unCovering the Birds with Jeff McLane

After beating up on mostly themselves the first two weeks of training camp, the Philadelphia Eagles welcomed a fresh challenge: a trip to New England for a joint practice with the Patriots, followed by a preseason game between the two teams. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane traveled to Foxboro, MA to take in the action, and explains why the joint practice might have been the singular, most important event of the Eagles' preseason. Plus, he chats with longtime Patriots beat reporter Greg Bedard about a rumor that just won't go away: ex-New England head coach Bill Belichick's interest in Nick Sirianni's job... 00:00 Revelations from joint practice with Patriots 13:58 Greg Bedard on Bill Belichick's rumored interest in Eagles 27:16 Stock up, stock down report unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout 2024 training camp, and publishing weekly beginning with the start of the regular season.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back with the Philadelphia Eagles, and has brought the big chip on his shoulder with him. That much was clear during his unfiltered first press conference of training camp. What makes the veteran safety tick? How did his second stint with the Eagles come together? Could he be injury prone? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane examines Gardner-Johnson’s place on the Eagles' roster, highlights DeVonta Smith’s stellar camp, and delivers a preseason stock report.  Plus, Jeff goes one-on-one with starting tackle Jordan Mailata, who discusses everything from songs he'd never try to sing to how he’s moving on after Jason Kelce’s retirement. 00:00 Week 2 training camp notes: CJGJ, DeVonta Smith, and stock report 13:48 Jordan Mailata interview 25:00 Preseason opener preview unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout 2024 training camp, and publishing weekly beginning with the start of the regular season.

The first week of Philadelphia Eagles training camp is in the books. What key storylines are taking shape? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane has been embedded at the NovaCare Complex, and checks in with his first impressions of a group eager to embrace a clean slate following a stinging finish last season. Plus, on the cusp of receiving his profession’s highest honor, legendary Eagles radio play-by-play broadcaster Merrill Reese talks with Jeff about a journey that has taken him from doing live M&M television commercials as a kid to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he’ll be inducted this weekend.  00:00 Intro / Merrill Reese interview - Part I 06:38 Jeff’s training camp notebook 16:20 Merrill Reese interview - Part II unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout 2024 training camp, and publishing weekly beginning with the start of the regular season.

Are you ready? It's time for training camp. All the speculation, hypotheticals, and "what if's" from the past six months since the Philadelphia Eagles' brutal end to the 2023 season are gone. Finally, we're on the cusp of getting answers, and The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane is here to give them to you.  For Season 4 of unCovering the Birds, Jeff plans to react to what's happening in the moment - week by week, game by game, big story by big story - and bring you the perspective and analysis of an insider embedded with the team. Think of the podcast as his audio diary of the 2024 season, and your companion for making sense of what's going on with the Eagles behind the scenes. Listen at inquirer.com/podcasts, free on the Audacy app, or wherever podcasts are available.  unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts.

Evidence of a disconnect, or perhaps a difference in perspective resulting from changing dynamics? For Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni, the answer wasn’t clear after the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback and head coach sounded like they were on separate pages when asked about changes to the team's offense heading into the 2024 season. What’s really happening? On the Season Three finale of unCovering the Birds, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane dives into this question and other important subplots heard and observed during spring workouts. Learn more about the Eagles’ new coordinators, emerging leaders, and key position battles as training camp looms around the corner.  unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. 

Todd Herremans and Brent Celek were more than just teammates. They were friends and later business partners. As the two former Philadelphia Eagles get farther away from their playing days, they’ve found similar and different ways to heal from the physical and mental punishment of such a violent sport. From cannabis to dietary changes, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane investigates how these retired Eagles cope with pain as they transition deeper into the next phase of their lives.  unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes in Season 3 dropping throughout the spring. 

Death threats. Job threats. Uncertainty about the future, both short- and long-term. The consequences of taking a stand for racial justice hit Steven Means almost immediately. It was the outset of the 2016 season, and he, along with a wave of players across the NFL, felt compelled to protest multiple police killings of Black men earlier in the summer. Even though Means knew raising a fist with Malcolm Jenkins during the singing of the national anthem before a Monday Night Football game in Chicago would draw backlash, the fallout was fierce. How did Means navigate criticism from both outside the Philadelphia Eagles organization and within it? As a player with far less job and financial security than an entrenched veteran like Jenkins, why did Means get involved? All these years later, does he think it was worth it? Has the United States made progress in respect to racial justice? Through Means’ story and perspective, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane examines the price the former Eagle paid for protesting.  unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes in Season 3 dropping throughout the spring.  Here is a link to 'In His Words,' the first-person article written by Steven Means referenced in the podcast.

One former Eagle blacked out. Another had to check himself into a mental health therapy center. Both played in the NFL during the era right before the league overhauled its concussion protocols following the release of alarming findings linking football and brain trauma. What concerns do these ex-players have now about their long-term health? What about current members of the Eagles’ roster? Given all the evidence out there, are they worried about their future? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane wraps up a two-part look at concussions and their consequences through a series of short stories, and talks to a pediatric concussion expert about the risks of playing football. Listen to the first installment in this series, which profiles former Eagles' linebacker Stewart Bradley and the team's mishandling of his concussion.  unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes in Season 3 dropping throughout the spring. 

Stewart Bradley tried to get up. He made it to his feet, took about six steps, wobbled, then crumbled to the turf. The reaction from the sold-out crowd at Lincoln Financial Field was one of collective shock. The broadcasters announcing the game were shaken by what they saw. Did Bradley really get his bell rung that badly? How could such a freakish athlete just collapse like that? The situation looked serious, which is what made it all the more stunning to see Bradley back on the field a mere three plays later… In the first installment of a two-part look at how concussions have affected Philadelphia Eagles players past and present, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane catches up with Bradley and his former teammates to revisit one of the scariest moments in recent Eagles’ history. Jeff pulls back the curtain on how Bradley was allowed to return to play, and talks to Bradley about the impact head trauma has had on his life since his playing career ended.  In part two, "Peace of mind," Jeff catches up with Eagles' players past and present to gauge how they feel about the head trauma they've been subjected to by playing football. unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes in Season 3 dropping throughout the spring. 

Reed Blankenship could feel it - the tingling, the puncture. He couldn’t bring himself to look, but he knew it wasn’t good. Immediately, he called out for help. He was hurt - badly. In a snap second, Blankenship's trajectory changed. All of a sudden, the persistent, hard-working kid from northern Alabama farm country wasn’t so sure what the future held. Would he be able to attain his NFL dreams? Fast forward a few years later, and Blankenship, who went undrafted in 2022, has staked his claim on a pivotal role on the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. What helped Blankenship overcome adversity? Which factors in his life shaped his character? How did the 25-year old go from undrafted rookie free agent to starting safety? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane profiles one of the team's emerging contributors.  unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes in Season 3 dropping throughout the spring.