http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/14628724.htm
Eagles' Kearse primed to improve his play
Jevon Kearsehas enjoyed a busy off-season. He traveled to the Czech Republic and to Argentina, where he expanded his collection of designer clothing - Louis Vuitton and Gucci are his favorites - to include items from Christian Dior.
After allowing Edgerrin James to dock a boat at his expansive home on the water in Pompano Beach, Fla., Kearse purchased a 41-footer of his own.
And Kearse has worked out like crazy, running on the beach and working with a personal trainer with a host of other NFL players in South Florida. When he weighed in at the NovaCare Complex last weekend for the Eagles' first post-draft minicamp, Kearse was surprised to find he was five pounds lighter - down to 245 - than he anticipated, and 15 pounds off his normal playing weight.
While he won't flat-out admit it, the 29-year-old Kearse knows he significantly needs to improve his play this season for the Eagles' defense to be effective. The Freak needs to get freakier.
"I want to be a little bit more destructive this year," Kearse said on Monday after the Eagles' final practice of the three-day camp.
Asked whether his 71/2 sacks in 15 games last season didn't constitute being "destructive," Kearse said: "I was, but like I said, 'more,' heavy emphasis on 'more,' to be more disruptive, and try to wreak more havoc. Now I have more guys who are going to try to do the same."
Yes, Kearse should have more help on the defensive line. The Eagles brought in Darren Howard from New Orleans to start opposite Kearse, with Trent Cole, Jerome McDougle and Juqua Thomasalso in the mix. The addition of Howard, who had 441/2 sacks in six seasons with the Saints, plus the depth at end should allow defensive coordinator Jim Johnson to move Kearse around. Last season, Kearse played primarily left end, because Cole was a rookie forced into a starting role.
"We have to move Jevon around more," Johnson said. "He's too good of a football player not to take advantage of his ability."
Darwin Walker and Mike Pattersonwill start at tackle, with first-round draft pick Brodrick Bunkleyrotating in. On third-down passing situations, you could see Kearse and Cole at end, with Howard providing a pass rush up the middle from the tackle position.
After a season with little to no effective pass rush, the Eagles made improving the line a priority, and Kearse knows the reason.
"I don't want to sound selfish," Kearse said, "but I feel like it was geared toward me. I mean, another D-end to help me on the other side. Then, we already had some pretty good D-tackles, and we went and got another one in the first round. So I feel like it's only going to benefit me. I was ecstatic when I heard [about the additions]."
Johnson said he expects the Eagles' pass rush to be much better than last season's, and he expects Kearse to be better, too.
"We think that Jevon is a guy who will still get double-digit sacks," Johnson said. "He should, and he knows that."
In the meantime, Kearse said, he would continue working out in South Florida, where today he wraps up the eighth annual Jevon Kearse Celebrity Weekend. Kearse said last week he expected several of his teammates - including Donovan McNabb, Lito Sheppard, Jabar Gaffney, and Brian Westbrook - to attend the event.
Kearse started the Jevon Kearse Foundation in 1999 to promote outreach services to at-risk youth in southwestern Florida.
Surprising news.As of Wednesday, the Saints had set a franchise record with 54,969 season tickets sold for 2006, surpassing the record set in 2003 after back-to-back winning seasons.
This is terrific, and somewhat unexpected, news for the Saints, who are coming off a miserable 3-13 season during which they were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and many speculated that owner Tom Benson would move the franchise to San Antonio, Texas, permanently.
At the insistence of NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the Saints returned to New Orleans in January and began a public-relations renaissance. They said the Louisiana Superdome, heavily damaged in the aftermath of Katrina, would be ready for their home opener. They hired Dallas assistant Sean Payton to replace Jim Haslett as coach. They signed free agent quarterback Drew Brees.
And then the Saints drafted Reggie Bush after the Houston Texans took Mario Williams with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
"I thought last year when the hurricane came, and we were going down the tubes pretty fast, that God had forgotten about us," Benson said during a news conference at the team's practice facility. "But he sure has shone bright on us since then, hasn't he? Very truly, I feel good about it. You cannot imagine the excitement. I think you can see it. This is going to be one hell of a year. I just can't hardly wait for it to start; that's the only bad part."