MountainBuck
08-05-2004, 06:35 PM
May have to watch out for the Eagles this year!!
As for the rest of the Eagles offense, there was lots to be impressed with, and an area or two for concern. Let's start up front with the offensive line. The Eagles have two 6-foot-7 tackles in Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan, which gives them the bookends most teams dream about. Inside, Hank Fraley is the blue-collar center who is a favorite of head coach Andy Reid. Jermane Mayberry, who can also play some tackle, has one guard spot, and rookie first-round pick Shawn Andrews, at 6-4 and 320 pounds, has the other spot. Every coach I spoke with before practice had something good to say about Andrews, so I spent a lot of time watching him work. He is a very good athlete who will make the offensive line one of the best in the NFL this year but he needs more work. In his one-on-one pass blocking, he worked against DT Corey Simon, and on the first rush Andrews got his hands on him, squared him up, dropped his weight and the rush was over on the spot. Andrews looked like an All Pro. On the next rush, Simon gave him a quick head fake and a change-of-direction rush, and Andrews missed him completely and ended up blocking air as Simon was in the backfield. What impressed me most as it happened was how Andrews handled the situation. No hanging his head, no immature outburst, just eyes on his coach listening to what he did wrong and going to the sideline to work on the instructions. He will be a great one sooner rather than later.
As for the rest of the Eagles offense, there was lots to be impressed with, and an area or two for concern. Let's start up front with the offensive line. The Eagles have two 6-foot-7 tackles in Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan, which gives them the bookends most teams dream about. Inside, Hank Fraley is the blue-collar center who is a favorite of head coach Andy Reid. Jermane Mayberry, who can also play some tackle, has one guard spot, and rookie first-round pick Shawn Andrews, at 6-4 and 320 pounds, has the other spot. Every coach I spoke with before practice had something good to say about Andrews, so I spent a lot of time watching him work. He is a very good athlete who will make the offensive line one of the best in the NFL this year but he needs more work. In his one-on-one pass blocking, he worked against DT Corey Simon, and on the first rush Andrews got his hands on him, squared him up, dropped his weight and the rush was over on the spot. Andrews looked like an All Pro. On the next rush, Simon gave him a quick head fake and a change-of-direction rush, and Andrews missed him completely and ended up blocking air as Simon was in the backfield. What impressed me most as it happened was how Andrews handled the situation. No hanging his head, no immature outburst, just eyes on his coach listening to what he did wrong and going to the sideline to work on the instructions. He will be a great one sooner rather than later.