Billy Davis: Eagles' Training Regimen Is 'Light Years Ahead Of Anything I've Ever Been Exposed To'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Billy Davis began coaching in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992. Davis, as you probably know, is now the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles---his 11th professional football organization.
What you probably didn't know, is that the under head coach Chip Kelly, the Eagles' training regimen is far and away the preeminent system Davis has ever seen.
"I've been behind the scenes of 10 different NFL organizations in my career," Davis explained on Thursday to Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show. "So, you pull the curtain back, you know how they run their operation---it's not even close. We are light years ahead of anything I've ever been exposed to."
Listen: Billy Davis on the 94WIP Morning Show
Well, what is so special about the Eagles' practice regimen?
"Really, it's on individual player need basis and that is I think the biggest difference," Davis said. "Usually you go somewhere and you got, 'Alright defensive backs you go left and you've got this one set of lifting regimen you're going to do and the o-lineman will do theirs.' There's not much recovery. What we have in place for each individual player, it's not only the defensive backs, but it's specifically each individual defensive back. It's his workout that fits his needs, his muscular structure, his age. The defensive line, offensive line---it doesn't matter. We're off the charts with the sports science part and how we train individuals, how we recover individuals and it shows up in the end of every one of these games. You can't deny it. It's there."
Last Sunday, the Eagles became the first NFL team ever to erase double-digit point deficits in each of their first three games to start 3-0. The Eagles are simply wearing teams down.
"You watch how many players are down on the ground," Davis said. "I know half of it is an injury, half of it is trying to catch your breath for the rest of the group. It's a great feeling on our side to see guys break. You know, you're breaking the will of the other team. You're breaking the condition. When you get winded and tired you have a different mindset."
Neverthless Cary Williams, the second-year Eagles cornerback, complained about Kelly's strict practice regimen after a 37-34 Eagles week 3 win over the Redskins. Williams later apologized for his comments, and Davis says Williams was just frustrated after a bad individual performance.
"I think it was just Cary being frustrated at the end of a game," Davis said of the comments Williams made. "If those are his beliefs and thoughts, every individual player gets his own beliefs, thoughts. They're grown men. They express their feelings to us, you know, every day we ask them how they're doing. We've got a very open door policy here and I think Cary has talked long and hard, I won't speak for Cary or anybody else. I think everybody is entitled to their own view of it and their own feelings of it, and when you talk to everybody I think you get a general feeling of how excited we are about the things we are doing in this building."
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