Tweet
Eagles are changing things up"It's going to surprise a lot of people," Shawn Andrews said of the team's new approach.
By Bob Brookover
Sometimes the new season just feels a little newer than usual.
This is one of those years for the Eagles.
It's not just that there are so many unfamiliar faces, although 20 players who will be in Houston for Sunday's season opener against the Texans were not on the 53-man opening-day roster a year ago in Atlanta, and only 22 players who suited up for the Super Bowl against New England two seasons ago are still around.
What makes this season even fresher is the approach being taken by coach Andy Reid and his staff.
"I think it's just a situation where as a player you're trying to reinvent yourself and improve every year," tight end L.J. Smith said yesterday after practice. "I think the coaches are doing the same thing. I think they're putting guys in different spots and trying to figure out what guys' strengths are and how they can best help the team."
There's nothing new about inserting a 350-pound man into the backfield to be a lead blocker or even a ballcarrier, but it's not something Reid had ever done before Friday night's preseason game against the New York Jets.
"Any time you put a big guy back there or you throw a big guy a ball... everybody gets excited," Reid said.
Rookie center Nick Cole lined up as a blocking back and flattened linebacker Ryan Myers to help clear a path for a 1-yard touchdown run by Thomas Tapeh.
"That made me think about the Refrigerator Perry days," Eagles guard Shawn Andrews said. "Can't you feel the fresh air in here? It's definitely good when you switch up and do some different things. A lot of teams haven't seen the different things we're capable of, and I think it's going to surprise a lot of people."
A commitment to the running game figures to be another new concept for the Eagles' offense, and Andrews is convinced this team will not abandon that plan.
"Just watch, just watch, just watch," Andrews said. "I know I'm always saying I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm going to toot the whole offensive line's horn. Just watch us. It's not a thing of the past. It's a present and future thing."
Though the Eagles kept only five receivers, the impression is that all of them could see playing time in the offense. Reggie Brown and the recently acquired Donte' Stallworth will be the starters, but Greg Lewis and rookies Jason Avant and Hank Baskett will have roles, too.
"You want to play as many guys as you can even during the season if you have that kind of talent," Reid said. "We can do that on the defensive line, and we can do that at wide receiver. We can put guys in different positions and see what they can do."
On defense, the Eagles revealed a few new wrinkles in training camp and figure to show a few more as the season goes on. The two most significant changes are on passing downs. Defensive end Darren Howard moves to defensive tackle, and Trent Cole comes in at end, giving the Eagles a lot of pass-rushing speed up front. The Eagles registered 21 sacks in the preseason.
Safety Brian Dawkins could also get more sack opportunities than ever before because he will move to a linebacker spot on some passing downs.
"It was like I was a rookie all over again trying to learn a new scheme for myself," Dawkins said. "It's very exciting knowing that I'll be used in a greater capacity and being around the line of scrimmage. I believe that also will open up a lot of avenues for a lot of other guys."
Smith said the recent cuts have also altered the atmosphere in the Eagles' locker room.
"I think there's more of a sense of having to prove yourself day in and day out more so than any year that I've been here," Smith said. "I think everybody feels like that, especially after the cuts that were made. Guys that have been here for so long, guys who you thought probably would make the team, they didn't.
"So now we actually have to reestablish ourselves. A lot of people are asking, 'Who are the Philadelphia Eagles?' There are a lot of question marks at spots, but this is the first week we can see who we are as a team."
By Bob Brookover
Sometimes the new season just feels a little newer than usual.
This is one of those years for the Eagles.
It's not just that there are so many unfamiliar faces, although 20 players who will be in Houston for Sunday's season opener against the Texans were not on the 53-man opening-day roster a year ago in Atlanta, and only 22 players who suited up for the Super Bowl against New England two seasons ago are still around.
What makes this season even fresher is the approach being taken by coach Andy Reid and his staff.
"I think it's just a situation where as a player you're trying to reinvent yourself and improve every year," tight end L.J. Smith said yesterday after practice. "I think the coaches are doing the same thing. I think they're putting guys in different spots and trying to figure out what guys' strengths are and how they can best help the team."
There's nothing new about inserting a 350-pound man into the backfield to be a lead blocker or even a ballcarrier, but it's not something Reid had ever done before Friday night's preseason game against the New York Jets.
"Any time you put a big guy back there or you throw a big guy a ball... everybody gets excited," Reid said.
Rookie center Nick Cole lined up as a blocking back and flattened linebacker Ryan Myers to help clear a path for a 1-yard touchdown run by Thomas Tapeh.
"That made me think about the Refrigerator Perry days," Eagles guard Shawn Andrews said. "Can't you feel the fresh air in here? It's definitely good when you switch up and do some different things. A lot of teams haven't seen the different things we're capable of, and I think it's going to surprise a lot of people."
A commitment to the running game figures to be another new concept for the Eagles' offense, and Andrews is convinced this team will not abandon that plan.
"Just watch, just watch, just watch," Andrews said. "I know I'm always saying I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm going to toot the whole offensive line's horn. Just watch us. It's not a thing of the past. It's a present and future thing."
Though the Eagles kept only five receivers, the impression is that all of them could see playing time in the offense. Reggie Brown and the recently acquired Donte' Stallworth will be the starters, but Greg Lewis and rookies Jason Avant and Hank Baskett will have roles, too.
"You want to play as many guys as you can even during the season if you have that kind of talent," Reid said. "We can do that on the defensive line, and we can do that at wide receiver. We can put guys in different positions and see what they can do."
On defense, the Eagles revealed a few new wrinkles in training camp and figure to show a few more as the season goes on. The two most significant changes are on passing downs. Defensive end Darren Howard moves to defensive tackle, and Trent Cole comes in at end, giving the Eagles a lot of pass-rushing speed up front. The Eagles registered 21 sacks in the preseason.
Safety Brian Dawkins could also get more sack opportunities than ever before because he will move to a linebacker spot on some passing downs.
"It was like I was a rookie all over again trying to learn a new scheme for myself," Dawkins said. "It's very exciting knowing that I'll be used in a greater capacity and being around the line of scrimmage. I believe that also will open up a lot of avenues for a lot of other guys."
Smith said the recent cuts have also altered the atmosphere in the Eagles' locker room.
"I think there's more of a sense of having to prove yourself day in and day out more so than any year that I've been here," Smith said. "I think everybody feels like that, especially after the cuts that were made. Guys that have been here for so long, guys who you thought probably would make the team, they didn't.
"So now we actually have to reestablish ourselves. A lot of people are asking, 'Who are the Philadelphia Eagles?' There are a lot of question marks at spots, but this is the first week we can see who we are as a team."
Comment