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If team-building exercises start in the offseason, then the Eagles are one step closer to another Super Bowl. On Thursday morning, head coach Doug Pederson canceled the team’s practice and took his players on a field trip to the bowling lanes. Hey, if it worked for The Dude, it can work for the Birds.
Thursday was scheduled to be the 10th and final day of OTAs, but they went on a fun-filled trip to South Bowl in South Philadelphia. Two years ago, Pederson took the Eagles on a paint-balling excursion and they wound up winning a championship. No guarantees lightning will strike twice, obviously. Earlier in the week, Pederson perhaps hinted at letting his players relax and have fun when he suggested OTAs are a time to “really go hands on with them.”
“I might have said this before, whether it’s this spring or last year, whenever, but the offseason and this time of year is designed really for the younger player and the guy that you want to develop and grow in your system and see where they’re at,” Pederson told reporters Monday. “This is that time when we can really go hands on with them and teach and coach and put them on film and correct.”
Maybe it’s a click-bait stretch to draw that comparison. However, the Eagles seemed to enjoy the downtime and several players shared the experiences on social media.
Rasul Douglas wasted no time answering a fan asking for evidence:
Look at Carson Wentz’s form and Doug Pederson’s accuracy:
Field trip for the Eagles!
Doug Pederson canceled last day of OTA’s and took Birds bowling 🎳
Team bonding day. Carson Wentz and Doug’s accuracy is on point
Sidney Jones provided a nice panoramic of the day:
Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins are dealing with the real possibility of losing their starting left tackle due to a contract dispute and the New York Giants are fighting back against Odell Beckham’s jab at Eli Manning. In Dallas, there always seems to be trouble and this year is no different. Will there be any fallout from Ezekiel Elliott’s incident in Las Vegas?
It’s only the beginning of June, but there are plenty of NFC East storylines to track. In Philadelphia, they have their own soap opera regarding Malcolm Jenkins’ holdout. The veteran safety feels he has outplayed his contract and hasn’t reported to any team-related activities, including Thursday’s bowling trip. Jenkins has two years left on a contract that has an average annual salary of $8.1 million.
After visiting with the Colts on Monday, Titans’ free-agent safety Johnathan Cyprien is visiting and working out for the Eagles today, per source.
Eagles have been looking to add safety help, and Malcolm Jenkins has been a no show this off-season – with no end in sight.