Tank Signs with the Eagles

Tank Daniels returns to Eagles
By Bob Brookover
Inquirer Staff Writer
Tank Daniels thought he had done enough in training camp to remain a member of the New York Giants.
The Giants didn't agree.
Daniels thought he was about to become a member of the Miami Dolphins.
Didn't happen.
Daniels is back with the Eagles.
"I was very surprised," the third-year linebacker said during a conference call yesterday. "I felt like I had a great camp with the Giants, and then I get a wake-up call [Saturday] telling me I was cut. My agent started talking to the Dolphins, and I figured, if anything, I was going to go down to Miami. The Giants wanted me to stay and be on their practice squad, and I had signed the papers. Then my agent called and said, 'You're going to Philadelphia.' I was like, OK. I was really caught off guard by it."
In what amounted to an exchange of released players, the Eagles claimed Daniels after he was released by the Giants just a few hours after the Giants had signed defensive end Jerome McDougle, who had been released by the Eagles on Saturday.
"It was so ironic," Daniels said. "I'm watching TV, and I see J. Mac signs with the Giants. I was like, 'What?' We're just flip-flopping. This is a weird deal. I've only been in the NFL three years, and every year I'm like, 'Whoa, where did that come from?' "
To make room on the 53-man roster for Daniels, the Eagles released veteran linebacker Rocky Boiman, who had signed a one-year deal as a free agent in the off-season.
Daniels, the first NFL player from Harding University in Searcy, Ark., is returning to the Eagles after taking a magical journey to a Super Bowl title with the Giants earlier this year.
"It was an amazing ride to win 11 straight road games," Daniels said. "To go into the playoffs and win at Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay, then beat a team as a 13-point underdog . . . and now I can say I'm a world champion. There are guys who are way bigger and better than me - some really great athletes - who still don't have what I have now."
The Eagles signed Daniels as an undrafted free agent in 2006, and he opened the season as a member of their practice squad. When quarterback Donovan McNabb went down in the 10th game against Tennessee with a season-ending knee injury, the Eagles used his roster spot to promote Daniels from the practice squad.
He played in the team's final six games that year and also was part of the special-teams units during the Eagles' two playoff games.
After being released at the end of training camp last summer, Daniels signed with the Giants' practice squad and again made his way onto the 53-man roster. He played in the Giants' final four regular-season games and all four postseason games, including their stunning upset of New England in Super Bowl XLII.
His biggest postseason moment came at the start of the second half of the Giants' wild-card victory in Tampa Bay when he forced a Michael Spurlock fumble while playing on the kickoff coverage team. The ball was recovered by Corey Webster and led to a New York field goal.
"That was huge," Daniels said. "We came out after halftime, and all the leaders on the team were talking. [Michael] Strahan says, 'Special teams, you're up first. You guys go out and make a play.' He smacked me on my helmet and said, 'Make a play, Tank. You can do it.' Nobody blocked me, and I hit the guy and the ball came out. It's one of my biggest plays that I can remember."
Now he'll get another chance to make big plays on special teams with the Eagles.
"Honestly, I feel so much smarter, stronger and faster," he said. "Coach [John] Harbaugh was the best special-teams coach I ever had, and he taught me so much stuff my rookie year. Now I have fine-tuned that, and I want to be that special-teams guy that teams say, 'We have to block this guy, and we have to look out for him because he's making game-changing plays.' I just see more of the big picture on special teams."
As for going back and forth from the Eagles and Giants, Daniels said there is one thing he loves equally about both teams.
"They both hate Dallas," he said. "Even though I'm from Arkansas, I grew up hating the Cowboys, and I'm fortunate that I can still hate them."