No More Mystery; Kelce Will Be Man In The Middle
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
No More Mystery; Kelce Will Be Man In The Middle
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
No more doubt about it. If rookie Jason Kelce can stay in one piece between now and September 11, he will be the Eagles’ starting center against the St. Louis Rams.
"Right now, he’s the starting center, yes," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said.
While it probably scares you that an Eagles team with Super Bowl aspirations is going to be starting two rookies on their offensive line in Week 1 – Kelce and right guard Danny Watkins – it doesn’t scare Mornhinweg. He is confident both will be just fine.
"I know it can work," he said. "I’m quite happy with their play. I’m very confident that it will work. It’s a difficult thing to do. Difficult thing with the center position alone. But I’m real confident they will be playing at a high level very quickly."
Besides starting two rookies, the Eagles also have just moved their longtime left guard Todd Herremans over to right tackle. Considering that none of the starters are expected to play in Thursday night’s final preseason game against the Jets, that doesn’t leave a lot of time for him to get reps at his new position.
"Todd’s a versatile player," Mornhinweg said. "He’s got the ability to play tackle. However, that doesn’t do it. Todd understands that it’s going to take a lot of hard work and preparation here from the day that he (was moved) until the first ballgame to get this thing right."
In other news Monday, the Eagles made four more cuts, releasing wide receiver Gerald Jones, cornerback Jamar Wall, offensive tackle Spencer Johnson and tight end Martell Webb. They are down to 81 players. They must be at 80 by Tuesday at 4 p.m., and down to 53 by Sunday.
This is in truth the natural evolution of the O line. I wish it was more gradual and I bet Vick does too, but change happens. In truth, Vick will now have a line that is better matches to his abilities and if the rookies do well, things should be exciting. The moves on both lines are a direct result of two great line coaches saying the status quo just did not cut it. Good luck Kelce and to Jackson.— Dutch-wayne
