Social media helped Eagles' Mathis land starting job

Perhaps never before in the history of Twitter and the NFL had a player retweeted a fan's request for a team to promote him and that promotion was made several days later.

That's what happened to Evan Mathis, the Eagles' new left guard, when the team shook up the offensive line 11 days ago.

Two days earlier, after the line looked like a colander against the Cleveland Browns, Mathis passed along a fan's suggestion that the Eagles move Todd Herremans to right tackle and put Mathis in the left guard's spot. Then he retweeted a similar proposal from a reporter. And then, well, it happened.

"That third preseason contest [against Cleveland], I was back at left guard and started to get an idea of where things were headed," Mathis said the other day. "Now I'm more where I want to start but we're nowhere near where we need to finish."

They aren't even close. Though the change was welcomed by Mathis and Herremans, and almost universally by Eagles fans, it has only mildly tempered fears about the line and quarterback Michael Vick's protection.

Aside from a few practices, the starting five will not have played as one heading into Sunday's regular-season opener at St. Louis.

Left tackle Jason Peters is the only starter from last year's line. Rookies Danny Watkins and Jason Kelce are at right guard and center, Herremans is starting at right tackle for the first time in his career, and Mathis came virtually out of nowhere to claim left guard.

The seven-year journeyman showed up early in camp, but a few days after the Eagles had signed better-known free agents. After his first practice, there was no podium news conference such as the sessions the Eagles had for Nnamdi Asomugha, Vince Young, Jason Babin, etc. It was just, "Hey, you can grab him off the field."

"People probably didn't expect anything out of me, and they probably still don't know what to expect out of me," Mathis said. "But that's what I expect out of them. They've never seen me play."

Mathis' career has been a mixed bag. Drafted by Carolina in the third round out of Alabama, he started 15 games at right guard in his second season. But he played in just one game the next year and was cut just before the 2008 season.

He bounced from Miami to Cincinnati that year and in 2009 started seven games at left guard with the Bengals. But again he was back on the bench the following year.

"I don't want to sit back and just practice and collect a paycheck," Mathis said. "I'm not wired mentally to do that. And I didn't get a chance to do that [in Cincinnati] for whatever the reason.

"So I'm relentless. I'm going to keep going. I'm going to ride this until the wheels fall off. The wheels are still good right now."

At 6-foot-5, 302 pounds, Mathis is a prototypical Howard Mudd lineman. It's safe to say he never would have landed with the Eagles had not Mudd replaced Juan Castillo as the offensive line coach in the offseason.

"None of these guys had a rapport with [Mudd], so it was pretty much a clean slate for everybody," Mathis said.

When Eagles general manager Howie Roseman assured the 29-year-old that the five best linemen would play, Mathis said, he signed with the Eagles. It didn't take long before he stood out.

"He's an excellent athlete, a tough, physical guy, and really smart," Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "And you need those things coming from somewhere else and into somebody else's camp to be able to show what he showed."

Mathis briefly was moved to backup right tackle, but guard has been his position of preference ever since he was moved there as a senior in college. He can play either side, a versatility he developed when the Crimson Tide used to switch their linemen between plays.

He also has NFL bloodlines. His uncle, Bob Baumhower, a two-time all-American defensive tackle for Alabama, was a member of the Dolphins' famous Killer B's defense of the 1970s.

Mathis is built more like a defensive tackle. But he fits the Mudd mold. Mammoth guards such as Mike McGlynn, Max Jean-Gilles, and Nick Cole did not, and now they're gone.

Coincidentally, Jean-Gilles was in Cincinnati and had Mathis' old locker and Mathis had his at the NovaCare Complex. Jean-Gilles was cut last week, but McGlynn is now with the Bengals after the Eagles released him.

The absurdity of life is not lost on Mathis, who brings a sense of humor to Twitter. On Tuesday, he asked Eagles defensive end and avid hunter Trent Cole whether hunting was "allowed in downtown Philly?"

"I'm very sarcastic, lots of dry humor," Mathis said. "I don't take anything seriously except football. I put my whole life into football. I won't slack off here. But when it comes to anything else, I'm going to have fun with it."

Extra points. The Eagles signed Akeem Jordan to a two-year contract on Tuesday. The linebacker signed a one-year deal when the team brought the free agent back early in training camp. . . . Coach Andy Reid said that receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will return punts. . . . On Monday, receiver Steve Smith said he would play Sunday. Smith is less than nine months removed from arthroscopic knee surgery. . . . Tight end Anthony Hill and wide receiver Ronald Johnson were signed to the practice squad Monday. . . . The following players switched jersey numbers: safety Jarrad Page (from No. 25 to 41); running back Dion Lewis (27 to 28); running back Ronnie Brown (36 to 21); and Smith (19 to 11). Newly signed offensive lineman Kyle DeVan will wear No. 68.