Philadelphia Eagles Head To KC: Five Players Who Need Big Games
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs is set for Friday night at Arrowhead Stadium, and it will be the third preseason tilt for the 2010 Birds.
Usually, Week Three of the preseason is the one where the starters receive the most reps, sometimes playing all the way through the third quarter. Thatโs good news for Kevin Kolb, who has looked good on the whole so far and will now be matched against a defense he torched for 327 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Week Three of the 2009 season.
Itโs also good news for a handful of players who will either have the chance to show they belong on the first team deserve a lot of PT from their backup positions. The Birds use a lot of rotational players, especially on defense, so the Chiefs game will give the coaching staff their โbestโ look at how those rotations might work out in the regular season.
These five guys in particular would really benefit if they can make an impact on Friday nightโand could clear up a lot of question marks by doing so.
Mike McGlynn
1 of 5
With Nick Cole hobbled most of the preseason by a knee injury, McGlynn has taken a good chunk of the first-team reps at centerโand has looked really good doing so.
The true test of his development, however, is seeing if he can handle a task that Cole and injured starter Jamaal Jackson have had no trouble with in recent years: playing every snap and doing so at a high level.
If McGlynn can pass that test, heโll solidify a lot of things.
One, obviously, is his first-team status, but a big secondary benefit is that heโll solidify the whole line. Cole is best suited to be a jack-of-all-trades, and he thrives in that role. Having him as the โsixth manโ would push the starters at both guard spots (and McGlynn) to continually perform.
McGlynn winning the job would also likely spell the end of AQ Shipley.
Jamaal Jackson should be back at some point this year, but even if he isnโt, the Birds feeling comfortable with McGlynn as his fill-in (and Cole as his backup) means that Shipley, a true center, is unnecessary. Heโd likely be kept around as a camp body until his roster spot is needed, but barring injury, his chances of making the team would be zero.
Macho Harris
2 of 5
Friday night will be Macho Harrisโ his first chance to take the fieldโwith most of his reps coming at his natural cornerback position, not the free safety spot be began the 2009 season as the starter at.
The second-year man has been slowed by injury this preseason, and his health is paramount because his status affects two parts of the Eaglesโ plans.
Most importantly, it affects the defensive backfield and the roster decisions in that group. The Eagles are likely keep nine DBs. The starting four (Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Quintin Mikell, and Nate Allen) are set, as are nickel corner Joselio Hanson and third safety Quintin Demps. Special teams ace Dimitri Patterson has played very well in the preseason as well, so heโs all but sewn up the fourth corner gig.
Harris is likely to stick because of his ability as a kick returner, but his actual position could determine the battle for the โfinalโ slot between rookie corner Trevard Lindley and seventh-round safety Kurt Colemanโboth of whom the Eagles like and have seen a lot of good play from so far.
If Macho performs well enough on the corner for the team to feel comfortable with him there, they may opt to keep Coleman as the fourth safety and send Lindley to the practice squad. If he doesnโt, it may be Coleman who gets the boot, Lindley who gets the fifth corner spot, and Harris who gets shuttled back and forth between secondary positions as needed.
Itโs weird how the play of others can often sabotage your own status, but thatโs sports.
On the other side is the aforementioned return game, where Harris is listed third on the depth chart at kick returner behind Hobbs and Demps.
Many expect Hobbs to lose that top spot simply because heโs now starting at cornerback, so if Harris and Demps can hold the spot down, it will minimize (or even eliminate) the need for guys like J.J. Arrington and Chad Hall.
Eldra Buckley
3 of 5
Three players (and maybe four if you count Charles Scott) fighting for the final running back spot on the roster. Eldra Buckley is the heavy favorite in the clubhouse, but if Bell is not 100 percent healthy, Martell Mallett or J.J. Arrington could find their way onto the team.
Bell is set to be the tough inside rusher the Eagles lacked last yearโthe โthunderโ to LeSean McCoyโs lightning, so to speak. The problem is that he hasnโt seen any action yet this year due to injury, giving others a chance to shine.
The former Saint is back now, however, and has reportedly looked great in practice. If he translates that success into a game situation (and doesnโt get hurt in the process), heโll officially lock down the spot most still think is his.
If not, Birds fans could be looking at Buckley as the No. 2 guy, and Martell Mallett would likely go from CFL Rookie of the Year to NFL reserve.
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Moise Fokou
4 of 5
In the span of about 12 months, Fokou has gone from rookie surprise to starting SAM to fifth on the ledger.
The latest Eagles depth chart has Akeem Jordan as the starting SAM, and Omar Gaitherโs versatility makes him the โfourth manโ on that unit.
Even though the Birds have been known to keep seven backers, Fokou still has a lot of work to do.
The brass likes him a lot, and he has some good upside; he rushes the quarterback a bit, is good on special teams, and already knows the system.
The problem, though, is that heโs the least versatile of the remaining bunch.
Heโs a true SAM, so guys like Keenan Clayton and Jamar Chaney (who can likely play either side) have him there. Tracy White is a special teams ace and also knows the system, and Simoni Lawrence is learning quickly despite limited reps.
Fokou struggled at times last year as the starting SAM, and from all accounts hasnโt terribly improved in more than one of the areas heโs lacking in.
So far, the Eagles have been rotating linebackers like crazy depending on the situation, so Fokou will likely see a lot of time on Friday night. If he plays well, he should solidify his spot on the team.
If he doesnโt, he may just become the next draft pick who follows a meteoric rise with a quick, hard fall.
Brandon Graham
5 of 5
Thereโs not much that needs to be said other than this: as of right now, Brandon Graham is running reps with the first-team defense in practice.
That doesnโt mean heโs the starting LDE just yet. But it does mean heโs close.
Juqua Parker, who is still a better run defender, is penciled in there. But if Graham can look dominant against Kansas City in whatever action he gets, that performance will go a long way towards him officially supplanting the incumbent.
Parker will still be an important part of the line rotationโbut if Graham goes crackers, itโll be more of โParker spelling Grahamโ than the other way around.
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