our newsletter: sports.daily@inquirer.com
A) Jake Elliott
B) David Akers
C) Bobby Walston
D) Harold Carmichael
What you’re saying about the Phillies’ sluggers
We asked you: Who will finish the season with the most home runs for the Phillies?
Among your responses:
Kyle Schwarber will hit the most home runs for the Phillies in 2022. And that’s a fact, Jack! — Jim M.
Either Harper if he makes a quick recovery or Schwarber if he makes a quick recovery. If neither makes a quick recovery, they will have plenty of time watching the playoffs from home. — Bill M.
Kyle Schwarber. — Chris B.
Nick Castellanos (tongue firmly in cheek). — Joseph R.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Josh Tolentino, Gina Mizell, Scott Lauber, Mike Jensen, Kerith Gabriel, Isabella DiAmore, Gustav Elvin, Jeff McLane, Keith Pompey, DeAntae Prince, and Melanie Heller.