Philadelphia Eagles News of the Week, July 1 Edition: DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks are needed boosts to linebacker corps

Andrew Short writes on the Eagles Eye blog that Philadelphia's defense will be better this year, thanks to additions made to the linebacker corps. DeMeco Ryans brings leadership the unit lacked last season. Rookie Mychal Kendricks adds speed. "These young athletic LB’s should be able to play at a high level and match up with anyone, anywhere."

Tiger Jones is the leading receiver in the Arena Football League while playing for the Philadelphia Soul. The local pro team noticed his efforts. The Eagles invited Jones to training camp and a chance at a roster spot. Jones (5-11, 195) has 2010 receiving yards and is third in TD receptions in the AFL. He has stopped playing for the Soul to avoid risk of injury. Every dreamer on the Soul understands that.

Eagles' co-owners Jeffrey and Christina Weiss Lurie are divorcing. The move will not affect ownership or team operations the Luries told employees in a letter. It's not football news, but it made all the papers in Philadelphia. I sure hope they are right about that "work together as partners" stuff. As a divorce veteran, I know how hard that is to pull off.

Ron Jaworski says Michael Vick can have a career year. "Vick has shown he is capable of throwing the ball exceptionally well from the pocket. His overall throwing skill set can be top-five in the league. His objective in 2012 must be to play that way more often." By that, Jaws means he must be more disciplined to play from the pocket more and run less to avoid injury and avoid turnovers.

"It becomes an availability issue," says Jaws. "You can’t be an elite NFL quarterback if you can’t be counted on every single week."