Just wanted to check in from Arizona again. I've been out here this week working out with a few guys including Brian Dawkins, LJ Smith, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and Lorenzo Booker.

We have been getting after it from sunup to sundown. We start at Fischer Sports, a place I have been working out at most of the offseason. Brett Fischer – an Eagles fan from Bucks County - is a physical therapist, certified athletic trainer and strength and conditioning specialist. He has helped me through what he calls functional training. We mimic the motions that we use on the football field. For me it might be an emphasis on using my abdominals, hips and lower body to create torque when I throw the ball. For some of the other guys it might be trying to get explosion out of their cuts.

A few of us are coming off injury and that is Brett's specialty. We get great care from our trainers in Philadelphia but Brett has some different methods for rehabilitation and I know that my body has reacted well to it. His staff has also set us up with nutritional counseling providing organic meals and snacks for the week.

Like most trainers today, Brett believes in the many benefits of core strength. In fact, he developed the AB Dolly and some people recognize him from the infomercials. We've been using the AB Dolly all week in many of our core exercises. If you want one check out this site - http://fischer-sports.com/ABdolly.html

I'll check back later this week and let you know more about our workouts.

What a great time it is to be a sports fan in Philadelphia. I am 3,000 miles away in Arizona and spent some time channel surfing over the weekend and this is what I saw....

The national media and many NBA experts believe that the Sixers stole Elton Brand and now have a difference maker in the NBA Eastern Conference. I agree. I love the way he plays the post and he will make the other young Sixers players much better. He makes them instant contenders.

Although they had a tough day yesterday against the Diamondbacks, the Phillies are in first place approaching the All Star break. They have one of the most talented lineups in the game and Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell haven't even played their best baseball yet. Brad Lidge has been lights out as a closer. If they get some more quality starts from the pitching staff they can put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division.

Philadelphia's Vai Sikahema, a former Eagle, knocked out former baseball player, Jose Canseco, in a celebrity boxing match. Vai gave away about 6 inches and 40-50 pounds to Jose but knocked out the bigger man in the 1st round. He proved that no matter how big and strong you look, you can't measure the heart on someone from Philly.

In a contest that placed the winner in the ArenaBowl Championship Game, the Soul annihilated the Cleveland Gladiators, 70-35. If they play that well next week they will be able to set the route for the "Championship Parade in Philadelphia" in case there has been some changes in the past 25 years! With the promise shown by the Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and yes, the Eagles, hopefully that route will start getting used more often.

Speaking of the Eagles, fans might be happy to know that I'm in Arizona working out with Brian Dawkins. Next week some other players will come out and we'll work together for a few days before training camp opens. I'm feeling great, the shoulder is fine, and I can't wait to get started this season.

I always said that I was a fan of sports. Well, last week I had a chance to do some of the things that we fans usually just dream of.

Early in the week I had a chance to take batting practice with the Phillies. First, I had a chance to meet the fellas in their locker room. Then they dressed me up in some Phillies gear and I headed to the batting cage. I think I saw about 20 pitches and I connected on most. My best drive was a one-hopper over the left field fence for a ground rule double. Even though I'm a Cubs fan I must say that the Phillies are a really good team and they are on an incredible run right now. I like the guys on that team and I hope they continue to do well.

I also had a chance to meet Ken Griffey Jr. and we exchanged jerseys. What a great guy and obviously a player headed to the Hall of Fame. He came to Philly one home run shy of 600 and will certain pass that milestone soon. We talked about the joy we have playing the games we love for a living and how that fun helps us to play well. I was a bit in awe. I remember watching him play baseball when I was in high school!

Sunday night I had the chance to see the Celtic s host the Lakers. Jeffrey Lurie invited me, Brian Dawkins and Brian Westbrook to Boston to see the game with him. Mr. Lurie's been a Celtics fan forever and you know I love basketball. The energy in the building was great with the Celtics leading all the way. The Lakers made a game of it late which will help them now that the series shifts to Los Angeles.

Having been able to experience these things last week, I can only hope that some kids get that same feeling next week. On Saturday I will host my 8th annual All-Star Kid's Football Clinic. My dad and I along with a bunch of my teammates will put about 300 kids through various football drills. The kids have a good time and get a chance to meet some NFL players. I hope we provide them with lasting memories like I had last week.

Hey, you guys in the Yard, I want you to get behind the #12 car in next week's Indy 500. I'm one of 12 celebrity partners joining Luczo Dragon Racing behind driver Tomas Scheckter.

Here's part of the press release they sent out….

Each year, Luczo Dragon Racing partners with 12 champion athletes, to match their #12 Symantec car, and donates approximately half of its racing profits to the charities supported by the athletes. This year's team of champions is boxer Laila Ali, swimmer Natalie Coughlin, Hall of Fame boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, five-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb, four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears, World Champion skier Bode Miller, four-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, NHL star Joe Thornton, four-time World Series champion Joe Torre and tennis greats Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

The LDR community development program was designed to raise money, increase exposure to the sport of auto racing and encourage a philanthropic spirit that inspires others to make an impact in their communities.

"There are just not enough rich people in the world to write checks big enough that will solve the problems we are all facing with respect to hunger, at risk children and the environment. It's just not sustainable," Luczo Dragon Racing co-owner Steve Luczo said. "We wanted to build an economic engine in sports that is sustainable, gets more people involved and can make a significant impact on our communities."

LDR formed its first team of celebrities for the 2007 Indianapolis 500. The team included Marcus Allen, Jackson Browne, Brandi Chastain, Baron Davis, Tony Dungy, John Elway, Wayne Gretzky, Ronnie Lott, Jonny Moseley, Chris Mullin, Kerri Walsh and Kristi Yamaguchi. When the #12 Symantec car finished fifth they generated $500,000 for the charities. This year, with driver Tomas Scheckter behind the wheel, the #12 car was a first day qualifier and will start 11th.

Combined the 2007 and 2008 Luczo Dragon Racing team of champions have won 13 Super Bowls, 15 Olympic Gold Medals, 28 Grand Slam victories, 23 World Championships, 10 Wimbledon titles, five World Series titles, four Stanley Cups, four Indy 500 championships, six US Open crowns, 17 League MVPs, five Super Bowl MVPs, one Heisman Trophy, 11 Hall of Fame inductions and more than 100 All-Star team selections.

I know many experts have labeled us the dark horse. I'm proud to be connected to such a distinguished group.

Took another stop on my tour with Novartis talking about hypertension and high blood pressure.

After stops in Syracuse and Chicago, I found myself in Harrisburg, the capitol of Pennsylvania. After a few media hits it was on to the Capitol Building to meet with some politicians and their constituents.

While there we barged into the Governor's office. Ed Rendell was gracious enough to invite me, my parents, and our group into his office. After that, we were invited to the floor of the House of Representatives. Note to all PA residents: You are all well represented as there were just as many Steelers fans as Eagles fans amongst the politicians.

While we were there to talk about hypertension, you might imagine there were more than a few questions about football. Here are a few of the more popular ones along with my responses.

Q: Did the team do enough this offseason to compete for a Super Bowl?

A: We have enough to compete right now. If there is a chance to continue improving our roster after June 1 than we should look at that too.

Q: Without any new offensive weapons, how will the team improve this year?

A: Having L.J. Smith healthy is a good start. We need to be more productive in the Red Zone and that's a part of the field where the tight end is crucial. When L.J. was hurt last year we seemed to get away from that too much.

Q: What about DeSean Jackson?

A: He impressed me with his speed and ability to catch the ball. Hopefully he will be able to shorten the field for us with his return ability on special teams, and stretch the field on offense with his speed.

What a week I had. In between workouts with my teammates at the NovaCare Complex, I was able to take care of some business.

On Monday, I taped the Fashion Challenge for the 10! Show that will air this Monday. The taping was at Philadelphia University and consisted of PU design students showcasing their designs in men's casual wear. All four designers did a great job, unfortunately we had to cut one. Afterwards I was able to see some of the campus and that was amazing. I can't believe such a nice campus is tucked away in that area.

Tuesday it was off to Syracuse for a variety of events. That night I spoke to the Syracuse University Sports Managements Students who hosted a fundraising event to benefit the American Diabetes Association. Besides being given the opportunity to speak to the attendees, I had the honor of presenting Kyle Lograsso with the Perseverance in Sports Award. I had heard about Kyle from a segment on HBO's Real Sports and I was inspired. Kyle is a 6-year old golf prodigy who had his left eye removed due to cancer. What a great kid from a very loving family.

Wednesday Coach Greg Robinson asked me to speak to the SU Football team. I can't believe that it is 10 years since I sat as a player in that room. It was great to see the players and staff and get a workout in at the new weight room. The rest of the day it was down to business making several appearances to promote blood pressure awareness – check out www.BPsuccesszone.com - with my parents on behalf of Novartis.

With all four #1 seeds in the Finals for the first time ever there can be no upsets. They are all strong.

I'lll take North Carolina over Kansas and Memphis over UCLA.

My two upsets of this weekend will be (10) Davidson over (3) Wisconsin, and (3) Louisville over (2) Tennessee.

With the Sweet 16 so close, I couldn't help but to rewind the wonderful individual efforts of guys like Davidson's Stephon Curry, Stanford's Lopez brothers (Robin and Brook), West Virginia's Joe Alexander, and the point guards from Villanova (Scottie Reynolds) and Xavier (Drew Lavender).

I've have the opportunity to watch Stephon Curry on numerous occasions and I can say he might be one of the best, if not the best, pure shooter in the college game today. With the help of the nation's assist leader at point (Jason Richards), I see this backcourt pushing this Davidson team to the Elite 8 to face a strong Kansas team. But that's where the train stops.

Next, Louisville and Tennessee. Although Tennessee has shown great poise in tight games and in tough situation this is where they have met their match. Louisville, which is led by their big man David Padgett and coach Rick Pitino, will be entirely too strong inside and out for Bruce Pearl and the Volunteers. The problem I see Tennessee having is on the offensive and defensive boards. Tennessee's frontcourt is led by their three athletic sophomores Tyler Smith, J.P. Prince, Wayne Chism, but with fundamental play from Louisville's big-men, I expect the Cardinals to have a strong presence down low.

It's that time again March Madness fans, and I can't wait to get started. Every year we witness a bunch of upsets that we just can't figure out how they happened. This year it will be no different. As I look over my brackets I can't help but notice a few favorable matchups for lower seeds in the 5 vs. 12s, 6 vs. 11s and 7 vs. 10s.

That's why I start with the 12-seeded Villanova vs. Clemson. Villanova is led by the Scottie Reynolds, who has continued to torch defenders and put his team in great position to win games. The X-factor in this game will be Dante Cunningham who is an excellent defender and rebounder. Pick, Villanova.

I also picked a couple of 11 seeds to win (Baylor over Purdue and Kansas State over USC), two 10 seeds (Arizona over West Virginia and Davidson over Gonzaga) and a 9 seed (Texas A&M over BYU).

The NFL is losing a great one with Brett Favre retiring. He was one of the greatest quarterbacks the league has ever known. Over the years, I have had a number of chances to get to know him and I am better for those experiences. Brett was one of the QBs that, when we played his team, I stood on the sidelines to watch him play.

Due to the tremendous amount of respect that Andy Reid had for Brett, I watched a lot of film of him playing - especially early in my career. I've often been asked to make comparisons and I always said, "I'm not Brett," but I hope that I was able to incorporate some things from his game as I have with other great QBs.

The most amazing part of his career is that he was able to play so many consecutive games. I know first-hand how difficult that is. No matter how hard you train or what type of shape you're in, a freak thing can happen at any time to anyone. I admire how he was able to stay away from serious injury as well as play through the nagging ones. It's a testament to him that only he can sit Brett Favre down.

I'm so proud of my mom. She just won an MVP award! Recently Eddie George came up with the NFL Moms Weight Loss Challenge. They competed as teams to see who could lose the most weight. Well, my mom's team won and she was the MVP, having lost 40 pounds during the course of the 2007 NFL season. Congratulations Mom and all the other moms as well.

Here's a look at the press release…

Nashville, TN – Feb. 1, 2008: Eddie George, former all-pro running back and current media personality, recently wore a t-shirt on national television that read "I Love Hot Moms!" He surely does, and proved it by guiding 26 members of the NFL's Professional Football Mothers Association to over 200 pounds of weight loss and great lifestyle changes. The mother's will speak of their successes on his radio show on Monday.

In September of 2007, Eddie's company, EGX Lifestyle, challenged the moms to change the way they ate, cooked, and exercised. The moms were divided into teams representing the AFC and the NFC. Eddie then devised a 16-week program for them and personally worked them out and monitored them with the help of his staff of professionals. The Results? The NFC won the conference battle, judged by how much weight and/or percentage of body fat lost. However, both teams of ladies are now carrying the proud mantle of "Hot Moms," because they've been changed forever.

Constance Davis, mother of Anthony Adams (Chicago Bears), lost 51 pounds; Wilma McNabb, mother of Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb, won the MVP award for her hard work, dedication, and lost of 40 pounds; Mary Gurode, mother of Andre Gurode (Dallas Cowboys), got high-school skinny.

The most touching story came from Gladys Bettis, mother of retired NFL star Jerome Bettis. Through the EGX Lifestyle program, she lost over 30 pounds, and in the process, discovered a heart problem that was previously undetected. She ended up having quintuple bypass surgery, a life-saving procedure that may not have been found had she not undertaken Eddie's program with vigor.

With this weekend's championship games approaching us, I think you have to start by congratulating the New York Giants and the San Diego Chargers for defying the odds. No one figured they had a chance to beat the #1 seeded Cowboys and the #2 seeded Colts. With that said I am prepared to see some inspired football this weekend not just by these two teams but by all four.

Focusing on the NFC title game, the Giants and the Packers have a lot to play for. When you talk about the Green Bay Packers it always starts with Brett Favre. Unlike in years past, though, the talk doesn't end there. The big story I feel you need to focus on is the emergence of all of the young talent. With that said, Brett has looked like the player of the past, having fun, laughing and joking again. Boy what winning can do for the confidence of a team.

Secondly the Giants are on a roll right now winning nine straight road game. Eli is playing with confidence, the defense is creating turnovers, special teams are doing a great job with field position and not giving up big plays. Steve Spagnuolo has the defense in the right spots at the right time. You can't help but notice the pressure the front 4 is putting on opposing QBs and the play of the LBs. The front seven seems to have continued to improve each week.

I look forward to the game despite the weather conditions. Weather will only be a factor for the losing team. The elements will affect each team the same throughout the game. The winner will be numb to the cold, looking to celebrate on the field regardless of the conditions. The losing team will want to get back to the locker room as quickly as possible.

Now that the season is over and we are concentrating on 2008, I hope we are able to secure some playmakers in all three phases of the game. Maybe some of those playmakers are already on the roster but have struggled with injuries, myself included, that have held us back a little.

You can't argue with how the Patriots went outside their locker room and stocked up on playmakers last year. It certainly helped to have Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas making plays for them all year.

I'm surprised that anyone would have a problem with me, or anyone else in the organization, expressing a desire to bring in more quality players. We were 8-8. There is room for improvement. This is a competitive sport. It's about putting together the best players, the best team, and giving yourself the best chance to win.

We didn't disrespect anyone when we traded for Takeo Spikes or signed Kevin Curtis last year. I don't think the Patriots were being disrespectful to Troy Brown or Reche Caldwell when they brought in Moss, Stallworth and Welker. Over the past few years, when the 49ers added Nate Clements, the Seahawks added Julian Peterson, the Giants added Plaxico Burress, the Colts added Adam Vinatieri, it was in an effort to add playmakers. In each case the team identified a way to improve and they took action.

I don't think that's being disrespectful to any of my teammates. It's certainly not my intention. I bet that anyone who wants to see the Eagles win â€" from Mr. Lurie, to the entire locker room, to every Eagles fan who bleeds green would agree.

I allowed myself to scoreboard watch last night as the Bears played the Vikings. Had the Bears won, we still would have had an outside chance for the playoffs. However, that doesn't change a thing for our preparation this week. We need to finish strong. It's important for our team filled with young players to learn how to win and take that momentum into the offseason. We did that my rookie year and it paid dividends the following year.

I've been asked in press conferences for awhile now "what's wrong with the offense?" So far this season we were not converting in the red zone, not converting enough on third down, not taking chances downfield, protecting the ball too much, not protecting the ball enough, holding on to the ball too long, making costly penalties, etc. etc. etc. That's a fair assessment as we have displayed all of those characteristics at times this season.

I wish I knew exactly why some of those things haven't been better at times because I would have fixed it already.

I have put the effort in and so have my teammates. We have fought through injuries, we have studied the game plans, we have worked hard at practice. We have continued to do all the things that we have done over the years that produced success.

Another thing we have done is stay positive. That has been one constant since I got here. We have lost games, we have had injuries, we have had distractions. But through it all, we have stayed positive and been able to persevere. We must continue to do that.