Eagles O-Line Faces Daunting Defensive End Tandem
NOVACARE COMPLEX — The challenge of keeping Michael Vick upright will hit an all-new level this week, as the Eagles get set to go up against the dangerous defensive end tandem of John Abraham and Ray Edwards.
Edwards comes over from the Vikings, where he racked up 16 ½ sacks over the last two seasons playing opposite Jared Allen. Todd Herremans will be primarily in charge of him, though the ends tend to move around a decent amount.
Jason Peters draws Abraham, who already has a pair of sacks to his name this season and more than 100 takedowns in his distinguished 11-plus year career.
“We’re talking about one of the best in the business at what he does, so you’re always aware of him,” said Reid of Abraham. “They have a couple other good players, Edwards isn’t bad either, and then they’ve got two more behind those two that are good pass rushers, I’m saying at defensive end. You’ve got to do your homework there, study them, and then go play.”
Injuries at the defensive tackle position should make things a little easier on the offensive line overall. Jonathan Babineaux is expected to miss 3-5 weeks with a partially-torn MCL, while fellow defensive tackle Corey Peters missed Week 1 with a knee injury of his own.
That said, the Eagles new-look offensive front will still have its hands full.
“They’re one of the best in the league,” said guard Kyle DeVan of the Falcons’ front four. “They’re big, fast and physical. When you can have a defensive line like Atlanta’s where not only are they big guys but they move, they get off the ball and rush the passer, it’s a challenge for us up front. No getting around that.”
Herremans actually played left tackle against the Falcons in 2009 when Peters got hurt, and squared off against Abraham.
“Obviously they are some good pass rushers,” said Herremans. “We’ll approach this game just like any of the other weeks.”
Reid said overall that he thought Herremans did pretty well in his debut at right tackle last week, though he received plenty of help from his teammates who helped slow the rush with some chip blocks. It will take another group effort and a sound scheme to neutralize this set of ends.
“We have plays in our arsenal that can confuse the defensive ends and get up into them,” said center Jason Kelce. “I’m confident in both Todd and Jason even if they’re out by themselves, that they can take care of both of those guys.”
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