08-09-2007, 03:22 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,225
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A rookie tight end catches Reid's eye
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sport...Reids_eye.html
Quote:
Andy Reid admitted he doesn't like doing it, but then did it any way.
Asked to name some players who have exceeded his expectations, the head coach listed three names, starting with rookie tight end Brent Celek.
"I hate picking guys out," Reid said. "But obviously you guys have seen the tight-end situation with Celek. It looks like he's done a nice job."
That may not be much of a quote, but it's quite a compliment for Celek, a fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati who has run with the starting offense because of L.J. Smith's delayed return from sports-hernia surgery.
"It's a good feeling, but I can't sit here and dwell on it," Celek said after special-teams practice yesterday. "I know, and I know [Reid] knows, that I need to get a lot better. . . . I have to keep working hard."
Celek has run solid routes and shown good hands during the first two weeks of training camp, but now he wants to see how he measures up in a preseason game. He probably will run with the first-team offense Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens. It seems unlikely that Smith will play.
"I just try to take advantage of every opportunity I get," Celek said. "It always helps when you're going against the best of the best, and that's what happens when you're running with the first and second team."
Celek, best known to Rutgers fans for his 83-yard catch and run for a touchdown that helped end the Scarlet Knights' bid to go unbeaten last fall, said he needs to get more consistent catching the ball.
"I feel like there have been a lot of balls that I have let get away," he said.
He's hoping that doesn't happen Monday night against the Ravens, a game he's already been thinking about.
"This is my dream," he said. "I can't say enough about how happy I am to be here. Now I'm going to get a chance to show that I can play in a game. Practice is practice. That's the time to get better and hone your skills. But the games are what matter. I'm excited to get out there against other people besides our own."
Reid also mentioned rookie defensive end Victor Abiamiri and wide receiver Kevin Curtis as players who have impressed him.
"I think most of the young guys on both sides of the football [have done well]," the coach said. "The young guys look like they're very productive right now."
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A rookie tight end catches Reid's eye
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