Eagles Already Playing Musical Chairs On Offensive Line
By Kevin McGuire
Maybe the luck was due to run out for the Philadelphia Eagles on the offensive line. After getting through the 2013 season with a mostly healthy offensive line en route to an NFC East Division championship and playoff appearance, and getting through the preseason without any major injury concerns, the first game of the 2014 season proved to be a costly one in the trenches.
Already without suspended right tackle Lane Johnson, offensive lineman Allen Barbre was one of two players the Eagles placed on the injured reserve list on Tuesday (linebacker Najee Goode was the other). Barbre was Johnson’s replacement at right tackle, but a broken leg means Andrew Gardner may have to fill the void until Johnson’s suspension is over after three more games. Gardner had been listed as the backup to Jason Peters on the left side of the line.
To further complicate things on the offensive line, the Eagles will be without starting left guard Evan Mathis until at least Week 10. With a game coming up on Monday night in Week 2 on the road as the Colts open up their home schedule, the Eagles are pressed to find some form of unity on the offensive line quickly to ensure another sloppy start does not unfold in Indianapolis.
“I think one of the by-products of how we train as a team is that our two’s and three’s get a ton of reps,” said head coach Chip Kelly on Tuesday, per PhiladelphiaEagles.com. “If we have an injury at a position, it’s not like the first time someone like an Andrew Gardner has to go in and play football for us.”
Knowing that experience is a concern for the Eagles on the line now, the team signed free agent veteran lineman Wade Smith and promoted Kevin Graf from the practice squad to fill some vacancies on the roster for the time being, Now the job in practice this week to figure out which player fits best where, and to do so quickly enough to allow the line to find a rhythm and come together well enough to provide protection for quarterback Nick Foles. Foles looked uncomfortable at times in the first half of the season opener against the Jaguars and had protection break down in front of him at times, leading to costly turnovers early on. The play of the offensive line in a dome on Monday night should be a significant concern for the Eagles. Then again, Chip Kelly never seems to be bothered by such things.
“One of the strengths I think of our football team was our offensive line in the preseason,” Kelly explained Tuesday, according to PhiladelphiaEagles.com. “I think our second offensive line did an outstanding job all preseason and in all four preseason games. Those guys got their fair share of reps because of how we trained not only on the practice field but in all four preseason games. So when you do have some injuries like that, you’re not putting in someone who hasn’t been getting a lot of snaps. Because of how many reps we run, which is a little bit different than some of the other NFL franchises, our guys are a little bit more game ready when that opportunity comes for them.”
If Kelly is a master of preparation, which he seems to suggest he is, then the Eagles will find a way to fly by the next few weeks without much problem with a shuffled offensive line. This will be easier said than done. The Eagles managed to get by Jacksonville with some concerns on the line. With Indianapolis, Washington and San Francisco coming up, the margin for error may not be that great.
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Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.