Babin plans to run with bulls

Now that he has survived the harsh elements of Alaska and the even harsher sting of missing an Andy Reid-run minicamp, Jason Babin is setting his sights on his next expedition.

The Eagles Pro Bowl defensive end said he plans on running with the bulls in Spain this July.

"It's kind of a rite of passage," Babin said Wednesday after his first OTA. "It's a stamp. I guess in my brain I have a figurative man card that's got certain punches that need to be punched out."

Babin said he would have been at practices last week but the weather in Alaska delayed his flight home.

"I'm upset I missed because, if you guys don't know, I don't miss stuff," Babin said. "I'm not late. It was one of those things I think they were really concerned like, 'Where am I?' because my phone didn't work."

Babin was reminded that the practices are optional.

"I'm not a skipper," he said.

Babin, an avid outdoorsman, went to Cold Bay, Alaska to hunt bear and, he said, to just survive. He did more surviving than shooting during the 12-day expedition.

"I didn't see the one I wanted," Babin said of the bears. "It's proper steward of the outdoors to not shoot a little one."

One may question whether running with the bulls in Pamplona, where a few have suffered significant injuries and sometimes death, is proper behavior for a professional football player.

"Everyone thinks it's dangerous and hazardous," Babin said. But it's not, if "done correctly and soberly," he added.

"Bulls can't turn the corner on cobblestone, so as long as you're on the inside you're going to be alright," Babin said. "I broke the tape down like game film."

No comment yet from the Eagles on how they feel about Babin's summer vacation plans.