Hall has big final day of OTAs; other observations

Wide receiver Chad Hall had a big showing on the last day of the Eagles' off-season training activities, catching passes all over the field, including a pretty grab toe-drag grab in the corner of the end zone.

Wide receivers coach David Culley and several of Hall's offensive teammates jokingly told him to "chill out," warning him not too embarrass the defense too much. After all, training camp, is not far away, and then, hitting begins.

Hall, an Air Force second lieutenant who spent part of the off season flying back to Salt Lake City for duty in between Eagles practices, is a five-foot-eight speedster trying to make it as an NFL wide receiver. He faces tough odds: the team already has DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant as the unquestioned top three receivers, and they drafted Riley Cooper and signed Hank Baskett, who each have seven to eight inches on Hall.

Hall may be able to earn a special teams' slot, as he has been working returning punts and kick offs. More performances like the one on Thursday would also help.

Fellow receiver Jordan Norwood had a tougher time, dropping a couple passes.

Safety Nate Allen had a nice pass break up on a throw from Mike Kafka, showing some of the skills that made him the Eagles' second round draft pick.

Cornerback Geoff Pope was beaten in coverage several times, and had a potential interception bounce off his face mask.

Jason Avant, praised as a receiver willing to play multiple roles, caught an onside kick during drills.

Safety Quintin Mikell sat out with a sprained MCL, picked up in Wednesday's practice, and running back LeSean McCoy returned to the field after "tweaking" his ankle. Andy Reid said Mikell would be ready for training camp. Jeff McLane had the details on the injuries, DeSean Jackson's absence this week and Reid's post-OTA thoughts here.

The team is off between now and July 26, when rookies report to Lehigh for training camp. Vets are due July 29.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb said it was important for the Eagles to maintain their conditioning before facing the brutal summer heat and the real lead up to the season.

"You don't want your body and your conditioning to hold you back once you get to Lehigh and training camp, because we all know how tough it can be and you don't want to be surviving, you want to be getting better," Kolb said.

He said he plans to do cardiovascular work and throwing five days a week.

"Now you're getting ready for the season, so you have to take this very serious and you have to make sure that you're ready to go."