Les Bowen: Mays might be man in middle as Eagles shift defense again

THE SAN DIEGO game was the first time all season the Eagles' defense was unable to force a turnover, a situation that had something to do with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and maybe even more to do with all the guys playing unfamiliar roles, filling injury gaps.

That's something the Birds know they have to turn around this weekend at Chicago, where Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has thrown 17 interceptions, including five in his last outing, a 10-6 loss to the 49ers. The Eagles' defensive situation figures to improve at least a little - cornerback Sheldon Brown, who missed the second half Sunday with a hamstring injury, apparently intends to play, although he has been a limited practice participant so far, and Chris Gocong will return to the familiarity of SAM linebacking after an awkward week in the middle.

But indications are that Gocong will be replaced in the middle by Joe Mays, who could be making his first NFL start, although he has been practicing at the position more than a season and a half now. So the patching and filling continues for first-year defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.

"We'll have different combinations based on the situation, at this point," McDermott said, when asked about his linebacking scheme. "We are still trying to work through some of those different combinations with who is available, who's healthy and who's not."

McDermott said there was nothing complicated about getting the turnover mojo back.

"We've got to get back to putting pressure on the quarterback and putting pressure on the perimeter and attacking the receivers, and you guys all know, you've been around attacking oriented defenses long enough, that if you get pressure, turnovers come," he said.

It's hard to play instinctively when you're in a new spot, though. Gocong worked extra hours last week to prepare for playing the middle; he still looked late to the party, chasing Antonio Gates or LaDainian Tomlinson.

"It's hard to learn a new position in 3 days," Gocong said yesterday. "Obviously, I'm a lot more comfortable at SAM . . . I gave it my best. It's tough to set everybody and know all the run gaps and know all the coverage. It's a lot of stuff."

Mays was McDermott's first choice to replace starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, back in August, when Bradley tore his ACL. Mays looked uncertain in a few preseason games, and was deep-sixed on the depth chart. He seems to have worked his way back, maybe partly because McDermott is desperate, and partly because after wallowing in despair, activated for just one of the first five games, Mays has started to play a hard-hitting special-teams role, showing the coaches his head is back in the right place.

"If I were to be named the starter, I'd be very excited," Mays offered, showing the polished subjunctive mood grasp indicative of a North Dakota State education. "They're giving me some reps right now, so they can give me a feel for the game, just in case my number's called, I can go in and produce."

Mays was asked if he got down when the job was taken away from him before the season started. Omar Gaither, who inherited it, now is out for the season as he recovers from Lisfranc surgery on his left foot. Will Witherspoon, who solidified the position when he arrived last month via trade from St. Louis, is filling in at WIL for injured Akeem Jordan (knee).

"I did. I shouldn't have, but I did . . . You just have to adjust, get better, pick up the pieces from where you left off," Mays said. "That's what I plan on doing."

Mays said he eventually realized that "everything is out of your hands, where decisions are made. I can't really control what decisions the coaches make, all I can do is go out there and perform my best and hope they make the best decision for me and for the team."

The current calculation must be that as inexperienced as Mays is, he knows the basics of the position better than Gocong, and won't have to think as much on his feet.

"Playing a different position, of course you're going to be thinking a lot. When you're thinking, you're playing a little slower," said linebacker Tracy White, who figures to again see time in the nickel.

When Brown went down, little-used corner Dimtri Patterson moved outside from the slot, the first time he has been out there as an Eagle. If Brown plays against the Bears, Patterson might have a larger comfort zone, as a nickel back.

"When guys get comfortable, you're going to see more plays being made," Patterson said.

Safety Quintin Mikell said he thinks there is at least one more factor at work - creating so many turnovers earlier in the season eventually started to work against the Birds.

"They always come in bunches, and I think teams started to say, 'Look, these guys are starting to get a lot of turnovers.' So they started to pay attention to what teams were doing against us. Game plans changed on us," Mikell said. "Teams came out and did some different things, and now we have to adjust and change the things that we do. I think we had a little bit of a hangover there, but from here on out we'll be able to fix those problems and get some more turnovers."

That hangover would be the double-move touchdowns surrendered by ballhawks Brown and Asante Samuel the past 2 weeks.

Cutler certainly is capable of making such adjustments - the Bears lead the league in 20-yards-plus passing plays. But their offensive line is suspect, and remember what McDermott said about pressure and turnovers. Part of Cutler's problem against San Francisco was his gunfighter mentality - refusing to eat the ball and reset.

"The quarterback definitely believes in his arm," Witherspoon said.

But the Eagles believe in their ability to bring pressure and force mistakes, even with a mix-and-match lineup.

"Those guys stepping in, they need to say, 'Look, this is my time to show what I've got. This is my time to make a name for myself.' It shouldn't be an excuse. It should be exactly the way it should be, whether the starters are there or not," said Mikell, who labored for 4 years as a special-teams standout before he became an everyday starter at safety. "You have to have that mentality and there shouldn't be a dropoff. No, it's not an excuse."