Eagles have some options at center

Standing and observing his fellow offensive linemen, Jamaal Jackson looked as healthy as he has been in several minicamps.

But when the group of linemen would move and the Eagles center had to walk, the steps were laborious and the limp noticeable.

As they are with all injuries, the Eagles have been ambiguous about Jackson's recovery from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in December. Of course, with knees, there is no exact science.

In March, Eagles coach Andy Reid said that Jackson would likely miss training camp and the preseason, and that he expected him back "in the beginning of the season." On Saturday, Jackson said he wasn't giving interviews until he had recovered.

The Eagles, meanwhile, have moved on. If Reid's best-case-scenario prediction is correct, the Eagles will need a new center for at least a few games this season. If he is wrong, and the soon-to-be-30-year-old Jackson needs even more time, the Eagles will need to find more than just a stopgap.

The Eagles have been touting a competition among four players for Jackson's spot. But Reid essentially squashed any conversation about that Friday when he said, "Nick [Cole] is the starting center as long as Jamaal is not in there."

Cole was the emergency fill-in last season when Jackson injured his left knee. The Eagles weren't prepared for such a loss, and Cole played as one would expect a not-ready center to play. He was errant on several snaps and less than adequate in blocking in two lopsided losses to the Dallas Cowboys.

Reid has said that an off-season with more time at center would correct Cole's problems. And yet, Mike McGlynn took the majority of repetitions with the first team during minicamp, which ended Sunday.

"That was the idea behind this, just to give him some reps and see how he handled it," Reid said. Offensive line coach Juan Castillo "asks those guys to do a lot of things there. It looked like he handled that very well."

It would appear beneficial to the Eagles if McGlynn - or Dallas Reynolds or A.Q. Shipley, for the matter - could claim the starting center spot. Cole is naturally a guard, and his versatility in playing either side has come in handy over the last two years.

He started six games at left guard when Todd Herremans was hurt or had to fill in at left tackle. And he started nine games at right guard when it became apparent that neither Stacy Andrews nor Max Jean-Gilles could fortify that position.

"We've got to find out about McGlynn, got to find out about Reynolds," Reid said. "We're just giving them as many opportunities as we can. At the same time, it gives us the flexibility with Nick to let him play a little guard and center as well."

McGlynn, a fourth-round draft pick in 2008, played mostly tackle at Pittsburgh and guard after the Eagles picked him. He doesn't care where he plays; he just wants to start.

"I don't know what [the coaches] want up there," McGlynn said. "But I want to be the starting center, the starting guard or something."

Reynolds, signed by the Eagles last year as an undrafted rookie, has more experience at center than McGlynn. He anchored the middle of Brigham Young's line during his senior year.

Shipley has logged the most time at center. He was an all-American at Penn State and earned the Rimington Trophy as the nation's best center during his senior year. He's not sure if it gives him an advantage over his competition, though.

"I think with the offensive line - whether it's guard, center or tackle - it's all the same," Shipley said. "The only difference is you have a ball in your hand and you got to make all the calls."

The Steelers selected Shipley in the seventh round of last year's draft and stuck him on their practice squad last season. Listed at 6-foot-1, 315 pounds, Shipley has had to fight the tag that he's too short and has short arms.

"He's not as tall as some, but he's got size," Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said Saturday. "You should see his biceps: He's been doing some curls."

Mornhinweg said there would be a competition into training camp. The day after Reid declared Cole the starter, the coordinator nearly forgot to include him in the chase.

"Well, we've got three men working there," Mornhinweg said. "Really four. So there's great competition there. That's an important position on any team, and we've got to solidify that. I'm including Nick in there. He's taken a snap or two."