OT: Taylor, Staley no-shows

[Dale]

Has this been posted?

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/store/news_features/onTheInside.asp

No Shows? Life Goes On For Eagles

June 2, 2003

It was enough of a tremor to send reporters and television cameras scurrying. Bobby Taylor and Duce Staley were among four no-shows at Eagles minicamp on Monday and there was no word when they'd return.

Shivers? Tension? A statement? What, exactly, was the meaning of the absences to the "non-mandatory" camp?

Well, if first impressions mean anything, the Eagles shrugged off the news blip as little more than a non-event.

So while head coach Andy Reid appeared unfazed by the whole thing, I know that you in Eagles World are reaching for the antacid.

Certainly, having two visible, key players absent does not send a positive message. I'm just trying to figure out what message it might send.

Are Taylor and Staley angry at the Eagles for something? Is there a point to missing this camp? Or are they just attending to personal business and feel they really don't need to be here.

In truth, players don't "need" to be here. The camps are non-contact and the real benefit is to scrape off some rust before training camp starts. Both Taylor and Staley know their respective schemes as well as players could.

Still, you want everybody here. It just works better as a T-E-A-M that everyone is present. By definition, football is the ultimate team game and having all accounted for in June makes the day go by a little more easily.

So why weren't Taylor and Staley among the players on the field Monday? Hey, look, let's be fair: cornerback Troy Vincent and defensive tackle Corey Simon weren't there, either, but the word was out shortly after practice that both were expected at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday.

Taylor and Staley? It would be great to see them Tuesday. Truly, they have epitomized the heart and soul of the franchise these last several seasons, and are treasured members of the organization.

If they don't show? It would be mystifying if there were some motive behind the absences. I don't think any "holdout" accomplishes anything positive.

Let's speculate. Why would Taylor and/or Staley be upset enough to stay away? Certainly, Taylor is a case worth watching this season. He's coming off a Pro Bowl season and forms along with Vincent one of the top cornerback pairs in the NFL. Taylor also happens to be entering the final year of his contract and has already said he would love to remain an Eagle for the remainder of his career. Is his contract status the central issue here? I don't know.

How about Staley? Why isn't he here? Is there something he could be upset about? It's hard to say. On the surface, Staley should be very happy, right? He's coming of a 1,000-yard season, he's going to be a key guy in the offense in 2003. Contract-wise, Staley's contract voids after this season, so he's in the same situation as Taylor.

It's interesting when these kinds of things happen. You notice during practice -- the media attended about 10 minutes of warmups on Monday -- who is in uniform and who is not in uniform. You look for certain players.

I, for example, spent most of my time Monday watching Derrick Burgess run and cut and burst out of his stance on the side of practice. It was encouraging.

Then I watched the receivers run 12-yard routes and catch passes from the quarterbacks.

And then it was time to leave.

Along the way, the absences were noted. Reid made more reference to them in his post-practice press conference.

In the locker room after that, the media did what comes naturally: moved on to the next player. Brian Dawkins didn't have anything to say. Lito Sheppard -- who ran with Sheldon Brown as a starting cornerback -- referenced only his personal experience and his expanding level of comfort in the scheme.

Down the way, Correll Buckhalter talked about how great he feels -- he said he's "90 percent" of the way recovered from his knee injury of 13 months ago -- and said that if there were a game today, he'd play.

So I'm not going to jump to conclusions here and say there's trouble ahead for the Eagles regarding Taylor and Staley. I don't know why they missed Monday's practice. I don't know when they'll return, although I'd sure expect them back soon. They know how important it is to be here. They know the roles they play on the Eagles. They know how vital it is that everybody is on the same page.

I do know this: life goes on. This is a team game. Individuals don't win games; teams do. And more than anything you learn when things like this happen is that players and teams and the entire focus moves on to what's here.

How many times has a coach uttered the following quote: "I can't concern myself with what is beyond my control. I can only concern myself with what I can control."

That's the case here. The Eagles will have other players take the repetitions in practice until Taylor and Staley return. Hopefully, that will be soon. There is nothing to be gained -- not for the players, not for the T-E-A-M -- with unexplained absences.

[NavyDave]

Booby Taylor is gonna make a very good safety when he leaves the iggles and make the transition ala R Woodson