Eagles tap Jordan to start at linebacker

THERE COMES a point in every Eagles season when, with a heavy sigh, the coaching staff acknowledges the fact that it needs Akeem Jordan in the starting linebacking corps again.

This year, that time arrived on Sunday, when Andy Reid announced Jordan is now his weakside starter, ahead of Brian Rolle, who this preseason has not played to the level he hinted at down the stretch last year. Reid indicated that if Jamar Chaney hadn't kept tweaking his hamstring, Chaney might be starting instead of Rolle, but with Chaney still not completely healthy, he'll go to Jordan, the 5-year veteran, instead of Rolle, the undersized second-year man.

"He's been very consistent, and he deserves the opportunity," Reid said of Jordan, who has been practicing on the strongside this camp, but started his Eagles career at WIL. "He's a battler, that's what he is. I'm not gonna tell you there's anything fancy about him. He's tough and he knows his assignments. He plays tough, hard-nosed football."

Jordan doesn't get a lot of stories written about him, at least partly because he might be the dullest quote on the team, year in and year out. Asked Sunday if it seems he has to prove himself over and over and over here, Jordan said: "Nah. I'm blessed with the opportunity to play in the National Football League. Every day I just go out there and work as hard as I can. Honest, just work, and let the chips fall."

Rolle started 13 games last season at WIL as a sixth-round rookie from Ohio State.

"It was a surprise to me, but I don't make the decisions," Rolle said Sunday night. "I felt like I played good. The coaches didn't think so. It is what it is. I'm going to work hard . . . I told the guys today, there's nothing worse than a hungry dog, and that's what I am right now. I'm going to continue to work hard, and I'm going to be out there on the field this year."

Asked when he expected to get the job back, Rolle said: "Soon. Definitely soon."

Jordan, still just 27, arrived in 2007 as an undrafted rookie from James Madison, three defensive coordinators ago, when Jim Johnson ran that side of the ball. He has started 27 of the 68 games he has played; in terms of Eagles service, he is far and away the grizzled veteran of the young group. Chaney is second, with 30 games played here and 18 starts.

"Nothing's a given, nothing's written in stone," said Jordan, who excelled on special teams last year. "That's why you go out and play like your hair's on fire."

Reid said he hasn't decided if Jordan will take the field in the final preseason game, Thursday against the Jets. "If I did play him, it would be just to get him another rep at WIL linebacker," Reid said.

As recently as the 2011 offseason, the Eagles seemed ready to put Jordan in their rearview mirror. But he got a late invite to training camp after the lockout ended, and by the end of the preseason, Jordan's steady workmanship was rewarded when the Eagles extended his 1-year deal to 2 years.

Asked why Jordan has seemed to be on the way out so many times, Reid said Sunday, "there's competition, that's the thing." Translation: "We keep thinking we've found somebody better, and we keep being wrong about that."

"It just opens your eyes. Just go out there and give it everything you've got, because you can be pushed out, any time," Jordan said.

"He didn't come out of the blue," new middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "In our linebacker room, there was great competition there from the first day. We knew it was going to be tight competition. 'Dream' got the job, so congrats to him for that. He worked his butt off to get it, and he deserves it."

Jordan said the biggest transition from strongside to weakside is "just run fits . . . coverage is pretty much the same."

Andy Reid acknowledged Sunday that King Dunlap is his starting left tackle, and thus won't play Thursday when the Eagles host the Jets in the preseason finale.

So Demetress Bell, the guy the Eagles signed to replace injured left tackle Jason Peters, officially will not start in that spot in the opener Sept. 9 at Cleveland.

Bell said he thought he played better in Friday's preseason game at Cleveland than he had at New England last Monday. "It's definitely frustrating," he said. "There's nothing I can do but keep working, go play by play, try to get better every day."

Reid was asked if he is disappointed in Bell, who acknowledges the Howard Mudd pass-blocking system is totally different from the approach he learned in Buffalo.

"I think he will continue to get better with time," Reid said. "I just think it is a matter of picking a whole lot of stuff up real fast here. No, I am not worried about that. I am not worried about that at all."