Heard in the Cheap Seats

Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll evaluate the Eagles’ areas of need heading into the offseason.  For the time being, we will only evaluate the current roster and not delve into possibilities for addressing theses areas of need.  Of course, as the offseason progresses, we’ll take a look at the options available to shore up any soft spots on this Eagles roster.

Today’s post will center on the offensive line.

Andy Reid has a philosophy of building his team from the trenches out.  His drafting strategy bears this out as he frequently has selected an offensive or defensive lineman with his first selection during his tenure—whether or not that is the case this year remains to be seen.

The performance of this year’s OL is difficult to assess.  On the plus side, the big guys only allowed 23 sacks all year.  This number is even more impressive when considering the frequency with which this Philadelphia Eagles team put the ball in the air.  In the running game, the team often struggled to move the chains and pick up big chunks of yardage.  However, it is debatable whether or not the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the line or if the play calling and health of Brian Westbrook played a factor.  Couple this with the fact that the team’s best lineman, Shawn Andrews, was missing for most of the year and you can understand why the performance is difficult to judge.

But maybe that’s just it.  The O line was almost unnoticeable.  It made no debilitating errors but also rarely asserted itself and dominated the trenches.  This year’s starting offensive line has two aging players with expiring contracts in Jon Runyan and William Thomas.  These are exactly the types of players that Eagles tend to let walk—the aging veteran with their best years behind them.  Of course, this is not lost on Andy Reid and Tom Heckert.  The plan all along was to slide Winston Justice to left tackle, move Shawn Andrews out to right tackle and slot Max Jean-Gilles in at the right guard spot.  But there are a few problems with that plan as presently constructed.

The glaring issue is Winston Justice.  Few Eagles fans forget his ill-fated performance against the Giants during the 2007-2008 performance.  I would venture to guess that Donovan McNabb will not soon forget that game either.  Justice has been so much of a disappointment that he often did not even dress for games this past year.  So much for that plan.  Even if Justice was ready to slot into a starting spot, there is some question about Shawn Andrews as well.  He has all the talent in the world but his mental health has to be a concern.  Can we count on him for a full season without distraction?  Is there any guarantee that he can comfortably slide out to the right tackle spot?  The answer is no on both questions and therefore the plan laid out by Reid and Heckert will have to be altered.  

On the interior portion of the line, Todd Herremans had a solid year at the LG spot but I am thoroughly under whelmed by Jamal Jackson.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nick Cole move over to the center position.  He played guard in college but learned the center position shortly after arriving at training camp.  For much of his tenure here, Cole served as the backup center.  He showed he is a capable interior lineman filling in for Andrews and Jean-Gilles and would add some much-needed toughness to the interior part of the line.  It’s probably an unlikely proposition but one that would not shock me.  The Eagles prefer to look inside their organization rather than go searching outside for answers if at all possible.

As mentioned before, the two question marks on this offensive line will be what to do with Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan.  Though Runyan is two years Thomas’ elder, he is more productive and brings a nastiness to the line that is unmatched.  Thomas’s play on the other hand declined as the season wore on and he struggled to keep pace with quicker defensive ends.  Many Eagles fans are clamoring for both tackles to be back with short deals.  In my mind, this all depends on what Eagles feel like they can realistically get in the offseason.  If I had to venture to guess, my money would be on the return of Runyan and the departure of Thomas.  But it is just as likely that the Eagles move Andrews to RT and keep Cole at RG.  If that is the case, Runyan will deaprt and Thomas will stay at LT.  Whatever happens, the Eagles would benefit from a better performance when it comes to run blocking.