Mike McGlynn will face his toughest test this season.


For all the great matchups that this most recent Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys showdown will feature -- DeMarcus Ware vs. Jason Peters, DeSean Jackson vs. the entire Cowboys' secondary, Jason Garrett vs. Sean McDermott, etc. -- there is one that will decide the outcome of the game, and it's not any just mentioned.

Instead, the matchup to watch will be Mike McGlynn and the guards against Jay Ratliff and the Cowboys inside linebackers.

Because the Cowboys run the 3-4, left guard Todd Herremans and whomever will be starting at right guard (Nick Cole or Max Jean-Gilles) will not have a guy directly across from them. They will be counted upon to make blocks on the second level all game long while McGlynn will be counted upon to move Ratliff.

Ratliff, although he is a nose tackle, does not play a two-gap style (meaning he attempts to control both 'A' gaps by creating a stalemate at the line) that most nose tackles play. Instead, he is usually shooting either gap in an attempt to create havoc in the backfield.

What this does is force the guard on either side to be aware of what Ratliff is doing. It's likely that both guys will crash down on Ratliff to help McGlynn move him off the line of scrimmage, then scrape off to the second level and leave the rest to McGlynn.

Because Ratliff will be shooting one gap or another, one guy won't be needed. But Eagles offensive line coach Juan Castillo will likely tell both guys to react to Ratliff first before heading to the linebacker.

If those three guys can work together, moving Ratliff should not be an issue. At only 303 pounds, he should not be too difficult to move for two guys who weigh, at a minimum, a combined 640 pounds.

The problem I see is going to be neutralizing Ratliff and then getting to the second level on time.

Herremans is a fairly athletic guy, so he should not have a hard time getting in front of either Bradie James or Keith Brooking.

Cole and Jean-Gilles, on the other hand, are a serious cause for concern. Neither guy is very quick, nor do they have great feet. Both seem competent at blocking guys who are right across from them, but getting down onto linebackers is going to be a challenge for them.

The concern has to be that in the running game there will be a guy roaming freely. Of course, moving Ratliff off the line is the first priority and doing that should allow LeSean McCoy three or four yards on every carry, but a linebacker moving freely is going to prevent the big gains we're used to out of McCoy.

The passing game also presents a problem. While McGlynn has been very good all year long, I'm not sure if he's ready to handle a guy like Ratliff one-on-one. And if the Cowboys are smart and blitz their inside linebackers, that's what he's going to be asked to do.

If the Cowboys bring both Brooking and James right at the guards, it's going to mean absolutely no help for McGlynn. And because Ratliff shoots a gap, it's going to leave the middle wide open unless the guard can step in and fill where McGlynn and Ratliff have vacated.

If it's Herremans who's being asked to step down, it's not a big deal. But if it's Cole or Jean-Gilles, the same problems arise as in the run game.

Because neither have good feet, they try to lunge at guys and are usually left either on the ground watching the blitzer hit Michael Vick or they're being flagged because they grabbed his jersey and held on for dear life.

Or, in other words, the Cowboys could do the exact same thing they did at the end of last season when they embarrassed the Eagles in consecutive weeks.

They disrupted Donovan McNabb's rhythm by bringing pressure right up the middle, which forced him to roll to either side rather than allowing him to step up into the pocket and make a throw.

Vick is obviously much quicker than McNabb (or anyone else), so it shouldn't be as much of a worry, but if he's caught in the pocket it could mean a lot of big hits.

If the interior of the offensive line can control the triangle (nose tackle and inside linebackers) of the Cowboys' defense, it should be a fairly easy win. The Cowboys don't match up well anywhere else (as far as Eagles offense vs. Cowboys defense is concerned) and should be easy to exploit.

That is, of course, assuming the three guys in the middle do their jobs.
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Notice the location of Dunlap's hands as he kick-steps.


The Eagles announced on Thursday that left tackle Jason Peters underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to repair torn meniscus in his left knee. That's the good news. The bad news is that Peters will obviously miss a lot of time -- most are optimistically saying 4-6 weeks.

In his place, King Dunlap, a former seventh-round pick, will start at left tackle. And since Michael Vick is still ailing a rib injury and has yet to practice this week, Dunlap will be protecting the blindside of Kevin Kolb.

In case you haven't been watching, Kolb does a good enough job of getting himself sacked and doesn't really need Dunlap's help.

But what Dunlap brings to the table is a guy who is clearly very physically gifted (at about 6'9"), but his technique is -- to say the least -- lacking. Instead of using his astounding height to his advantage, he constantly exposes his chest to the defender and allows much smaller guys to bull-rush him without much of a fight because he's so off balance.

Justin Smith, a guy who has given up his focus on rushing the passer after leaving the 4-3 scheme in Cincinnati to play space-eating defensive end in the 3-4 in San Francisco, absolutely handled Dunlap.

It had nothing to do with quickness because Dunlap was almost always finished with his kick-step by the time he was engaging with Smith. It had nothing to do with raw strength (although Smith clearly had the advantage) because when Dunlap got his hands on Smith, he was usually able to control him.

The problem was all about Dunlap's technique with his hands.

Dunlap, as most left tackles do nowadays, started in a two-point stance (without a hand on the ground). At the snap of the ball, he began his kick-step, but immediately had his hands down at his side like Doc Holliday at the O.K. Corral.

Linemen, and tackles especially, are supposed to have their elbows tucked in at their sides, palms facing the defender, and punch with both hands at chest-height as they kick-step. That way they can get their hands on the defender quickly without having to waste time bringing their hands up from their sides, and also prevent from exposing his chest to the defender.

Unfortunately, Dunlap breaks every cardinal rule far too often and gets himself beat. If Vick were playing, that would be bad enough, but at least Vick is very mobile and would be looking at the defender as he runs past Dunlap.

Kolb, on the other hand, will now have to worry about his blindside being exposed. And as we've seen, when Kolb has to worry about the protection he becomes very shaky and skittish in the pocket. This causes him to press throws, never set his feet, or simply curl up and take sacks.

Needless to say, that will kill any chances of beating the Atlanta Falcons or any other team.

Dunlap could have a bright future, but he's just not ready yet. Instead, Todd Herremans should slide out to left tackle and Reggie Wells should start at left guard. That way, the team's five-best linemen are on the field and Kolb has a lot less to worry about.

And if Kolb has less to worry about, it could give the Birds a chance against an Atlanta team that, at this point, is clearly the best the NFC has to offer.
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Stopping Raji must be the offensive line's top priority.


Jamaal Jackson will be in the lineup this Sunday when the Eagles open their season against the Green Bay Packers. That's the good news. The bad news, however, is that Jackson will likely struggle with the powerful youngster.

Just over eight months is probably not enough time for Jackson's knee to have healed 100 percent, so they can't expect him to play at his highest level. Therefore, they must assume he's going to have some problems with Raji and give him some help.

And because the Packers run a 3-4 defense, helping Jackson is actually fairly easy. Even on run plays, either guard should be able to chip Raji and still get to the second level without much of an issue. The playside guard just has to get a good shot at Raji's shoulder and then Jackson should be able to take over from there.

Pass plays should be just as easy. Unless the inside linebacker blitzes, Todd Herremans or Nick Cole (or Reggie Wells) should be able to help Jackson slow Raji's initial rush while still paying attention to what's going on in their own gap.

Jackson shouldn't need a whole lot of help, but just assuming that he'll be fine with Raji by himself could turn into a fatal flaw. If Donovan McNabb was unable to avoid pressure coming right up the middle, Kevin Kolb will have absolutely no chance and will get knocked around.

If Raji is allowed to get penetration on run plays, LeSean McCoy will have no choice but to bounce every carry, which will lead to a lot of negative plays.

Once they stop Raji and any inside penetration, Kolb should be able to make some plays against a depleted Green Bay secondary, and McCoy should be able to find some inside running room.

It might not end in the Birds winning the game, but allowing Raji to be disruptive in the middle of the line of scrimmage would absolutely assure a loss.
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Todd Herremans' foot doesn't appear to be an issue.


In an attempt to stir up some readers during the NFL's down-time, Eagles writers have been making a big deal about Todd Herremans' recent foot injury (which was really nothing more than soreness in the same foot he had surgically repaired last offseason) and the fact that he went to Charlotte to see a specialist.

Geoff Mosher, Jeff McLane, or one of the other know-nothing writers wrote an entire article on it with every sort of dooms-day scenario he could think of, but in the end, as is usually the case, it was all just a lot of hot air.

The specialist, Dr. Robert Anderson, has apparently told Herremans he believes his foot will be fine. Herremans didn't seem too worried about it anyway, tweeting away during his visit to North Carolina about everything except his foot.

Andy Reid and the rest of the offensive staff will likely take it easy on Herremans during OTA's and simply use this as an opportunity to see what they have in guys like Mike McGlynn, Fenuki Topou, and give the lighter-thanks-to-lap-band Max Jean-Gilles a few more reps.

Herremans is expected back shortly, although it's likely he won't see any real action until July when training camp kicks off.

In other Eagles news, seventh-round pick Kurt Coleman, a safety out of Ohio State, has agreed to a four-year contract worth about the same as the deal Charles Scott signed the other day. Coleman, like Scott, is going to have to prove his worth on special teams if he wants to even see year one of that deal.
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Laws is only one of several guys who must step up.


Since the free agent class was very weak this offseason, the Eagles are going to have to do most of their improving internally. They will have to squeeze everything they can out of a few guys who have not lived up to their billing as either high draft picks or high-priced free agents.

And it's not just guys like Trevor Laws, Stacy Andrews, and Victor Abiamiri. They're the obvious bunch to point to because Laws and Abiamiri were second-round picks who haven't panned out yet, and Andrews was given a heft payday to bring him to Philadelphia.

(By the way, I recently found out that Laws and Abiamiri were roommates at Notre Dame. Both second-round picks, both from Notre Dame, both are disappointments, and they were roommates. Maybe they need to find someone else to bunk with?)

But guys like Stewart Bradley, Todd Herremans, Chris Gocong, Brodrick Bunkley, and Mike Patterson must all be better than they've been in previous seasons. Bradley is of course a special case because of his injury, but he is going to have to battle through it and be the linebacker he was in '08 so this defense can get better around him.

Gocong is an obvious guy as well. He looks poised to be in a training camp battle with last year's seventh-round pick Moise Fokou for the SAM linebacker position and, while it's good to see Fokou make the team as a late-round pick, everyone is hoping that Gocong can win the job.

He hasn't really taken his game to the next level like I thought he would a couple seasons ago, but maybe on a contract year he'll have the extra bit of motivation to play up to his obvious athletic ability.

Bunkley and Patterson are guys who regressed last season after the duo had a Pro Bowl-caliber season in '08. It could have been the lack of sufficient talent around them in the front seven, but they appeared to lose the hard-nosed attitude that had some calling them one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the league.

Neither guy is a great pass-rusher, but they've got to be more stout against the run. The Cowboys offensive line man-handled those guys, and with Bradley likely playing at less than 100 percent behind them, they're going to have to eat up blocks and allow him to roam free behind them.

Herremans got thrown around by Albert Haynesworth and the rest of the defensive tackles he faced, and will have to increase his upper-body strength if he wants to keep his spot. He can't keep getting pushed back into McNabb and expect to keep his job, so a few more reps on the bench press will go a long way.

The Eagles will of course look to make moves in the draft, but a class of rookies is only going to do so much. If this team wants a legitimate shot at taking the next step in 2010, they're going to need the young veterans on this team to take their game to the next level.
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McNabb was under pressure while Dallas gave chase.


After another humiliating loss to Dallas, people are scrambling to pick out just went wrong. And as is always the case, most of the uninformed are pointing at Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. If you want to blame Reid because he's the head coach, then fine. He'll gladly take the blame for his team.

However, blaming McNabb is a showcase of ignorance.

The man was under constant pressure all game long -- and from everywhere. One play it was DeMarcus Ware, the next play it was Anthony Spencer, the next play it was Jay Ratliff, and even the safeties were in on the action.

The offensive line, namely Nick Cole, Todd Herremans, and Max Jean-Gilles, could not pick up the blitz to save their own lives, much less the life of their quarterback.

I've been screaming about it since the day he was put in as a starter; Cole is not a starting-caliber lineman in this league. His footwork is atrocious, he's obviously not very football smart and can't identify a blitz, and even worse, he's lazy on the field.

Multiple times there was a linebacker or safety showing blitz, but instead of picking them up he was usually double-teaming someone with Jean-Gilles, or just standing around looking straight ahead as someone blew past him. From there, McNabb was forced to move around and make a throw on the run.

The same could said of Jean-Gilles, who was victimized by a line stunt all game long. He and Cole lack the footwork to be starters in this league, especially in a pass-heavy offense.

Then we come to Herremans. Herremans has pretty good feet for a guard, but he lacks the mass and upper-body strength to be any help in the running game and can't stand his ground in the passing game. He got beat up all year long by defensive linemen stronger than him, and it's time for a replacement.

Jason Peters stopped his feet a few times against Ware, but when you pass every down, Ware is sure to get his eventually. Once again, Winston Justice was the best guy across this line and didn't really get beat -- noticably, anyway.

But because of the defecit the Eagles faced, the Dallas defense was able to pin their ears back and attack McNabb. Add that to the fact that the interior of the line couldn't pick up even the simplest of linebacker blitzes and you have a recipe for disaster. Just the fact that McNabb didn't have to leave the game is a miracle and a testament to his escapability.

Were it not for McNabb, the outcome would have been a lot worse. He probably avoided about a dozen sacks (no exagerration) and, in the conditions and dealing with the line he had in front of him, did a fairly decent job.

Yes, he missed some passes here and there, but that was a result of being under pressure all day and his receivers not getting open at all down the field.

But, even if they did get open, his linemen allowed him no time to set up and survey the field. So, before you criticize McNabb, maybe you should go back and actually watch the film. Learn a little something before blindly throwing out your opinion and having to back it up with "Oh yeah, well how many Super Bowls has he won??"

Come on.
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The line must be better for the Eagles to go anywhere.


Todd Herremans, Jamaal Jackson, and Nick Cole all have starting experience in this offense and with this team. They were all guys hand-picked by Andy Reid and have all had to overcome challenges from other players to keep their jobs.

They won those challenges, kept their jobs, and outside of injuries they haven't lost their jobs since last season. So what in the world is the problem with the Eagles' interior line?

On passing plays, they're getting pushed backward and missing blitzers. On running plays, they're getting pushed back and forcing LeSean McCoy to find a cutback lane in order to go anywhere. On screen plays, they're completely missing their guys. They run right by the defenders and leave either McCoy or Brent Celek out to dry.

Never before have I seen three guys get manhandled so badly throughout a season. Herremans doesn't have the body mass to play guard, Cole doesn't have the feet to move around well enough to play guard, and Jackson has been struggling for a while. However, I do put a lot of Jackson's struggles on his attempts to compensate for the struggling guard duo.

I'm by no means giving Jackson a pass -- he must play better -- but it feels like he's peeking at the guys shooting the 'B' gaps because he doesn't trust the guards next to him not to get beat. He's always been very good in pass protection, and that seems to be suffering this season.

If we could take about 30 pounds off Cole and give it to Herremans, it would balance the two out and create more of a formidable duo, but last I checked that wasn't an NFL or FDA-sanctioned procedure.

So, until it is, we'll just have to hope Stacy Andrews gets healthy and that the light turns back on for Herremans, a player who just a couple years ago was looking at his first Pro Bowl nod.

With all the talk of Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan leaving via free agency, who would have thought that the tackle positions would be two most stable positions on this line?
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Herremans got handled in his first game of 2009.


Jason Peters is a Pro Bowl left tackle, Todd Herremans is a guy who has played on the fringe of a Pro Bowl nod at certain point, Jamaal Jackson came from an undrafted free agent to a full-fledged starter, Stacy Andrews was a high-priced free agent, and Winston Justice was a second round pick.

Sounds like a pretty decent unit to have together, right? Well if you just watched the games this season, you'd be shocked to find out how highly touted these linemen are. Honestly, they've looked like a bunch of scrubs who can't seem to get out of their own way.

Trent Dilfer said it best, and may have pointed out the obvious, when he said on ESPN that he believes if a team can shut down Jeremy Maclin and, more importantly, DeSean Jackson, that the Eagles would struggle mightily.

Dilfer has already been proven correct in his assesment of this offense based on the Oakland game. The Raiders shut down the speedy receivers, and the line completely crumbled on the rare occassion that Andy Reid attempted to run the football.

A lot of the blame could be put on Reid for his lack of running. Many, including myself, would say that it is difficult for an offensive line to get any real momentum going when they don't run-block very often. It's all about the mentality of running the football, and Reid doesn't let them acquire that mentality.

However, their job is to block when called upon. It's really as simple as that. When Reid actually does call a running play, they should be salivating for the chance to move forward and pop someone in the mouth. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen, and instead they throw a half-hearted block or completely whiff on their assignment altogether.

Personally, I would have liked Reid to rip all five of them out of the game last night. If you tear them out of the game and make them watch a series from the sideline while their backups give it a go, maybe they'll decide that they actually want to hit someone in the mouth.

Again, it may be Reid's playcalling that is to blame, but when it comes down to it these guys just have to do their jobs.

And one more thing, Andy, get rid of the right guard rotation. It doesn't work in the NFL. You paid Stacy Andrews a boatload of money, so let him earn it or keep him out completely.
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Herremans could see the field again in two weeks.


For the first time since training camp, Todd Herremans has returned to the practice field. The starting left guard was forced to sit out for the first four games of the season because of a stress fracture in his foot that required surgery.

While he's not in pads or hitting, he is out on the field in shorts and is doing some running and conditioning. With next week scheduled to be a "scrimmage" with the Raiders, it is unlikely that Herremans will be forced into duty against such a beatable team. It's not worth risking his health for the rest of the season when Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles are more than capable.

He will most likely return to action in two weeks when the Eagles play the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. The game being on Monday also gives him an extra day to get everything in order and make sure he's 100 percent and ready to go. If he's not 100 percent, he will not play.

His return would most likely mean Max Jean-Gilles gets relegated to a backup role, with Nick Cole continuing a rotation at right guard with Stacy Andrews. Eventually Reid and the Eagles would like to have Herremans the permanent starter at left guard, and Andrews as the permanent starter at right guard.

If Herremans and Andrews can both make full recoveries from their injuries and become full-time starters, Jean-Gilles and Cole could find themselves on the trading block during the offseason. There are about a dozen teams that could use either one of these guys, and the Eagles would most likely be willing to part with them for a draft pick.

Kevin Curtis also returned to practice, and could play this week. Whether he will or not still isn't known, and probably is of no consequence given the way Jeremy Maclin played last week and the level of talent they're facing this week.

If he is healthy and ready to play, he will probably be the fourth receiver behind Maclin, DeSean Jackson, and Jason Avant. Since the Eagles have only been keeping four active receivers, it would probably mean that Reggie Brown and Brandon Gibson are inactive when the Eagles travel to Oakland.
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The offensive line could get the offense into some early trouble.


Herremans has already missed the entire preseason, but it looks like he's going to be out longer. He's having a pin put into his foot today which almost certainly has him missing Week 1, and probably up until Week 3 or 4.

In some good news, Reid did say that Shawn Andrews will begin practicing this week. That's a huge step for Andrews, this offensive line, and this entire team. If Andrews can be back and ready to play Week 1, then losing Herremans isn't all that bad. Max Jean-Gilles and Nick Cole are more than capable as backups for a few weeks.

The problem will come if Andrews has a setback and can't play. Then we'd get to see the same offensive line we saw last night, which goes without saying, wasn't very good. Individually they played fairly well, but the lack of continuity was obvious as blitzes weren't picked up when they needed to be and linebackers were left to roam.

They still have a couple weeks to fix the problems, and with Andrews returning it gives them two weeks to work together and learn each other's tendencies. If they're really dedicated to winning, they need to recruit a guy like Kevin Kolb or A.J. Feeley, or hell, even Mike Vick to stay after practice with them and just run through some plays.

It's imperative that they learn the tendencies of the man next to them and are able to anticipate the movements and reactions of the guys next to them. If they're unable to do so, McNabb and this entire team is in for a very long year.

The offensive line is the only position where a great group of individuals doesn't necessarily translate to a great offensive line. They've got to be in each other's heads. One hesitation can lead to McNabb getting killed because they weren't quite sure what the guy next to them was going to do.

Get it together, offensive line. It begins and ends with how that unit plays.
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Stacy Andrews may need to step in for his brother.


You aren't living under a rock. You read the Internet, read the papers, and watch the games. As Eagles fans you know the teams' biggest worry right now is the Offensive Line. And these worries are justified.

Donovan and Desean can't make TD magic without #5 having time to throw the ball. B-West, Weaver, and McCoy can't break through holes without there actually being a hole.

There are two preseason games left and then the games count. And with the Eagles gunning for the division title and home-field advantage in the playoffs every W and L matters.

So does the OL have time to jell? Of course they do. And the most recent news from Eaglesville is that Stacy Andrews will play this Thursday and Peters is making his return to the practice field.

That gives the Eagles 3 starters on the OL. Sure having Herremans would be nice but he is an Eagles OL vet and Cole and Maxie showed last season that they are starting caliber. The Herremans injury or absence doesn't worry me. So with a glass of the Eagles kool-aid one could say 3+ starters should be available for the remaining weeks of preseason.

The one question mark continues to be RT. Shawn Andrews got good news in LA on his back. Mr. Bro Hawk even got himself a few shots for the pain. Unfortunately for the team and fans a timetable for his return is still unknown.

This fan thinks enough with the drama. Time to start making plans for life without the Bro Hawk. If Andrews does indeed play, well what a bonus. But as a football fan how can you be confident that Andrews will make it through a full season of contact when a training camp run sidelined him?

And as much as we love the Iron Man and his blue collar attitude Runyan is not the answer. Sure big John will give you his all but as far as ability his best days are long behind him.

So what is plan B? Sure I've been impressed with the play of Justice this preseason. If I recall correctly I don't think the man has let up a single sack and has only been called for 1 holding penalty. But it's still the preseason and I don't believe it's possible for RT to change his wings in one off season. Once the regular season begins the defenses are no longer vanilla. Blitzes will be coming and Justice starting scares me.

My suggestion would be to slide the other Andrews outside. Stacy was a pretty damn good RT with the Bengals. He has the size and ability. He has the experience. And sliding him outside opens up a position where the Eagles have starting caliber back-ups.

A line of Peters, Herremans, Jackson, Cole/Jean-Gilles, and Stacy Andrews is still pretty damn good. The explosiveness of the offensive will not be hindered with these 5 leading the way.

So let's stop the Shawn drama. Let's get these 5 guys practicing together. Let's get out of the gate quickly this season. And most importantly let's not endanger the health of #5 with a questionable starting RT.

Just start Stacy.
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Todd Herremans (middle) with Westbrook and McNabb.


In the latest string of injury news, Todd Herremans apparently has what is called a "stress reaction" in his left foot, which could lead to a stress fracture if he doesn't get off of it, and stay off of it.

The injury will put him out of commission for probably the next four weeks, which means he's likely to miss all of the preseason. Even if he would be able to come back for the fourth game, the starters only play about a series in the final preseason game, if they even play at all.

Reid could put Herremans in there for the first quarter, but he runs the risk of having him hurt the week before Week 1, and probably wouldn't take that chance.

It's not a real surprise to see Herremans injured considering he hasn't left the field at all during camp. Because of Peters lengthy absence due to some injuries, Herremans was playing constantly out at left tackle, and only had a couple practices inside at his guard position.

The biggest thing about this is that Herremans is only one of three starting offensive linemen who will not be playing tomorrow against the Patriots. The others joining him on the sidlines are the Andrews brothers, Stacy and Shawn.

With those three guys riding the pine, the starting line will probably consist of Jason Peters at left tackle, Max Jean-Gilles at left guard, Jamaal Jackson at center, Nick Cole at right guard, and Winston Justice at right tackle.

While it's by no means a terrible line, it's certainly not the line I want to see Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. The chances are very good that Herremans will be back at his left guard spot by then, and that Stacy Andrews will take over at right guard. However, the right tackle position still remains a mystery with Shawn Andrews hurt, and Jon Runyan still in free agency.

Juan Castillo doesn't think it's a problem, so I'm not real worried, either.
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With Andy Reid’s draft history, it’s hard to believe that he won’t draft an offensive lineman.

I’m not disputing whether or not he will, I’d be surprised if he didn’t, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Especially in the first round.

With the departure of Tra Thomas to Jacksonville and Jon Runyan still floating around in free agency, the Eagles would appear to have some huge holes.

However, after Eagles fans get over the emotional loss of two fan-favorites, the line doesn’t look to be in bad shape.

The Eagles have essentially six starting-caliber linemen on their roster right now in Todd Herremans, Jamaal Jackson, Shawn and Stacy Andrews, Max Jean-Gilles, and Nick Cole, with four other young talented linemen in King Dunlap, Mike Gibson, Winston Justice, and Mike McGlynn who are all busting at the seams with potential.

So Andy if you’re reading, here’s my 2009 Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line.

LT Todd Herremans, LG Max Jean-Gilles

C Jamaal Jackson

RG Shawn Andrews, RT Stacy Andrews

Backups:

LT King Dunlap, LG Winston Justice

C Nick Cole

RG Mike Gibson, RT Mike McGlynn

Let’s not forget that Herremans was a fourth round pick out of Saginaw Valley as a left tackle. Also, he was drafted with the intention of becoming Thomas’ heir-apparent. On top of all of that, Herremans has played left tackle while Thomas was injured and has played well. I think he can be a Pro Bowl caliber left tackle.

Jean-Gilles obviously only works if he can move to the left side. If he can, the line automatically becomes a run-blocking machine with that road-grater in the mix.

Jackson remains the starter at center, with a healthy Shawn Andrews back to his old Pro Bowl-caliber self. Brother Stacy has proven he can be a fantastic right tackle, he should fill Runyan’s spot as the leader on that line very well.

The backups are obvious, exact maybe Winston Justice whom Eagles fans have written off since his catastrophic day against the Giants.

He wasn’t a second-round pick for no reason. The man can play. The question is, where?

Guard fits him perfectly. I said coming out of college that I thought his footwork was suspect and that he attempted to be more of a hip-bender rather than moving his feet like he should.

Putting him at guard minimizes the negatives that come from his below-average footwork while putting his strengths on showcase. Most obviously, his strength.

At 6’6” 320 pounds, Justice is a behemoth who could push some people while making holes for Brian Westbrook.

I’d bet my life that the Eagles do use at least a couple of their picks on linemen, simply because Reid loves his line. However, if they don’t, don’t worry Philly nation, our line is just fine.
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