Moten hopes to bring nasty attitude to Eagles' special teams

ADRIAN MOTEN appeared in only two games with the Seattle Seahawks last season, but picked up an important motto while making a living on special teams: "Not my man."

It's a shame Brian Rolle wasn't familiar with that saying. Or else Rolle, who started 13 games for the Eagles last year at weakside linebacker, might still have a job.

Rolle was waived by the Eagles on Tuesday - the latest special-teamer to take the fall - and was replaced by Moten. Rolle apparently wasn't interested in the small details, like kickoff and punt return coverage, which add up to big plays in meaningful NFL games every week.

"If you ain't a starter, you've got to be good somewhere," Moten said. "They don't just give out checks around here. I learned it last year with the Colts. Not being a big-name linebacker anymore, it's a job.

"I kind of live by [that motto] right now. It can't be my man [to make a big play] on kickoffs. I need to go be a ballhawk and get the ball."

For all that the Eagles' special teams did right in Sunday's win over the Giants - such as drilling four field goals, including the come-from-behind game-winner in the fourth quarter with a brand-new holder and an injured long snapper - their kickoff and punt return coverage was atrocious.

Heck, even returner Damaris Johnson wised up on Sunday night, letting a few punts trickle into the end zone for touchbacks instead of fielding them inside the 5. At one point, an entire section of fans inside Lincoln Financial Field rose to cheer Johnson's moment of realization.

The same crew probably covered their eyes whenever kicker Alex Henery put foot to ball, since nearly every boot ended up with good field position for the Giants.

New York's David Wilson gashed the Eagles for 217 yards on kickoffs, including a long of 53 yards, for an average 36.2 yards per return. Rolle missed a key, open-field tackle on Wilson on the game's opening kickoff, which Wilson returned to the 39.

Rueben Randle also netted an 18-yard punt return for New York.

For the season, only the Giants have allowed more kick-return yards (435) than the 427 the Eagles have given up. The Eagles' season average of allowing 30.5 yards per return is fourth worst in the NFL.

They've also allowed a league-worst 193 yards on punt returns.

Last year, the Eagles were in the bottom five of the NFL in returning their punts and kicks. But at least they could cover them. Now, they can't seem to do either.

The Giants' average starting field position for a drive was the 30.3-yard line on Sunday night.

For his part, Henery said he needs to do a better job placing the ball on kickoffs. Henery has only four touchbacks on 18 kickoffs this season. He could be facing his first adverse weather conditions on Sunday at Heinz Field, since it is expected to be 48 degrees with showers, in a stadium notoriously tough for kickers.

"I wasn't getting the ball where I needed to," Henery said. "I was putting the ball down the middle. My head was coming up, and I was hitting the ball a little low, so it was spinning a lot. [The issue] is more directional. If I can get the ball out to the numbers, I will be fine."

Pittsburgh rookie Chris Rainey presents an interesting challenge for the Eagles. He's averaged 22.3 yards per return on four attempts - and all four have gone for more than 20 yards. The Eagles will have safety Colt Anderson back from a knee issue, though, a player special-teams coordinator Bobby April has gushed about in the past.

"Rainey has hole speed," Anderson said. "He uses blockers well. But I don't think [coverage] is about speed or scheme or anything like that. It's about having the right attitude."

Moten, who was one of the last cuts after the preseason, is a former standout linebacker at Maryland. He has only seven solo tackles in his 12-game career - and he has never been involved in a win at the NFL level (0-10 with the Colts last year, 0-2 with Seattle).

But April and the Eagles are banking Moten can bring that attitude and spark back into the coverage teams.

"These are easy fixes," Moten said. "We've all got to make plays. I've got to make a lot of plays on special teams to have a job. It's not anything a coach can tell you. You've got to have something to play for, something inside of you. I want this to be my career."