Eagles LT Dilemma: Think Short-Term Or Long-Term?
The very first question the Eagles have to ask themselves as they consider what they’re going to do about replacing injured All Pro left tackle Jason Peters is this:
Eagles LT Dilemma: Think Short-Term Or Long-Term?
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
The very first question the Eagles have to ask themselves as they consider what they’re going to do about replacing injured All Pro left tackle Jason Peters is this:
Do they need a short-term solution or a long-term one?
Before he ruptured his Achilles tendon earlier this week, Jason Peters was the best left tackle in football.
"If anyone doesn’t think (he’s the best), I would categorically ask them to give me one who is as good," Eagles offensive line coach Howard Mudd said in December. "I didn’t say better. I said as good. That puts him in a rarified place. The only other guy I’ve coached who’s like him is Walter (Jones). That’s it."
A ruptured Achilles tendon isn’t a career-ending injury. Athletes come back from it, some faster than others depending on the sport and the position they play.
It’s possible, though not probable, that Peters might be able to get back on the field late in the season. I don’t see it, but who am I to say it can’t be done. The Eagles certainly can’t count on it, though. They’ve got to assume they will be without him for the entire 2012 season.
But they also need to beyond 2012. Peters definitely will be back for the 2013 season. But he’ll be 31, with two years left on his contract, and it’s impossible to say whether he’ll be the same dominant player he was before this week’s injury.
Many players have come back as good as new from this injury, but many players aren’t 330-pound left tackles with running-back-type athleticism. Will he be able to move as well? Will he have the same explosiveness? DeMeco Ryans, the middle linebacker the Eagles acquired from Houston two weeks ago, ruptured his Achilles in 2010. He returned last season, but wasn’t the same player he was before the injury.
So, the Eagles need to figure out how to proceed. Should they bring in someone who not only can step in for Peters, but could be their long-term left tackle if Peters doesn’t come back All-Pro whole? Or should they just look for a short-term fix for 2012 and gamble that Peters will make a complete recovery by the start of the ’13 season?
You’ve already read most of the offensive tackle options, both in free agency and the draft. Ironically, the Eagles were determined to go into this draft and focus on selecting the best players on their board, regardless of position. Now, they may be forced to again drafting for need with their first-round pick, the 15th overall.
"When you look back at the moves we’ve made successfully, it was situations where we took the best players (regardless of position)," Roseman said earlier this week. "But because we’ve been so close and because we think we have a good team and because we think we’re close to getting over the hump, we feel if we could just get this (position addressed), that would complete our team.
"If you look around the league, even a team that wins the Super Bowl is going to have some areas that aren’t necessarily positions of strength. As long as they’re not a huge weakness, you can live with that."
- agree with you on the needs. LB and safety have to be the priorities. this Peters injury really sucks.
— coloradoeagle - This stunning blow will end their (pre-injury) slim dchance at making the playoffs. (Check out the schedule.) Vick will be running more, thus getting injured more, and the running game will suffer even more. I don't care WHO they get to play the position, this stunner will do them in. And THAT is just a damn shame, because I gave them a slight chance at making the "party". And I figured that if they just GOT there, they'd stand a GOOD chance of at least playing in the Conference championship game. Damn shame.— TBear
- Grabbing David DeCastro in the draft and sliding Watkins out to LT (his position at Baylor, where he excelled), might not be such a bad plan.
Then, should Peters return (hopefully in near Pro Bowl form) Watkins becomes a versatile b/u at both G & T.— FishFryFrank - With Herremanns able to flip from RT to LT they have the option of signing the best FA LT or RT they can lay their hands on...maybe even work out a trade. Rookie T is not an option IMO nor is Watkins. McKenzie was slipping last year with the Giants but would take him over a rookie. Bell and McNeill have been knicked up too. Tough spot.— tpizza
Got something against firefighters, twirp?— ICDogg- Beyond the top OT, the rest of the draft is mediocre. Go with Dunlap and take a DT (one of the top 3) in the draft. Dunlap can get us through the year. We need to stop the run. Draft a big RB to pound the rock into the zone and get the 3rd and 2s. I'd also like a 6'5" WR with a 35" leap for the red zone.— 4thand10
- If Jason Petes has earned anything in his time in Philly, it is the right to a complete recovery before his fate is determined. If it takes 18 months, or two full seasons, Peters has been that reliable and that effective, so maybe an immediate free-agent plug and play replacement is in order. That doesn't mean that if a gift falls in their laps that the Eagles should look elsewhere, but this team has serious holes on a defense that has been a work in progress for the past 6 seasons. It took me years to see it, but Andy Reid has no better facility for building a great defense than Buddy Ryan had for building a great offense. On offense, it has been a different story, and I applaud Reid for knowing what he has needed at most offensive positions, and going out and getting it. Jason Peters is a prime example. But there are no tackles in this draft that show any hint of being an early-round commitment, and so the defense needs the attention yet again.— gnarlyscuzz
- The team has to consider worst-case scenario, that Peters will not make it back. They will have to spend some money in FA, and get a veteran lineman who can plug the gap. Then, they need to draft a solid lineman who can step in once he learns the system. That way, they're covered if Peters does return next season. That first pick may well need to be an LT. Penfold addressed the team's needs very well, though I'm not sure about the order. LB, yes, WR, yes. I think Jackson can handle kick return duties okay, with Hall perhaps as his #2. But LT, linebacker and wideout look pretty much the most urgent needs right now.— MidStaterUXB
- please, please, please no more Chad Hall. he should arrested for committing fraud.
agree they still need a LB and a WR. they also still need two safeties.— coloradoeagle - I say a long-term soultion is the best way to play it. This the offensive tackle position...You can have more than one elite LT on the roster. And with Mike Vick as the QB, it's better to have two.— MrMiles1
- Danny "Firefighter" Watkins— Ace-Philadelphia
- fear not. Mrs. Roseman's little boy, Howie, is on the case. he will find us another late-round gem from some barber college in New Zealand to fill in for Peters.— coloradoeagle
- if nothing else just have faith in Mudd, and im pretty sure he is in complete control of the oline...(otherwise jamal jackson would have been the starter last year he was Reids guy)...He could turn a FA like Bell or even a 2nd or 3rd rounder like Bobbie Massie into a servicable option for the season. this way there is minimal shuffling and when and if Peters returns at full capacity there will be depth on the liine— chrisr
- as far as Mckenzie he is done, and he was a RT not a LT, if they are going free agent it should probably be Bell or maybe Mcneil(but he isnt athletic enough to lead block on a stretch run or work well in zone blocking— chrisr
- Problem with Howie is he thinks an 8-8 team has no pressing needs. Did he watch a game last year?— Ssteve115
