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Eagles Notes
Eagles rookie thrust into starting role
Now that he's not only a safety, but the Eagles' starting free safety, Victor "Macho" Harris has fully embraced his new position.
A cornerback coming out of college, the fifth-round pick from Virginia Tech was switched to free safety during the spring and wasn't quite sure about the change at first.
"I didn't know my alignments and I felt like I was covering grass rather than being around and making plays," Harris said yesterday after running with the first-team defense in preparation for the Eagles' opener Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
Despite the foreign nature of his new position, Harris surpassed Quintin Demps on the depth chart to earn the starting job.
"The majority of receivers when I was playing corner, they were quick guys and I could get my hands on them and direct them wherever I wanted," Harris said of the difference between playing free safety and cornerback.
"Against tight ends, they're a little physical and big, so I have to bring a little more weight with that. I have to use my speed and quickness to beat them. I'm physical. I consider myself a physical player. The physical part is no problem, but what I have over them is my speed and quickness. At free safety, you get to be around the ball a lot. At corner, you get one or two shots a game and you have to make the best of it."
The Panthers are certainly aware the Eagles have replaced Brian Dawkins with a rookie.
"I've watched a lot of film on him and one of our tight ends [Jeff King] is a Virginia Tech guy, and he had great things to say about him," Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme said. "I think he's a kid who obviously had some chances and he made the most of them."
Homecoming for Gaither. Omar Gaither, a Charlotte, N.C., native, will play his first NFL game in his hometown Sunday as the Eagles' starting middle linebacker.
"It means something to be back in there as the starter, especially going home to Carolina," he said. "It's my first time I've played back in Charlotte since I left high school. That's added motivation. I have about 30 people coming and I'm still trying to find tickets. My mom's house is about six minutes from the stadium."
After losing his starting job to Gaither, fellow middle linebacker Joe Mays will stay home with a sprained shoulder he suffered in the Eagles' preseason finale against the New York Jets. "You know what, it's life," Mays said.
Strong-side linebacker Chris Gocong is the backup middle linebacker.
Extra points. Reid said guard Todd Herremans, who is recovering from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, will miss at least two games and probably more because Herremans cannot put weight on his foot. . . . Receiver DeSean Jackson said he will be the Eagles' No. 1 punt returner against the Panthers.
