Position Breakdown: Linebackers

Linebackers:
Much can be said about the starters of the team and pretty much the depth in general here: all these guys are VERY young still. Yet if history has taught us anything, that really isn’t all that bad: the leader of the unit has to be Omar Gaither, who started six games at WILL in 2006 and all 16 games in 2007 at MIKE linebacker, but looks to go back to WILL full time with the emergence of Stewart Bradley, who had two strong starts at MIKE late last year. Bradley moving to MIKE means that Chris Gocong, the starter at SAM last year after missing his rookie year in 2006 with a stinger, won’t have to worry about him dueling over SAM with him. Akeem Jordan, a rookie free agent out of James Madison, showed some spurts of skill last year late and will figure not only into special teams but also the job at WILL, while the team picked up former Titans and Colts starter and special teams leader Rocky Boiman (oh, how fitting of a first name for him to have in this city!) to compete for the SAM spot with Gocong and lead the special teams unit. The team also has Pago Togafau, who they picked up from camp cuts from Arizona last year, and three rookies in Andy Studebaker, Joe Mays, and Justin Roland as well, compiling nine linebackers for six spots.

What will happen: The trio of Gaither, Bradley, and Gocong are all going to start and will continue to prove their worth as well, but depth is where we need to find the answers: I put Jordan in to backup WILL, Boiman will backup at SAM, and Studebaker will backup at MIKE while the team will keep Mays and Togafau and put them on the squad.

Training Camp Battles

It's almost that time of year. Training Camp. Time to watch young players battle it out with veterans and earn spots on the Eagles roster. It will be a tough, grueling couple of weeks. Intense battles will loom as there are 80 players vying for 53 spots. Those not selected to the active roster might have a chance to end up on the Practice Squad.

The biggest three battles in Training Camp IMO are as follows:

Offensive Line, Tight End and Fullback.

Last year the Offensive Line was banged up at different times. Only C Jammal Jackson was healthy enough to play all 16 games. This year health will again be a key.

Starters this year again should be LT William Thomas, LG Shawn Andrews, C Jammal Jackson, RG Todd Herremans and RT Jon Runyan.

That is not etched in stone though. Winston Justice has been taking reps at OG. We drafted Max Jean-Gilles last year as an OG. And this year we added three more OL hoping to make an impact.

Mike Gibson is a 6'3 305 lb OG. He has good blocking techniques and may be able to slide outside to a OT position.

King Dunlap is a 6'8 310 lb OT who has long arms and a mean streak. Think of the second coming of Jon Runyan.

Mike McGlynn is a 6'4 311 lb OG who like Gibson could swing outside and play OT.

These three rookies will battle it out with veterans Nick Cole, Scott Young, and Stefan Rodgers for spots on the roster. It should be an interesting battle to watch.

The next big battle will be the TE position. Currently we have four on the roster. LJ Smith is coming off an injury filled season. He is back healthy and expected to be the number one TE.

Brent Celek was a rooie last year but played like a veteran at times. He received extensive playing time due to Smith's injury. Look for him to emerge as a number two TE this year.

Matt Schobel had an OK season. He was brought in to take some pressure off of LJ Smith but it hasn't really happened. I don't look for him to retain his spot this year.

Kris Wilson was brought in to add size and speed. He spent the last couple years in Kansas City behind All-World TE Tony Gonzalez. Playing behind him for four years should have some positive effect on Wilson. The Eagles like his speed and hands. He could emerge as a dangerous threat as the season progresses.

The last big battle to watch is the Fullback. It is a rarely used position by the Eagles, but an important one when we do use it. Jason Davis should be the starter. But there are concerns about his health. Davis has been injured the past two seasons. But when healthy, he is a quick, sure handed FB.

Luke Lawton was brought in from the Colts to add some competition. Like Davis, Lawton is beginning his third year. But unlike Davis, Lawton has seen the field. His experience could give him an edge.

And finally the rookie Jed Collins. He has everything to gain and nothing to lose. He is a former TE brought in to play FB. With Smith, Celek and Wilson here, there is virtually no chance for him at TE. But at FB he knows how to block and catch. Learning the playbook is another story. But if he can master it, he has as good a chance and Davis and Lawton.

There are other battles in TC that will merit watching, but these three IMO will be the best ones.

Tough Decisions Ahead

Sometime between now and the start of training camp on July 21, Eagles coach Andy Reid is going to have to release eight players who participated in the just-completed organized team activity (OTA).

The demise of NFL Europe robbed the Eagles and the rest of the NFL of the roster exemptions they were allowed to use at the start of training camp. As a result, only 80 of the 88 players who were running around the NovaCare Complex the last two months will be allowed to make the trip to Lehigh University.

Reid and his staff will carefully review the tapes from the minicamps and OTAs before making the cuts in hopes of avoiding a mistake similar to one he made while an assistant with Green Bay.

"The coaches and I were just talking about that on the field today," Reid said after Thursday's final OTA. "The first guy that came to mind was (Arizona Cardinals quarterback and former league MVP) Kurt Warner. We had him in Green Bay (in 1994), and he was afraid to even go in and call the plays in the huddle. And yet, the guy's one of the greatest players to play in this league.

"I was wrong. It happens. You never know, so you give people a shot as long as you can give them a shot. And then you have to make the judgment call. You're not always going to be right, but hopefully you're right more than you're wrong."

The Eagles' cuts this week will mostly be comprised of rookie free agents who were long shots to make the team, anyway.

There are four such players among 11 wide receivers currently on the team and three among the 11 linebackers. One or two rookie free agents usually wind up making the regular-season roster, but it will be difficult this season because of the depth at most positions.

"A couple of us really tried to step it up today and show the coaches something," said Gary Butler, a linebacker from Division II California (Pa.). "I thought I had a real good day, and I can only hope the coaches see some potential. We'll just have to see how things play out."

There could be some surprises on the list. Dan Klecko, who signed as a veteran free agent, now finds himself near the bottom of the depth chart at defensive tackle after getting switched from fullback earlier in the week. Michael Gasperson, a three-year veteran of the Eagles' practice squad, is back at wide receiver after a brief stint at tight end.

Reid and his staff could even decide that some veterans would be better off seeking employment elsewhere. If that's the case, defensive end Jerome McDougle and running back Ryan Moats could be packing their bags soon.

McDougle, the Eagles' first-round draft pick in 2003, is entering the final season of the six-year, $9.5-million contract he signed as a rookie. Most of his first five seasons were a waste, due to a myriad of injuries and a gunshot wound suffered just before he was due to report to training camp in 2005.

The 29-year-old has played in just 33 career games and has three sacks. He missed all of last season with a torn triceps. The addition of veteran free agent Chris Clemons and third-round draft pick Bryan Smith left McDougle as the seventh defensive end behind starters Trent Cole and Juqua Thomas, plus Victor Abiamiri, Clemons, Darren Howard and Smith.

"I don't want to just make the team; I want to make a difference," McDougle said. "I was a first-round pick for a reason. When I'm healthy, I can play with the best of them. The coaches must know that or they would have gotten rid of me a long time ago.

"I feel good right now, and hopefully I can stay that way. If I can, it will be up to me to seize the bull by the horns and take advantage of the opportunity when it comes my way."

Moats, a third-round pick in 2005, also missed all of last season after suffering a broken ankle during the first preseason game.

Moats showed flashes of potential as a rookie, averaging 5.1 yards per carry while rushing for 278 yards. But he rarely left the bench the following season while he struggled to master the playbook and was hampered by fumbles during training camp last summer before he got hurt.

The Eagles traded for Lorenzo Booker during the draft in April to serve as Brian Westbrook's main backup. Correll Buckhalter and Tony Hunt are also vying for roster spots with Moats.

"I stopped worrying about that stuff a long time ago," Moats said. "I know what I can do, and (the coaches) know what I can do. I've proven what I can do when I've been given the opportunity, but I just haven't had a lot of opportunities.

"I don't know when my next chance will come around, but when it does, I'll be ready. Hopefully, I'll still be here, but if not, I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles."

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