Demetress Bell: ‘Ready to roll’

Demetress Bell is here. Make sure you spell his name correctly.

The new starting left tackle changed the spelling of his first name from Demetrius to Demetress after signing a five-year deal with the Eagles. But don’t go comparing him to Chad Ochocinco.

“It was spelled ‘tress’ on my birth certificate and I had never paid attention and had been spelling it ‘trius,'” Bell said Thursday. “I just wanted to correct that and get it right, though. I fixed it now.”

Bell will replace Jason Peters (torn Achilles) just like he did in Buffalo, when Peters bolted for the Eagles. The two maintain a very close relationship, almost like an apprenticeship.

“[Peters] was one of the reasons I came here,” Bell said. “Me and him talk and we both decided this would be the best situation for me and my family.”

Bell himself is coming off a torn meniscus in his left knee and an AC shoulder sprain. In four NFL seasons, he’s only played in 31 games.

However, the 27-year-old was given a clean bill of health on Jan. 15 and doesn’t foresee any problems. He’s anxious to learn Howard Mudd’s unique zone-blocking technique.

“I’m ready to roll,” he said. “I think me and coach Mudd go hand-in-hand as far as a coach and player, and player and coach.”

Bounty audio tape released

Sean Payton couldn’t have picked a worse day to have Roger Goodell hear the appeal of his season-long suspension.

Audio of Gregg Williams from before this year’s playoff loss to the 49ers came out with him encouraging his defense to target San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith’s head and Michael Crabtree’s surgically repaired ACL.