Winston Justice probably sees this picture in his nightmares.
Justice has been showing a nastiness and a mean streak that we have not seen from him so far in his career. He has always just gone out and done what was asked, then head back to the huddle.
This year, he’s finishing blocks. Until that whistle blows (and maybe even a few seconds after), Justice is on his man driving and pushing and shoving. He’s putting people on their backs when he can, and not just going through the motions as he did in prior years.
As reported yesterday, he’s even been in a fight. This is a new Winston Justice. This is a guy who has seen the play of Jon Runyan in front of him over the past couple of years, and is now trying to emulate that. Emulating the play of Jon Runyan is always a good thing, especially for a young guy looking to impress.
Justice was thought to be on the bubble this year, but that does not seem to be the case. In Shawn Andrews presence he is taking all of the snaps with the first line at right tackle, and is doing a fine job.
I think the Eagles feel good with Justice entering the season as the primary backup at right tackle, which may just close the door on a Runyan return to Philadelphia.
If Andrews were to have a setback of some kind, then the Eagles may consider it, but at this point I think the Eagles have faith in Justice to possibly even start in Andrews absence if need be.
For those of you cringing at the thought, let’s not forget that Justice was primarily a right tackle in college who was asked to play left tackle against one of the fastest defensive ends in the entire NFL with only an hour and a half to prepare, so it was a lose-lose situation from the beginning.
Let’s also not forget that he played right tackle in 2007 against Buffalo, and played well. He looked like a starting-caliber tackle.
He has shown that he probably doesn’t have the feet to play left tackle, but he’s playing with a new-found aggression that, along with his natural skill and ability, will make him a very good right tackle if given the opportunity.
