Posts Tagged ‘Marty Mornhinweg’

Shifts Along the O-line for the Philadelphia Eagles with King Dunlap Back at Starting LT

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

Since the firing of former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo last week, we’ve been waiting for the corresponding shoe to drop on offense.

After head coach Andy Reid’s pronouncement that Mike Vick would remain his starting quarterback and that Marty Mornhinweg would continue to call plays on offense, we knew that no sizable changes were coming on that side of the ball for the Birds.

No, there will be no major, seismic-shift-type changes.  But lo and behold, the week after Philadelphia’s bye has produced some shifts, specifically on the offensive line.

The never-ending rotation at left tackle continues with King Dunlap now back to being the starter.  Yes, that means that Demetress Bell has been demoted from the position yet again, rightly so after an awful outing against Detroit.  CSNPhilly’s Reuben Frank initially reported the change.  Many other factors are obviously involved, but the Birds are 2-0 with Dunlap starting at LT and 1-3 with Bell in that role.

The offensive line has been a constant area of struggle for the Eagles this season, starting with the injury to Jason Peters’ Achilles in the offseason.  Dunlap’s promotion, which comes after Bell replaced him on the line due to a hip injury, shows that the team is still struggling to get it right.

Philadelphia also made a move on Tuesday to better address depth on the line, which has also been a problem this season.  The team announced that backup center Steve Vallos had been released and Matt Tennant was signed.

Tennant (6-4, 300) played with the New Orleans Saints for 28 games in the 2010 and 2011 seasons before heading to New England for 2012.  He was released by the Patriots on October 20.  Tennant was a 5th-round draft selection of the Saints in 2010 out of Boston College.

To summarize, Tennant will now be the backup to backup Dallas Reynolds, who was the backup for Jason Kelce but became the starter after Kelce suffered an ACL injury.  Kelce, by the way, had surgery to repair the tear earlier this week.  Hope he gets well soon — he has been sorely missed on the field.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and onFacebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

Report: Mike Vick’s Job Safe, Marty Mornhinweg to Still Call Plays for Philadelphia Eagles

Friday, October 19th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Vick is safe as Eagles’ starting quarterback…for now.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid has not yet completed his thorough examination of his team, but after the naming of Todd Bowles as the team’s defensive coordinator on Tuesday, no comparable moves are coming on offense.  A report from Jeff McLane of the Inquirer cites sources as saying that Mike Vick will keep his job as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will continue to call plays.

Well, then.

According to the report,

“Reid has yet to conclude all of his evaluations during the bye week.  But the additional moves that he said he would make won’t be as significant as was replacing Castillo with defensive backs coach Todd Bowles on Tuesday.”

What hasn’t been ruled out as an area where there still may be change is the offensive line.
The o-line is in shambles and the Eagles brought in veteran lineman Chris Williams (6’6,  315) for a workout on Wednesday after his release from the Bears.  Williams was a first-round draft pick in 2008 out of Vanderbilt.  He was drafted as a left tackle but has played 20 starts out of 38 as a left guard.  But two days later, Williams has not been signed by the Birds.
Keeping Vick as the starting quarterback is the right move.  Regardless of the potential backup Nick Foles showed in the preseason (and he showed a helluva lot of it), that was the preseason and he is a rookie.  Though there has been plenty of ugliness and sloppy play, Vick gives the Eagles and an embattled Andy Reid the best chance to win.  Like it or not.  And that, more than ever, is the bottom line for this coach and this team.
If there is no meaningful change on offense for the Eagles, could changes with Bobby April and special teams be coming down the pike?  Something to address the woeful coverage by the unit warranted, as issues with coverage continue to be problematic despite changes to personnel.
Never a dull moment with the Eagles, eh?

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and onFacebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports