Miller: Offensive Line Could Be A Train Wreck
Maybe by Thanksgiving, this will be a really good offensive line.
But right now, it’s not.
The Eagles offensive line is an ugly situation. It hasn’t performed well and it’s unsettled. That’s not a good combination with the season fast approaching.
Right now, here’s what we’ve got – inconsistent Jason Peters as the anchor, playing left tackle. Journeyman Evan Mathis is the left guard. Rookie Jason Kelce is the center, period – don’t go asking about Jamaal Jackson. Rookie Danny Watkins is the right guard. And former left guard Todd Herremans, who everyone seems to have decided is All-Pro-worthy but is in reality merely above average, is now the right tackle.
The long-term vision for what this offensive line could be seems solid. It’s even exciting to think about what they could be. But is this the right time to have four starters at new positions in front of Hundred Million Dollar Mike? Protecting the Eagles’ investment in Michael Vick just got a whole lot more important.
“There’s a risk with everything you do, and there’s a risk in staying put as well,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg told reporters Monday. “We do that on a daily basis and there is great competition every day at all positions and that’s the way we operate.”
The knee-jerk reaction that has worked so many times in the past is to scream about the front office, but you really can’t do that here. In addition to drafting Kelce and Watkins, they knew they were bringing back Winston Justice, who isn’t great but was good enough. But he simply hasn’t come back from knee surgery quickly – the lockout and lack of supervised rehab could be an issue there. They signed Ryan Harris and he looked like the guy, right up until he couldn’t stand up straight. So they tried to address it, but the players didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.
The Eagles never play their starters in the final preseason game, but it seems crazy that they won’t play the starting O-line Thursday night against the Jets. This is not the usual circumstance. In fact, it’s rather extraordinary – a new coach, 80-percent new starters and a lockout. You’d think it’d be smart to give them just a few extra snaps together. Rookie Watkins seems to understand the urgency; he’s asked the coaches to let him play Thursday night.
“We’ll see on that,” said Mornhinweg. “There is a possibility, and it’s tempting. It’s really tempting to do that, however for the long term there has to be some choices made there. Andy [Reid] ultimately will make those choices.”
Fans always want their team to start fast, but that matters less and less in the NFL. Fast starts typically mean nothing more than your team peaked too early. Fast-starting teams are usually out of gas when it counts – when the snow flies, as Buddy Ryan used to say.
As nice as it might be to go undefeated, that isn’t the goal. The goal is to win the Super Bowl, and the way you do that is have a lot of talent and make sure it peaks at the right time. Ask the Green Bay Packers, who were flailing along into December last season.
The Eagles typically seem to meander out of the gate of the season, and then turn it on at the end of the season – never quite “on” enough, obviously, but they do tend to make that late-season surge. So it isn’t a disaster if they struggle early in the season.
However, it is a disaster if the offensive line gets Vick injured. Even if he doesn’t get injured, we saw how he slowed down last season as the pounding wore him down. And let’s not forget that Vick himself is still learning how to be a “real quarterback,” reading defenses and stuff. He can’t do that if he’s running for his life.
If Vick survives the first month, the Eagles could be in great shape.
But that’s looking like a pretty big “if.”
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