DE Kearse ready to get 'freaky' in Philly

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) -- Jevon Kearse has chased down speedy receivers, cut across the field to tackle running backs and jumped over blockers to sack quarterbacks.
No wonder he's called "The Freak."
The three-time Pro Bowl defensive end, who signed a $66 million, eight-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in March, is eager to show his new teammates how he earned his nickname.
"I'm a freak of nature," Kearse said Monday. "I do a lot of things ordinary people wouldn't be able to do. As far as performance and playing my position, I'm a freak out there."
A first-round pick by Tennessee in 1999, Kearse spent five years with the Titans, establishing himself as one of the NFL's premier sack artists. He had 9 1/2 sacks last season, two more than Philadelphia's starting defensive ends -- N.D. Kalu and Brandon Whiting -- combined.
"He's on our side now," Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said. "I feel for the other quarterbacks when they play us."
Kearse had 36 sacks and went to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, twice earning All-Pro honors. But he had just 11 1/2 sacks in the last two injury-plagued seasons. He missed 12 games with a broken bone in his left foot in 2002, sprained the same foot last year and missed nearly three games.
"Right now I am healthy," he said. "If injuries happen, that's a part of football. It all depends on how you work through it."
The Eagles are counting on Kearse to improve their mediocre pass rush. A defensive line decimated by injuries and the loss of three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Hugh Douglas in free agency had just 27 1/2 of the team's 38 sacks last season.
Once the free agency period began, the Eagles immediately targeted Kearse, giving him a $16 million signing bonus in a bold move for a franchise known for shying away from high-priced players.
"He plays hard, he practices hard. I think the players have a great respect for him," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said.
Kearse, versatile enough to play left or right end, has opened camp on the left side, with Kalu on the right. Injury-plagued Derrick Burgess and second-year pros Jerome McDougle and Jamaal Green also will be in the mix.
"Right now they want me to stick to the left side to help the team out," Kearse said, adding that he's more comfortable on that side. "I'm giving it all I got until they move me somewhere else."