Of meal money and Eagles OTAs

I don’t think you can take a whole lot out of OTA workouts in late May, but for the record Fran Duffy and Chris McPherson took some notes this week.

Before I get into those notes, here are some observations of a much more important issue—MEAL MONEY!!

While the NFL players enjoy a generous meal money per diem of $122, Major League Baseball has reduced players’ meal money per diem from $100 to $30 a day. What precipitated that move was the owners’ realization that most players were banking their meal money and living off the pre-game and post-game clubhouse buffet spreads provided by every team. So it goes! Enjoy the perk while it lasts, NFL players!

To put it in greater perspective, minor league baseball players (who make on average $1500 a month, not counting signing bonus) receive only $22 a day in meal money when on the road.

The point being, Eagles players need to be on guard for meal-money issues when the next collective bargaining agreement rolls around.

I don’t know why, but meal money fascinates me as a sports topic.

Now on to Fran and Chris:

“Wide receiver Nelson Agholor not only was looking crisp running routes but was catching the ball firmly with his hands away from his body. On one rep against Ronald Darby, in particular, the cornerback was in prime position to break up the pass, but Agholor snagged the ball and made it a point to keep it away from No. 21. – CM”

“Cornerback Rasul Douglas was opportunistic when a pass was batted into the air by wide receiver Rashard Davis. The second-year player leaped up for the jump ball to snare the interception. Later on, in a team drill, Douglas was enjoying the opportunity to cover the team’s top draft pick Dallas Goedert. Douglas might be the type of player who can thrive as athletic tight ends become more involved in NFL offenses. – CM”

“…This was the first I got to see of Nate Sudfeld this spring, and he looked sharp. The offense registered a false start, so they were behind the sticks to get things started, but Sudfeld responded by throwing a touchdown to second-year receiver Shelton Gibson (who had a bad drop earlier in the day). – FD”

“Two corners specifically stood out to me. Early on, Ronald Darby blanketed Mike Wallace in the end zone, forcing Sudfeld to eat a throw. Shortly afterward, Sidney Jones roped in a diving interception in the back of the end zone on a play where Sudfeld rolled to his right. It was an athletic play by the second-year corner. – FD”

“Rookie Avonte Maddox has to get used to quarterbacks testing his 5-9 frame. Sudfeld threw a pass deep down the right side to the goal line intended for 6-3 receiver Anthony Mahoungou. Maddox, to his credit, boxed out Mahoungou to keep the wideout from coming up with the ball. – CM”

“The squad split up into two sets of half-field 7-on-7 drills. I stuck with one side while C-Mac stuck on the other. Here were the takeaways:

• Greg Ward ran a razor-sharp stop route on the first play, snaring a reception against rookie corner Chandon Sullivan, who fell to the ground on the play and left briefly with an injury. The undrafted rookie from Georgia State would return later in the period to get a pass breakup against Shelton Gibson.
• Richard Rodgers caught a pass from Carson Wentz on a dig route over the middle of the field. It was one of a couple of catches in the deep or intermediate area for the former Green Bay Packer.
• Dallas Goedert started to shine in this period. The rookie beat Jeremy Reaves early on and followed that up with an impressive grab against fellow first-year player Stephen Roberts.
• Jalen Mills, who was his usual feisty self throughout the afternoon, posted an emphatic pass breakup in a matchup against Ward.
• Second-year running back Donnel Pumphrey ran an awesome Texas route in the middle of the field against rookie Asante Brown for what would have been a significant gain.- FD“

“Kamu Grugier-Hill exploded downhill on a perimeter run for what would have been a tackle for loss. When he cuts it loose his athleticism is something to see – pound for pound he’s one of the most athletic guys on the team in my eyes. – FD”

“Three corners made impressive plays in the final few series of practice. First, Rasul Douglas undercut a throw intended for Goedert to secure a pass breakup; it was a good read by the second-year corner. Jalen Mills engulfed Mack Hollins in coverage for a contested incomplete pass. DeVaunte Bausby, who was the receiver of some praise from Jim Schwartz on Tuesday morning, got an impressive pass breakup in the middle of the field on a pass thrown by Nick Foles. Bausby saw time with the first-team nickel defense in Tuesday’s session. – FD”

“The Eagles used Nathan Gerry and Kamu Grugier-Hill as the first-team linebackers in the nickel package on Tuesday. This is merely for evaluation purposes. Fran already noted Grugier-Hill’s athleticism. I like Gerry’s play-recognition skills. In fact, Nigel Bradham said after practice that Gerry’s knowledge of the defense is right up there with the veterans in the locker room. – CM”

For even more practice notes, you can check out Chris and Fran at PE.com.