Eagles flip training camp schedule upside down

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Things will be a little different for the Eagles at training camp this summer. Practice has been flipped upside down.

Instead of hitting in the morning and having a lighter, shorter 10-10-10 practice in the afternoon, the Eagles this summer will hold their main practice in the afternoon.

So if you want to see guys actually hitting each other, dont arrive early. Arrive late.

Andy Reids training camps at one point included live hitting periods both in the morning and afternoon.

But after the death of the Vikings Korey Stringer in the summer of 2001, the NFL informally told teams not to hold live sessions more than once per day. So the Eagles made the morning session the big one, with the afternoon being devoted either to a lighter practice or special teams work.

Last year, the new CBA severely restricted what teams could do in their second practice of the day and also limited the number and length of the live, full-contact periods teams could hold during their one primary practice session.

Although the Eagles havent announced the exact daily schedule or explained specifically how things will work, the morning practice will now be a no-pads, non-contact session that is little more than a half-speed walk-through. That means no scrimmaging.

Head coach Andy Reid once described these practices as meetings on the field.

The afternoon period will be the longer session and include whatever live periods the Eagles are allowed to have and all the usual scrimmaging, 1-on-1s and full-team sessions.

Last year, the morning practices started at 8:05 a.m. and the afternoon sessions at 2 p.m. or 2:45 p.m. It remains unknown if the times will remain the same.

The Eagles 17th training camp in Bethlehem, Pa., is scheduled to begin on July 22, when rookies, quarterbacks and players who were hurt at the end of last year report to Lehigh.

Veterans will report on July 25, and the full team will practice together for the first on July 26. If previous years are any indication, that session will be closed to the public, and July 27 will be the first full-team practice that will be open.

Camp will run through Aug. 15, and after a CBA-mandated day off, two-a-days will continue at the NovaCare Complex, closed to the public.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com

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