Philly Sports Jabronis
By Dave Spadaro, Eagles.com
The Eagles are back at the NovaCare Complex preparing for Monday night’s game with Carolina, knowing there are a lot of roster question marks and decisions to make.
To win in the NFL, you have to be resilient and you have to make good, critical decisions based upon your emergency preparation. The Eagles, from this perspective (and I’m not sure many would disagree) did the right thing by adding Mark Sanchez
to be the backup quarterback in March. His presence came in handy on Sunday when Nick Foles was injured. By contrast, Dallas did not get the necessary production from its backup quarterback, Brandon Weeden, and lost an important game to Arizona on Sunday.
Beyond the quarterback chatter — which will be outlined in more depth below — the Eagles have areas to address. Let’s talk …
What Is The Quarterback Update?
Head coach Chip Kelly met the media in the early afternoon and provided the latest on the condition of quarterback Nick Foles. He was taken down hard on the final play of the first quarter in Sunday’s victory and landed on his left shoulder, and where there is a shoulder there is a clavicle, and where there is a clavicle that has a lot of weight and force crashing into it, there is potential trouble … Kelly said Foles has a “crack” in the clavicle and that he would know more about the timetable of Foles’ return after the quarterback underwent an MRI, which he took on Monday.
It’s possible that Kelly won’t address the injury until Wednesday, when he is next scheduled to meet the media.
So Mark Sanchez stepped in and stepped up and looked very much at home as the quarterback in the 31-21 victory. If the Eagles have to go with Sanchez moving forward, he’s well equipped for the job. Sanchez clearly enjoys playing in the offense and he loves the culture here. Sanchez is quoted by Peter King in SI.com as saying, “I’m in the place that fits my personality so well. The team has the right culture for me.”
It’s really remarkable the way the Eagles have cultivated quarterbacks for so many years, and what Kelly and his coaches are doing with Sanchez is absolutely perfect. Sanchez has taken so many reps in the training sessions that his transition to game action was smooth. The players know him and get him. He has fit right in from the start.
Sanchez served as the consummate backup to Foles and there has never been an ounce of jealousy or controversy. If it is now time for Sanchez to take the reins, everyone has his back.
As for Foles, here’s wishing him the best of luck on a speedy recovery. He’s a great young man and an outstanding quarterback and he was throwing the ball well against heavy pressure on Sunday. He’ll be back soon slinging touchdown passes for the Eagles.
Matt Barkley needs to be ready as the No. 2 quarterback as long as Foles is out, and the Eagles must also consider promoting G.J. Kinne from the practice squad if they determine that Foles will be out for an extended period of time.
How Do The Eagles Replace DeMeco Ryans?
Seeing linebacker DeMeco Ryans crumble to the ground after intercepting a pass on Sunday was truly heartbreaking. Ryans is one of the best to ever grace an Eagles locker room in every way. He’s a gentlemen, a leader, a hard worker, a superb football player and an inspiration. His loss is huge, and there’s no getting past that.
But the Eagles aren’t going to fold with Ryans gone (and his current, official, injury is that he has an Achilles injury. Ryans underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury). The defense needs to rally together and replace the individual with a village mentality.
From a leadership standpoint, the Eagles are going to be OK. Connor Barwin is a leader. Trent Cole is a leader. Malcolm Jenkins is a leader. Some of the younger players, like Mychal Kendricks, may find it natural to be more vocal.
Now, from a football standpoint, losing Ryans is a big deal. The Eagles have been fairly decimated by injuries to their inside linebackers. They lost Najee Goode for the season. They didn’t have a chance to work with a young prospect they like very much, Travis Long. He’s gone for the season. Kendricks missed a chunk of the year — four full games and then saw part-time duty in Arizona — with injuries.
Understand this, the Eagles have an excellent coaching staff. Rick Minter has done a fantastic job getting good production from Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho. Now it becomes even more challenging. Matthews and Acho will have added responsibility. Kendricks has major room to grow into an every-week impact standout. The Eagles have used cornerback Nolan Carroll II as a quasi-linebacker in the dime package, and they could get even more creative there. First-round draft pick Marcus Smith II has to ramp up his development.
It won’t be easy, not even a little bit. Losing Ryans is a blow. The Eagles are still a first-place team with a lot of confidence on defense and they have to fill the void of leadership and production that Ryans’ injury creates.
Is The Offensive Line Going To Be OK?
There is a mixed bag of news here from an injury standpoint. The good news: Left guard Evan Mathis is eligible to return from the IR list, and he says he feels great and will be ready to play Monday night against Carolina. Mathis has rehabbed the right way. He’s worked hard and pushed himself and has knocked off the rust at practice. That’s really promising.
Right guard Todd Herremans gave it a go on Sunday as he played with the torn left biceps into the third quarter. Herremans showed what a tough guy and a great Eagle he is. He played well, all things considered. Let’s be honest: Herremans played with basically one arm. Then Herremans left the game with an ankle injury and, well, we don’t know what that means.
His biceps injury won’t get any better in the short term. So can Herremans play another game? If not, what do the Eagles do up front? They have options, and that’s good to know.
With Mathis back at left guard, the Eagles could move Matt Tobin over to right guard. Or they could go withAndrew Gardner, who played well at right guard on Sunday when Herremans went down.
The Eagles are developing depth up front with Tobin and Gardner and Dennis Kelly and David Molk. And they have really great coaching with Jeff Stoutland and Greg Austin working with the linemen.
This offensive line should be a strength in the second half of the season. The power running game was terrific on Sunday as the Eagles played smash-mouth football and gained 190 ground yards. With Jason Kelce rounding into his Pro Bowl-caliber form, the Eagles are going to be tough to beat up front.
