Defensive tackle Trevor Jenkins of Middle Tennessee State, at 6-1, 287-pounds, was a longshot to make the Eagles, who released him Friday.

It was impossible to avoid rooting for him, though.

Jenkins made you realize minicamps, rookie camps and even voluntary camps were enjoyable. He greeted everyone with a smile, a hello and a how ya doing? He's the kind of guy that could make training camp a lot more bearable, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him resurface at Lehigh.

Donovan McNabb was named Father of the Year Thursday by the American Diabetes Association.

That's great - at least I think it is. Brian Dawkins was the ADA's Father of the Year last year. You don't think ...

Aww, come on. McNabb, after thanking the ADA for the honor, fielded questions about his rumored contract talks with the Eagles.

Asked if a deal could be struck, McNabb said "It will be taken care of sooner or later."

Asked if a deal would be done beofre training camp he responded, "Thats something that we have to see. We'll go from there."

Finally, asked if he was satisfied with the weapons he's practiced with during the offseason camps, McNabb replied, "I don't know. We'll go a little further than that later on."

The Eagles put a poll in front of a Philadelphia Daily News reporter stating that 83 percent of season ticketholders this past season and 86 percent of avid fans (a season ticket holder might not be an avid fan?) think positively of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

And 74 percent of season ticket holders and 91 percent of avid fans think positively of head coach Andy Reid.

Hard to believe but just 66 percent of season ticket holders think positively of Jeffrey Lurie, although 84 percent of avid fans feel good about him.

Even harder to believe is that team president Joe Banner wasn't part of the poll (Brian Westbrook was and he was off the charts). If Jeff got 84 percent positive from avid fans Joe should be at least 81 percent, right?

Whatever.

Now, the Daily News didn't explain anything about the information strategically thrown into their laps. Reading the piece, you don't know the difference between an avid fan and a regular fan, the definition of positive versus negative and so on.

I've asked for an explanation from Pamela Crowley, of the Eagles, as she's the one the Daily News said presented them the 'media packet.' Off the top of her head, she doesn't have the info so I'll try again Friday.

A simple explanation would really quell some of the uncertainty surrounding the credibility of this poll.

Hopefully it's a little less complicated than rocket science. Or even the late Albert Einstein's theory of relativity/

Precautionary or not, it's never a good thing when a starter like Eagles middle linebacker Stewart Bradley is held out of practice with a strained hamstring.

Bradley rarely misses a snap, having played through various injuries in an Eagles career that began in 2007.

So the Eagles were glad to see him get back on the field after he got banged up in the Wednesday OTA.

Also, Camden, N.J. product Rashad Baker, the safety by way of the Oakland Raiders, has looked a lot like the guy he's replacing - Sean Considine.

Baker had another interception Thursday. Like Considine in the past, Baker seems to get one or two each and every practice.

When Eagles head coach Andy Reid loses weight, it's like throwing a couple of suitcases off the Queen Mary, right?

All kidding aside Reid has lost more than 60 pounds through a program of managed eating and exercise, according to a reliable source.

In the near future you'll get a definitive shot here of the svelte Andy Reid, who some bump into year round suspect hit four bills on the old scale around Pro Bowl time in Honolulu.

(Above is Sunderland's Andy Reid, coincidentally one of the largest footballers in England's Premier League)

I'll take the Eagles at their word that the 2009 cheerleader calendar is being shot in eco-friendly Aruba partly to draw attention to sacred environmental issues.

At any rate, the outfits seem friendly.

All the way to the Super Bowl, ladies. Bet you already know it's in Miami next February.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is firmly in the corner of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, beaten down by treatment for melanoma.

In the same blog entry in support of Johnson (http://www.yardbarker.com/users/DonovanMcNabb), McNabb had empathy for Mike Vick, freshly out of prison after being locked up for running a dog-fighting ring.

McNabb says he's sure Vick "will continue to be remorseful and will learn from his experiences."

Vick needs a role model - fast. His mother is a close friend of McNabb's mother. If ever there was a time for Donovan McNabb to stick his neck out and be a role model for Mike Vick, this is it.

Vick's last game was against the McNabb-less Eagles at the Linc in their 2006 regular season final. It wil be Vick's last NFL game period if he hasn't learned from his experiences.