It All Starts Up Front

The Eagles beat the Rams 38-3 for various reasons. One of the keys was controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

We'll start on defense. The Eagles never let RB Steven Jackson really get going. He had 14 carries for 40 yards. Jackson had a couple of nice runs, but generally found tough sledding.

The defensive line held their ground. They got penetration and disrupted plays. They forced Jackson to be hesitant and change his running lane on multiple plays.

They also did well in pressuring QB Marc Bulger. He was sacked 4 times. "Only" 2 of the sacks came from the D-line, but the guys up front helped to create the others. If the defensive linemen don't occupy blockers, defensive backs and linebackers don't come free and get a chance to kill the quarterback.

Eagles fans remember the NFC-CG after the 2001 season. Mike Martz had Marshall Faulk run the ball down our throats in the 3rd quarter as the Rams took control of the game. We could not stop them. Sunday was the opposite. The Rams offensive line could not establish any control of the line of scrimmage. It was our D-line and front seven that owned that turf. Unfortunately it wasn't a championship game, but it will have to do for now.

The Big Uglies, aka the offensive line, also dominated St. Louis. Donovan McNabb wasn't sacked once. Nor was Kevin Kolb. Our running backs averaged just under 4.0 per carry and ran for a couple of TD's. Chris Long should have his picture on a milk carton with the job Tra Thomas did on him. I pick on him because he's new and rookies love to be hazed. The rest of the Rams defensive line was just as bad. Old man La'Roi Glover was the only guy who I saw beat his man a couple of times.

The Eagles won the NFC East in 2006 not because of Brian Westbrook or McNabb/Jeff Garcia or because of Donte Stallworth but because we controlled games up front. The O-line was great that year. They really dominated down the stretch. The D-line was more up and down, but they could rise to the occasion. Okay, so Westbrook did have a little something to do with winning.

I'm excited with the line play, both in the preseason and the opener. Both sides of the ball have good starters and good backups. If they can stay reasonably healthy, this team could be very good. Controlling the line of scrimmage makes things so much easier for the rest of the team. It also leads to success. Do you really think the 1991 Redskins won the Super Bowl because of Mark Rypien?

I want to see our linemen dominate this year. Sunday was a good start. Monday in Dallas will be a good test. If Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware both need MRI's, X-rays, EEG's, and EKG's on Tuesday morning, I'll know we won the game without even looking at the scoreboard. I certainly don't want to see anyone get hurt, but a little maiming is cool, right?
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