Donnel Pumphrey wasn’t ready.
Not for the demands of an NFL training camp. Not for the tough love from running backs coach Duce Staley. He wasn’t ready, and that’s why he never took a snap as a rookie in the Eagles’ first Super Bowl season.
“Last year, me and [Duce] weren’t as good as we are now,” Pumphrey said Tuesday after the Eagles’ first OTA session. “I was taking a lot of criticism from him. I needed to look myself in the mirror, and just learn from him.”
Eagles position coaches are not allowed to talk to reporters at this time of year, but a source close to Staley affirmed Pumphrey’s depiction of their relationship’s evolution.