Trent Cole weighs in on Eagles LT battle
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Trent Cole weighs in on Eagles LT battle
Since he has lined up across from both men in training camp, Pro Bowl right end, Trent Cole, was asked Thursday for his thoughts on King Dunlap and Demetress Bell, who are battling for the Eagles’ starting left tackle job.
He didn’t have a lot to say about Bell, who opened camp as the starter, but was bumped to the second team after the preseason opener against the Steelers. ``He just needs to work his tail off and work like’s his last game,’’ Cole said.
He was a little more expansive in his opinion of the 6-9, 330-pound Dunlap. Said Cole: ``He’s a very tall guy. He’s got length. He can get his hands on you. He’s like a Tra Thomas. (Dunlap and Thomas) are two different style players, but King reminds me of him. He’s getting better. He’s getting better every single year. He’s come a long way. He’s become a good player.
``He’s still learning. He’s a good player now, but he has so much room for improvement. He could be a great player. He could be one of the top tackles in the league. It’s going to take time. But the more he plays, he’s going to find out what he can really do.’’
In the same breath – OK, maybe not the same breath – Cole also acknowledged that he loves going up against taller tackles like Dunlap because it’s easier to get his pads up underneath them.
``That’s the disadvantage of a tall offensive lineman,’’ Cole said. ``As a d-lineman, we love tall offensive linemen. Because you can get up under them. You can bull-rush them. You can dip up under them because it’s hard for them to get down. They’re coming from up there and have to get down. As a defensive end, when you’ve got a guy like that, your technique is to stay low, no matter what.
``We’re going up against the Patriots on Monday. Their left tackle (Nate Solder) is 6-8. A very tall guy. I don’t care if they know or not, but I’m going to stay low on him regardless. I want to be in a place where they don’t want to come down to.’’
Love Trent Cole. Even though he typically wears down by week 12 or so. Hopefully, we have enough quality players to form an EFFECTIVE rotation that allows everyone - Cole included - to stay fresh; and not only over the course of any given game, but also stay fresh for the entire season as well.— 5NOT4- When will writers like Paul, Les, and Sheil Kapadia give King Dunlap some respect. They keep on saying he's just a backup. Maybe Dunlap is developing into a good, starting LT in this league. He's a good athlete for his size. He works hard. Why not?— soulman386
- Respect, like trust, is earned. Especially when you have a $100 million quarterback whose No.1 mandate is to stay healthy
- Respect, like trust, is earned. Especially when you have a $100 million quarterback whose No.1 mandate is to stay healthy
- cole wears down later in the season because his motor is running non-stop when he's on the field. hopefully the rotation stays healthy and no one has to pull duty for 95% of the snaps.— randomm82
- Snot4 - You contradicted yourself. Cole wears down by week 12 because he usually is carrying the burden.
— Richard Saunders - Soulman, you're dreaming. Dunlop is a stiff.— blaqjaq
- King can be a terrific guard, too slow to be a tackle.— march951
- Do you know how silly this post is? Guards need to be the fast players on the O-line because they pull out into open space and around the edge to pick up tacklers on the 2nd level(i.e. LB's and Safety) Tackles need good sie to side footwork not speed. — UncleStosh
- What I wonder is if you have a pro bowl DE saying that he and all his pass rushing friends "love" going up against tall OL's, then why do so many teams - Eagles included -- keep stacking their lines with these huge, tall tackles (and even some guards)?
— jmk1512 - Simply put, because all blocking in is about leverage. If I'm attempting to block you, the closer I let you get your body to mine, the more able you are to exert leverage on me to get me off-balance and either get around me or knock me down. If I can keep you at arm's length away, you'll have a much harder time exerting leverage and I can basically direct you where I want you to go. Taller blockers generally have longer arms, so guys who are 6'6" and taller make up for their disadvantage in being able to get "low" in their pass-blocking set by being able to "lock on" to a defender and sustain their block at arm's length. — JLB
- Nice answer & pleasant change to see constructive & informative discussion rather than the usual moronic comments.
Personally I don't care who wins the battle at LT as long as the best man is out there and can keep Vick clean going against what is normally a teams best pass rusher. Vick also needs to sense the pocket better and move to avoid the rush rather than moving for the sake of it and often in to the rush.I think part of the issue is he needs to move to open lanes as he doesn't have the height advantage someone like Foles does when throwing over the OL/DL.— UKEagle - blagjag, Dunlap will be fine...johnnyu— john ullman
- @march, That doesn't make any sense, guards are the lineman that usually pull. Tackles usually block the guy right in front of them on a running play or turn and seal the inside. They may need quick feet to stay in front of a speed rusher, but with Dunlaps size, it's a long way around him, and he can still get his hands on most guys who try it.— Paul SoTX
- What Cole didn't want to say was that Bell better start working like it's his last game, so that it doesn't literally become his last game.— drbob1
