Still no word on Antonio Dixon’s return

Defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, sidelined with a concussion, said he still isn't sure when he'll return.

Dixon went down Monday after being sandwiched between two blockers and seemed barely conscious as he was loaded into the cart.

"I just remember running a stunt. I think I fell, face first," Dixon said.

The next thing he recalls, he said, is the voice of head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder.

Dixon, the third tackle much of last season, is in much better shape now, having been persuaded by his girlfriend to eschew McDonald's double cheeseburgers, he said. At 6-3, 322, he is the Birds' heaviest d-lineman.

“He’s a big guy to handle inside, 320-some pounds and that’s tough to stop," coordinator Sean McDermott said. "So, he does give us a tremendous push inside.”

The defensive line rotation remains among the more intriguing story lines at camp, as the Eagles continue to try different combinations.

“We’re trying to find our best four out there, obviously, and you guys know that," McDermott said. "But the push up the middle, with our speed on the edge is important, where we can cut [DE] Trent [Cole] loose, or [DE] Brandon [Graham], or [DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim], whoever it is on the outside, [Darryl] Tapp, whoever it might be, but have a push inside, so when the quarterback does feel like he wants to step up, he’s got somebody in his face all the while.”


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(philly.com)
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