Eagles Ready For Long Break

By Ed Benkin

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The NFL calendar rarely allows players down time.  The Eagles are planning to make the most of their time off.

The Eagles completed their final round of off-season workouts on Thursday in South Philadelphia.  The players will now enjoy some time off before training camp gets underway on August 2nd.  Chip Kelly was happy with the work his team accomplished during the OTAs and mini-camp, and wants them to enjoy their break before the grind of training camp begins in August.

"It's the same message we've always have with them," said Kelly.  "It's a great group.  We trust them.  They've got their individual workouts that they'll be accountable for when they come back.  Enjoy your time off.  You deserve your time off.  They've worked extremely hard since April 20th."

Quarterback Mark Sanchez says the players have accomplished what they wanted during the spring, and the break will be a welcomed one before the team heads into training camp and the 2015 season.

"They give us a good plan for the off-season and for these next six weeks," Sanchez said.  "There's got to be some down time.  You've got to give your body a break, especially the way we've been working.  We've been putting it out there every day."

Sanchez has taken a back seat to the media attention this off-season with all eyes focused on the recovery of Sam Bradford.  While Bradford insists he is on schedule to be ready for the regular season, Sanchez believes he will get a fair shot at the starting quarterback job.

"The best guy plays," said Sanchez.  "That means move the team down the field and get points, get completions, do the right thing in the right situations, throw the ball away when you have to and take care of the football.  All those things go along with being a starter.  I've done it before and I know I can do it again."

There are always plenty of observations made during the off-season workouts.  However, Kelly cautioned that what happens in the spring hardly qualifies as a fair assessment for what lies ahead in both training camp and the regular season.

"We don't put a lot of stock in making real solid evaluations in terms of where they are," Kelly said.  "It's about them working, getting better, being smarter and understanding schemes.  Trying to figure out strengths and weaknesses will actually come when we put the pads on."

The pads will come on at some point during training camp.  Meanwhile, a team with a host of new faces got a chance to settle in on the field during the spring.  Cornerback Byron Maxwell is confident everything will click as the team gets closer to the season.

"It takes time to be honest with you," said Maxwell.  "There's a lot of new people coming in.  Chemistry is going to come.  It's one of those things that happens on and off the field.  Guys have to spend some time together and get to know each other.  It's going to happen, though."