Samuel decides to skip Birds' voluntary camp

Asante Samuel volunteered to take the week off.

The Eagles' well-compensated cornerback did not show up yesterday as the team resumed the full-squad camp that started with four workouts last week.

No direct statement was made by the team about Samuel's absence, and because this camp is voluntary, the Eagles cannot take any disciplinary action. A team spokesman said coach Andy Reid was disappointed by Samuel's decision.

Attempts to reach Samuel's agent, Alonzo Shavers, were unsuccessful.

Although it is not unusual for NFL players to skip voluntary camps, it is typically something that is done by a player who is unhappy with his contract situation. Sheldon Brown, the Eagles' other projected starter at cornerback, falls into that category. Brown is skipping the entire voluntary eight-day camp.

Samuel, who signed a six-year, $57.14 million deal as a free agent before last season, apparently wants to continue his off-season conditioning at his home in Florida. Given his contract, it is understandable that Reid would be disappointed in Samuel's decision to abandon the team's final scheduled workouts before training camp opens late next month.

Things were noticeably quiet without Samuel, who has emerged as the most vocal member of the Eagles' defense.

With both Brown and Samuel absent, players moved up on the depth chart. Dimitri Patterson saw some action at the left cornerback spot usually occupied by Samuel and Ellis Hobbs ran at right cornerback, which is usually occupied by Brown. Joselio Hanson also played some at left cornerback, but he continued to cover the slot receiver in nickel situations.

LeSean McCoy returned to practice after spraining his left thumb Friday. The rookie running back practiced with his hand wrapped and continued to split first-team repetitions with Lorenzo Booker as Brian Westbrook recovers from ankle surgery.

"It felt good," McCoy said of his thumb. "They gave me some great treatment this morning. . . . It wasn't that big of a deal."

McCoy was hurt when he caught a pass in the flat from Donovan McNabb, turned up field, and slipped.

"I put my hand down," McCoy said. "The thumb was bent back - totally bent back."

The injury occurred not long after Westbrook's surgery. The starting tailback is expected to miss training camp and the preseason but return in time for the season opener Sept. 13.

"Everybody in the locker room knows he'll be back," McCoy said of Westbrook. "He's our guy."

The two running backs have been communicating via text message.

"He told me he would be here," McCoy said. "Stuff like that. Kind of like [how] friends talk."

Jeremy Jarmon, a defensive end who was declared ineligible to play his senior season at Kentucky, is scheduled to visit with the Eagles and undergo a physical today. He was ineligible after testing positive for a banned substance. Jarmon is expected to enter the NFL's supplemental draft July 16. . . . Cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu said his court date in DeKalb, Ill., on felony residential burglary and misdemeanor criminal trespass charges was moved from yesterday to sometime in July. His twin brother, Bill, was recently acquitted of the same charges stemming from an incident on Nov. 25, 2006. They were accused of breaking into an off-campus apartment at Northern Illinois and trying to steal a video-game console.

Wide receiver Kevin Curtis said he felt good but slightly fatigued after participating in team drills for the first time this off-season. Curtis had a second surgery to repair a sports hernia in April. He underwent the first surgery last August and missed the Eagles' first six games.

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