Saturday Stuff

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There isn't a lot of buzz for this game. I'm not sure if that is good or bad. I'd like us to be business-like and win this game, but at the same time I don't want us to sleep walk through this game. We did that last year at Cincinnati and we all remember how that turned out (right Donovan?).

The injury situation will affect both teams. KC will be without LB Derrick Johnson. WR Dwaayne Bowe is questionable, but I'm betting he plays. I do prefer him gimpy rather than full speed.

The Eagles should have Westy and DeSean on the field. Sounds like Kevin Curtis will miss the game. That's fine with me. He's not been impressive this year and I want to see what Jeremy Maclin can do. We'll also get a chance to see Reggie Brown play.

MIKE

Rewind to July. The Eagles had arguably the best MLB depth in the NFL. Stewart Bradley looked like a Pro Bowl candidate. Behind him was 2nd year man Joe Mays who had a great Training Camp and preseason as a rookie. Plus, there was Omar Gaither who could slide inside if things went disastrous.

Well, things went disastrous. Disco Stew tore his ACL (allegedly). Joe Mays decided to have a full-fledged Sophomore slump. That led to Omar moving back to the middle. And he's reminding us why we moved him back to WLB after 2007.

The Eagles are not happy with Omar's run defense. He isn't working through trash to get to the ball. He isn't fighting to get off blocks. He's not making plays when he does get near the ball carrier. Gaither has been solid as a pass defender. There are no complaints with him in that area.

Gaither knows that the Eagles gave Jeremiah Trotter a workout this week. Gaither has certainly heard plenty of criticism of his run defense in film sessions. He knows this game is big for him. He's got to play well or he could very easily lose his job. Omar wasn't happy when he got benched last year. He wasn't happy when Joe Mays took over as the starting MLB. Remember the old saying "be careful what you ask for"? Omar wanted a starting gig. He's a free agent at the end of the year and wanted to show NFL teams that he deserves a starting job and contract. Omar got that opportunity this year and hasn't taken advantage of it. I'm very interested to see how he responds to this situation.

As for Trot...I've asked a few people around the team and no one is sure what to make of that workout. Trot was too slow back in 2006. I find it hard to believe the team would seriously consider him for a LB spot. ProFootballTalk reported that the workout was a favor to Trot. He wanted to show what he could do and the team obliged him. Most player workouts happen on Monday or Tuesday so that the player can be added to the roster if the team liked what they saw. This workout took place on Thursday. That would tie in to the thought that the workout wasn't a serious look from the team.

The flip side of that notion is that the Eagles have the bye week coming up. They could add a player and spend the next week getting him up to speed to be ready for the October 11th game with Tampa.

Trotter is 32 years old. He started for us in 2006 and then spent 2007 for Tampa as a backup and STs player. He completely sat out last year. Could he run better now because he's rested and healthy? That is possible, but not likely.

What else could happen at MLB? Joe Mays was hurt the last few weeks. They could give him a shot and see if he's ready for the job now. The Eagles really liked Mays. He was a major disappointment this summer.

Some people have asked about Derrick Brooks. No way. He was a great WLB, but Derrick isn't the kind of guy we want in the middle. He's smaller than Gaither. Derrick isn't mean to fight OL between the tackles. He's meant to play in space and run to the ball.

I'm not sure who else is on the market that might be of interest. There probably isn't much to choose from. The Eagles could definitely look to make a trade. Watch to see which teams drop to 0-3 this week. Those teams know the season is headed in the wrong direction and might be open to a deal. The tricky thing is that we're not looking for a long term MLB. Stew should be ready for 2010. We need someone for the next 13 weeks.

DISHONOR

The Eagles tried to honor the memory of Jim Johnson last week in the home opener. The defense then went out and gave up 41 points and more than 400 yards. Back in 2005 the team honored the memory of Reggie White in a Monday night game vs Seattle. We had a nightmare game and lost 42-0.

Can we please never "honor" anyone else? If Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb, and a bus full of school children dressed in Eagles jerseys are picked up by a tornado and carried to an active volcano and thrown in I think the appropriate thing to do is simply ignore it.
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