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Eagles Notes: Samuel comes to town for voluntary minicamp

Every player the Eagles expected to attend the start of full team voluntary workouts Tuesday was present and accounted for - including Asante Samuel.

It would be difficult to miss Asante Samuel (right) during an Eagles practice. (David Maialettti/Staff Photographer)
It would be difficult to miss Asante Samuel (right) during an Eagles practice. (David Maialettti/Staff Photographer)Read more

Every player the Eagles expected to attend the start of full team voluntary workouts Tuesday was present and accounted for - including Asante Samuel.

It would be difficult to miss the mouthy cornerback, who is one of only three players that hasn't used the team's NovaCare Complex as home base for off-season conditioning. Samuel, though, ventured up from his South Florida camp for this week's round of what the NFL calls "organized team activities."

Next week could be a different story.

Last year, Samuel skipped the second week of OTAs. He declined to be interviewed Tuesday, and a team spokesman said he had no idea of Samuel's plans. The team's public stance is that the practices aren't mandatory, but coach Andy Reid was privately disappointed in Samuel's absence last year.

Often a player with a contract dispute may skip a voluntary minicamp, as Sheldon Brown did a year ago. Wide receiver Hank Baskett and punter Sav Rocca are the two other players who weren't regulars at the NovaCare this off-season. Both were on hand Tuesday, though.

Center Jamaal Jackson and defensive end Victor Abiamiri, both of whom are recovering from major knee injuries, were missing from practice, as was rookie safety Kurt Coleman, who can't practice because he is still enrolled at Ohio State.

Samuel, meanwhile, continued to be the most vocal player at practice, either encouraging his defensive teammates or playfully teasing the offense.

Lineup card

The Eagles' first team on both offense and defense looked much as it did at minicamp.

There were a few changes, however.

Ellis Hobbs, who was held out of most of minicamp as he recovered from neck surgery, was slotted at right cornerback over Joselio Hanson. Marlin Jackson was at free safety until he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Macho Harris was the starter at minicamp but was moved to cornerback two weeks ago. Rookie Nate Allen jumped up into Jackson's place.

Max Jean-Gilles filled in for the injured Todd Herremans (foot) at left guard. And at two positions up for grabs, Nick Cole was still the first-team center, and Moise Fokou remained the starter at strong-side linebacker.

"I'm running with the first team for now," Fokou said. "That's the way I look at it."

Extra points

Omar Gaither was back at practice after sitting out minicamp. The linebacker is trying to come back from a Lisfranc fracture in his foot. . . . Running back Mike Bell, who left practice two weeks ago with a hamstring strain, was a full participant Tuesday.