Will O-Line Switch Help? Backup Added
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Will O-Line Switch Help? Backup Added
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
So, despite what we were led to believe after the Monday practice, King Dunlap is back in at left tackle for the Eagles and Demetress Bell is out. If Bell is to be measured by the Oct. 14 performance against the Lions, this is good news -- Dunlap can't possibly do worse than that. But as we've said before in this space, Dunlap has been around here since 2008, the rookie season he spent on IR. He's served three seasons on the active roster before this one, without ever earning more than a brief stint as a starter.
There are good reasons for this. One is that while Dunlap is 6-9, 330, and can be hard for a pass rusher to get around when he extends his arms and moves his feet, he often plays without great leverage. In the run game, he is a liability. Also, anytime Dunlap plays more than a game or two, he suffers some sort of injury -- concussion, back trouble, the hamstring he pulled in Game 3 this year. Dunlap is a useful plug-in sort of guy, a fifth starter, in baseball parlance.
It's hard to see the King as the answer to straightening out the Eagles' offensive line. Maybe he can hold down the fort for a month or a litle more, and Jason Peters' miraculous recovery from two Achilles' tears really can come to fruition. That's probably the Eagles' best hope at left tackle.
The tackles haven't been good, but the bigger problem might be the line's interior, where the Jason Kelce injury has left a jumbled, confused mess. Against Detroit, Dallas Reynolds did not resemble an NFL center. Why the Eagles apparently didn't look into any alternatives during the bye week is a mystery to me.
I was talking to Brian Westbrook Monday on Comcast SportsNet's Daily News Live, and BWest and I agreed that there would have been no downside to inviting Jamaal Jackson over to NovaCare during the bye week for a chat and a workout. If he's way out of shape, fine, no harm done. If he looks at all like the guy who started 71 successive games at center for the Eagles from 2005-2009, then why not sign him?
Yeah, yeah, Howard Mudd's system, blah, blah, blah. As BWest noted, at least Jackson would get everybody lined up and blocking in the same direction, which was a struggle for Reynolds against the Lions. And I don't think I ever saw Jack fling a shotgun snap past the quarterback's ear while the QB was adjusting his wideouts.
The Birds did make a move Tuesday at center, releasing backup Steve Vallos and replacing him with Matt Tennant, cut by New England three days ago. Tennant was a fifth-round pick of the Saints out of Boston College in 2010 who played in New Orleans for two seasons before going to the Pats. Tennant has never played under Mudd, so he is unlikely to appear in the middle of the starting o-line anytime soon.
The switch to Mudd's singular, attacking blocking style is one reason the Eagles have such a problem with o-line depth. They have discarded veterans such as Jackson, Austin Howard, Mike McGlynn and Winston Justice, and even practice-squadders such as A.Q. Shipley, because they were Juan Castillo holdovers who didn't fit the Mudd system. All those guys are on NFL rosters today, by the way, playing at varying levels of competence. In two offseasons with Mudd, now-injured Jason Kelce is the only Eagles o-line draftee who has achieved unqualified success playing for him.
The Eagles seem determined not to call Jackson under any circumstances. Maybe Mudd has a plan that will make Reynolds look competent this week against the Falcons. and will keep Evan Mathis and Danny Watkins away from those jailbreak sequences we saw down the stretch against the Lions -- the ones where the defensive lineman is bearing down on the quarterback and the o-lineman is running after him, waving his arms like a crossing guard whose authority has been sneered at by a cheeky sixth-grader.
The Falcons have 16 sacks in six games, along with 10 interceptions. They've recovered seven fumbles. Their defense has to be really looking forward to this matchup.
Perhaps we can plug in Bobby April for center...he could not do much worse than he is a special team's coach.— 5thstrretpast- The Eagles are finished. Atlanta will smoke them. Vick will tally another 4 turnovers.. Did you watch how horrible Detroit is last night?? Yeah.. they beat the Eagles.— FetchDixon
- I always thought Jackson should have been kept as a backup center/guard, or starting guard. Probably out of shape, now. The best move is probably to stick with a lineup and let the guys get chemistry. If Bell is better, and Dunlap is injury-prone, Bell will be back in there soon anyway.
I figure the coaches think Reynolds has the physical tools, and he won't get better at the position by sitting on the sidelines. Even with Peters and Kelce, the Eagles had an outside shot at the Super Bowl. There probably aren't any changes right now in personnel that would greatly improve our chances of playing in February. Maybe next year. It's a young team. Foles may be good enough next year if the rest of the team comes around. (Vick just doesn't look he'll ever read defenses well enough, or find throwing lanes like Brees does, to lead a SB victory).— armchairGM - Karl Malone's b@stard kid should be cut— Jay Grace 69
- What do you mean switch? Bell had the job because of injury. Just like Reynolds because of injury. This was not a strategic move. On to the Birds 24/7 to read something insightful. Amateurs over here.
- Lets hope Howie follows Joe to Cleveland— attila
- So I guess Chris Williams is a no-go?— TVGuy22
We need a lot of help.- Points win ball games. M Vick has not gotten it done. Lets move on with out him.— samlbarba
- Getting Bell out of there can only help the team!— vietnamvet
- Could Jackson do worse regardless of how out of shape he's in? Hell, get Fraley back in here to block!— gdibig
- The only change needed for O line is changing who is behind it.— 2ndNlong
- This is a disgrace. The Eagles have a 5'11 1/2" quarterback with little hands that make it hard to hold on to the ball and he is throwing interceptions at a rate that will break the all time record for quarterbacks and he is holding back the rest of the team yet all the philly writers are supporting him. This is no longer politically correct. It is cowardly writers who are afraid to speak the truth.— mario1239
- Whats cowardly is to pretend like you are a eagles fans when you would be typing the same thing regardless if Vick was throwing 4 touchdowns a game or none. Whats more cowardly is not having the heart, will or confidence to just say you dislike black man playing qb regardless if he was doing well or not without specifically targeting that is your issue.
— Zeru - Andy got lucky with the twin towers and he sure didn't show the ability to draft or develope O-line talent to stand next to Thomas or Runyan. Mudd, you really liked WATKINS? ...WATKINS, REALLY? With Mudd running the Oline, why should we expect improvement? Andy sure misses Johnson because that D allowed an average offense to win a lot of games over the years. Time to part ways with Howie, Andy, April (both), MM, Mudd & Wash. And you can take Vick, Graham, Watkins, Matthews, Asomugha, Allen, the entire special teams unit, etc.. with you! THE EAGLES WILL NOT WIN A SB WITH ANDY RUNNING THIS TEAM! Wake up & grow a pair Lurie, make the change. Try to win a SB rather than spin your wheels for another 14 years!!
ps. Why would anyone think Bowles will improve the D when he's NEVER been a D-coord? And he's forced (by Andy) into the wide 9?— desjones
