NFC East: Chris Gocong
In the Meadowlands, Tom Coughlin delivered the bad news that Aaron Ross had re-injured his hamstring. He won't rule him out for Monday's game but it doesn't sound good. Cornerback Corey Webster is also up in the air for Monday's game.
Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 11 in the Beast.
Can the Giants fix their issues on defense? The good news is that this is the healthiest they've been all season. There's even a chance that cornerback Aaron Ross finally returns to the field. The Giants have paid dearly for not having sufficient depth at safety. If Ross could actually move over and help them at safety, there could be a huge payoff. I also think this could be a big game for former Falcons linebacker Michael Boley. The team pretty much gave up on the speedy linebacker. Now, he has a chance to make them pay. The Falcons lose an important player with running back Michael Turner out this week. Quarterback Matt Ryan will have to get the job done, and he's been very shaky in protecting the footbally lately. He managed games so well last season that it's hard to believe that he could throw so many interceptions. The Giants need to get in his face early and not allow him to find a rhythm.
I think the Eagles will be much better on defense this week. And I'm not just talking about the fact that they'll be staring across from the interception-machine known as Jay Cutler. It looks like Joe Mays will step in at middle linebacker, allowing Chris Gocong to return to the strong-side spot. With Will Witherspoon at the weak-side position, I think the Eagles will look like a more athletic team. Mays isn't a star or anything but he's capable of covering running backs and tight ends. If Sheldon Brown can play through a hamstring injury, I think the Eagles will be OK in the secondary. If Brown can't go, the Eagles are going to be hurting. Quintin Mikell and Asante Samuel are both strong players, but they wouldn't have much help with Brown on the sideline. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott desperately needs his front four to generate most of the pass-rush. You don't want to be bringing a lot of blitzes with the way this secondary looks right now.
Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett needs to re-discover the running game. Garrett said the game plan got "out of whack" last week against the Packers because of some down-and-distance situations. Some of that's true, but he could've done more to establish the running game. What's the point in spending a first-round pick on Felix Jones if you're going to give him three touches in a tight game? Jones is one of the most explosive players on the team and Garrett has to dial him up this week. Owner Jerry Jones pretty much said the same thing this week. He wants to see the other Jones get more opportunities, so hopefully that happens.
Watch this matchup between Cowboys right tackle Doug Free and Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo. I realize that Orakpo's a stand-up linebacker on first down but he'll see plenty of action at defensive end. He's a strong player who loves to use the bull-rush -- and I think that's Free's biggest deficiency. The former Northern Illinois player moves really well laterally and he's what scouts call a good "foot athlete," but he can get overpowered. Look for Skins defensive coordinator Greg Blache to try and get Orakpo in one-on-one situations with Free. The Cowboys will try to counter that by helping out Free with tight ends. If the Redskins pull off the upset, I think Orakpo will have had a monster game. Keep that in mind this Sunday. And have a tremendous football weekend.
Reid also said that running back Brian Westbook is taking it easy this week and will start attending team meetings again next week. The brain injury specialists in Pittsburgh said they wanted to see Westbrook again in 2-3 weeks, so obviously he won't be back in the lineup before then.
"We’re backing him off and letting him rest,” Reid told reporters Friday. “That was on the doctor’s plan that they had for him. Next week he can start going back to meetings and doing some things. We’ll see how he feels. The doctors want to see how he does for the next week, what, if any symptoms he has and evaluate him in 2-3 weeks."
Little fantasy advice: If you have access to LeSean McCoy, I'd find a way to get him on the field in this game. Something tells me the rookie's about to go off. Call it a hunch. Or call it whatever you want to call it.
Mornhinweg agrees with QB's complaint
"He was probably right," Mornhinweg told reporters in South Philly on Thursday.
Mornhinweg said he needed to stop simply focusing on what might work against a particular defense and try to play to his team's strengths, which currently do not include gaining a single yard in the red zone. In other news, Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott may be ready to end Chris Gocong's career as a middle linebacker after only one game. McDermott indicated that Gocong might play at the strongside spot against the Bears on Sunday.
The defensive coordinator also said that cornerback Sheldon Brown (hamstring strain) intends to play Sunday night. If he doesn't, the Eagles will be as thin at cornerback as any team in the league.
I'll be delivering a Winston Justice column at some point this afternoon. Thanks for your patience.
Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 10:
I think the Eagles will ride Brian Westbrook in this game. Yes, I know this is a different team with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, but the Chargers did a nice job taking away the deep ball against the Giants. Westbrook appears to be healthy heading into this game, and I think he could give the Chargers' linebackers trouble in space. I think Andy Reid needs to get Westbrook involved early so he can take a hit or two. He hasn't played since that violent collision with London Fletcher's knee. Once Westbrook feels some contact, I think he'll be ready to go. I see a breakout game coming for him. And if you know my track record on predictions, make sure you bench Westbrook on your fantasy team immediately.
The Redskins are catching the Broncos at a bad time. After a brilliant start to the season, the Broncos have dropped two straight to the Ravens and Steelers. They can't afford a three-game losing streak. I think Josh McDaniels will take advantage of the Skins' issues in the secondary. With Levi Jones taking over at left tackle and Chad Rinehart possibly getting some valuable time at guard, Washington's offensive line will have a different look. I don't think it can be any worse. Mike Williams was struggling mightily before he was injured. Here's hoping that Jim Zorn and Sherm Lewis discussed ways in which Jason Campbell can get the ball away quicker. Don't waste time sending Santana Moss on double moves 40 yards downfield when there's no hope of getting the protection. And on defense, this is the game where you need Albert Haynesworth to earn his money. I know his legion of apologists has spoken, but it's time for him to take over a game. This would be a good place to start. The Redskins can't afford the turnovers that have plagued them all season. If they get a quick start and a heroic performance from the defense, the Redskins can hang around in this game. Am I predicting a win? C'mon!
The Cowboys must dominate the line of scrimmage on defense. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware could have three or four sacks. The Packers' offensive line has been awful this season, but those 37 sacks are also a product of Aaron Rodgers holding onto the ball too long. He won't be able to get away with that Sunday. Packers left tackle Chad Clifton is back from an ankle injury, but it's not like he's completely healthy. He really struggles when pass-rushers try to make an inside charge. At this point, Clifton's just a guy. Someone named T.J. Lang is going to get the start at right tackle. This is a big, big problem for the Packers. And keep your eye on Keith Brooking and Ware in this game. This offensive line has allowed linebackers to come racing through the line of scrimmage in the running game.
I love this Charles Woodson vs. Jason Witten matchup. It looks like the Packers will try to keep Woodson close to the line of scrimmage and let him press Witten. I think Witten's athletic enough to get releases on the long-armed Woodson, but we'll see if quarterback Tony Romo has enough time to get the ball to him downfield. I think it will be one of the best matchups on the field. Romo will be looking for Packers cornerback Jarrett Bush. The Cowboys think he's susceptible to double moves. That's why they hope he jumps on Miles Austin or even Patrick Crayton at times. If Bush gets burned a lot Sunday, remember that you read about it on Final Word, one of America's fastest growing features on the Internet.
"We have a variety of things we can do there. We have a bunch of different combinations that we’re working on and we’ll just play it how we see it once we get out there as far as personnel goes."
In other injury news, left tackle Jason Peters did not practice Friday and he's listed as questionable for Sunday's game. According to reporters on the scene, starting left guard Todd Herremans moved over and took some reps at left tackle during practice.
How will the Eagles address their CB situation?
After trading for former Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs on draft day, it looked like the Eagles would have quality depth at that position. With All-Pro Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown and Joselio Hanson returning for the '09 season, it looked like a pretty talented group.
But on Wednesday, the Eagles placed Hobbs on injured reserve with a neck injury and Hanson was suspended for four games by the NFL for using a banned substance. Now the Eagles will face Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and his talented group of wide receivers and tight ends without some key players in the secondary.
Coach Andy Reid acknowledged that the Eagles might promote cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu from their practice squad to help provide depth. Right now, it's unclear who would be the nickel corner against the Chargers. Ramzee Robinson played in 13 games for the Lions last season, but that was mostly on special teams.
In other injury news, running back Brian Westbrook didn't practice Wednesday, but Reid said he'd be ready to go Thursday. The Eagles practiced indoors and Reid doesn't like to have Westbrook run on the hard surface.
Starting linebacker Akeem Jordan (knee), left tackle Jason Peters (ankle), fullback Leonard Weaver (ankle) and linebacker Moise Fokou (flu) all missed practice Wednesday. Defensive tackle Mike Patterson was limited with a toe injury. The one piece of good news is that Chris Gocong returned to practice after missing the Cowboys game with quad and hamstring injuries.
In some non-injury news, ESPN 950's Brian Seltzer is reporting that wide receiver DeSean Jackson has fired his agent and plans to sign with Drew Rosenhaus. You can read Seltzer daily on this blog.
PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles running back Brian Westbrook (concussion) is officially inactive for tonight's game against the Cowboys. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Westbrook would not play earlier today.
Here are the rest of the Eagles inactives: CB Dimitri Patterson, RB P.J. Hill, RB Brian Westbrook, LB Chris Gocong, G Max Jean-Gilles, G Mike McGlynn, WR Kevin Curtis, DE Victor Abiamiri.
Cowboys inactives: Stephen McGee -- emergency QB, CB Allen Rossum, S Michael Hamlin, LB Steve Octavien, LB Jason Williams, G Montrae Holland, C Duke Preston, T Pat McQuistan
One thing to note is that the Eagles are keeping all three quarterbacks active for tonight's game. For the past couple weeks, Kevin Kolb had been serving as the emergency quarterback. Might be a sign that the Eagles intend on using the Wildcat formation with Michael Vick more than usual. I'll keep you posted.
Update: Here’s a statement from Eagles athletic trainer Rick Burkholder regarding Westbrook’s injury: “On Friday afternoon, Brian began experiencing symptoms of a mild headache. From that point forward, we had Brian reevaluated by [team internist] Dr. Gary Dorshimer and we put him through extensive testing. Even though those tests were determined to be negative, we all thought it would be in the best interests of Brian and the team that he should be deactivated for tonight’s game. We will continue to evaluate Brian this week.”
On Friday, coach Andy Reid indicated that he simply wanted to get running back LeSean McCoy some extra reps. It’s not often we receive a statement from an athletic trainer only minutes before a game.
Thursday Morning Beastlines -- or TMB for regulars
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Cowboys
- Cowboys assistant athletic trainer Greg Gaither has been released from Baylor University Medical Center, according to the club. By the way, Gaither is one of the unsung heroes for the Cowboys. He's a guy who works ridiculous hours and is constantly upbeat. Players swear by him. Oh, and he reads this blog every morning.
- In other Cowboys news, crews are working around the clock to complete the new stadium.
- Todd Archer wrote about the Nick Folk hip surgery in the Dallas Morning News.
Eagles
- Donovan McNabb is the most recognizable athlete in Philly, according to John Gonzalez of the Inquirer.
- Linebacker Chris Gocong helps out a local science class.
- The return of Favre would be a bad thing for the Eagles, according to Paul Domowitch.
Giants
- Hakeem Nicks is drawing comparisons to Michael Irvin.
Redskins
- Jeremy Bridges is looking for a fresh start with the Redskins.
- Don't expect H.B. Blades to go in the tank just because Brian Orakpo's on the scene.
- Here's another story on Bridges from the Washington Post.
One Eagles player offered an interesting theory on why the defense had so much success against Giants quarterback Eli Manning in Sunday's divisional playoff game. Peter King tracked down Eagles middle linebacker Stewart Bradley on the team bus after the game.
"We had a pretty good idea of his cadence," Bradley said. "When you play a guy three times in a season, you can pick up certain things. The tempo of his voice, how he puts his head up when he's getting ready to snap the ball ... it helped us [Sunday]."
Chris Gocong and Bradley were jumping gaps all over the place, so maybe Manning's cadence did have something to do with that. Very interesting angle.
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Gregg Easterbrook of TMQ fame had some interesting observations on why the Eagles' blitz had so much success against Tarvaris Jackson and the Vikings. He thinks the Eagles' use of the safety blitz is a sign that Philadelphia didn't have much respect for Jackson. I tend to agree. He also thinks the Eagles' front seven is even with the Giants' front seven. I wouldn't have agreed with that five or six weeks ago, but you can at least make the argument now.
"As for Philadelphia, its front seven -- Juqua Parker, Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, Trent Cole, Akeem Jordan, Stewart Bradley and Chris Gocong -- are playing as well as the Giants' front seven was when the G-Persons rolled to the Super Bowl last season," writes Easterbrook. "Plus the Eagles' defensive schemes have become less predictable lately, as Philadelphia now shows blitz and then backs off more than it did in the past. If we can't have a Manning-Manning Super Bowl, at least a Pennsylvania Turnpike matchup of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh remains possible."
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Eagles had done a nice job of setting the edge against Adrian Peterson and not giving him any cutback lanes -- until that last run. The Vikings had everything pointed toward the right side and then Peterson spotted a massive lane and cutback to his left for a 40-yard touchdown.
Looked like linebacker Chris Gocong had the only legitimate shot at bringing Peterson down, but there's no way you arm tackle this guy once he gets to the second level. Meanwhile, on the ensuing drive, Donovan McNabb just completed a ball to Kevin Curtis into tight coverage.
And while we're in a timeout, let's talk about how predictable the Eagles' offense is at times. Other than the one long run by Correll Buckhalter, there hasn't been much available on the ground. But part of that is the fact that the Eagles almost always seen to run on second down. At some point, it might not be bad to mix in a run on first down to keep the Vikings honest.
Well, DeSean Jackson just completely burned Vikings cornerback Marcus McCauley on a deep ball down the sideline. Everyone wanted to know how Jackson would perform in his first playoff game. So far, so good.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Giants starting cornerback Corey Webster has left the game with a groin injury and his return is questionable. Sam Madison has replaced Webster.
Could you guys figure out why Donovan McNabb felt the need to spike the ball with 41 seconds left on second-and-3? Everyone was set. Why not run a play there? They had to come back on the next play and hand it to Brian Westbrook around left end. Then they burned their final timeout.
Andy Reid has had an excellent career, but clock management has never been one of his strengths. The Eagles took one shot at the end zone with 10 seconds left, and no one was near the ball.
Still, the Eagles have to be thrilled to only be trailing, 20-17. The Giants were on their way to putting the game away when Brandon Jacobs decided to hop in the air toward the end of a run. Chris Gocong made him regret the move immediately. So far, that's the biggest play of the game. It's the only reason the Eagles are hanging around.
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
I'm sitting here trying to figure out why one of the most punishing running backs in the league feels the need to hop up in the air during runs. Brandon Jacobs was having another strong outing until he decided to try to leap an Eagles defender after a big gain over the left side. Eagles linebacker Chris Gocong destroyed Jacobs, and separated him from the ball in the process.
The anemic Eagles offense found a way to punch the ball in the end zone and we once again have a ballgame on our hands. Eagles fans just booed Vice President-elect Joe Biden, who is sitting in owner Jeff Lurie's luxury suite. Tough crowd.
Oops. McNabb just gave the momentum away with one of the worst picks I've seen him throw. He was trying to fit the ball into DeSean Jackson on a deep fade, and he underthrew it by five yards. Fairly easy interception for Giants cornerback Sam Madison. And even if the ball was on the money, it looked like safety Kenny Phillips would've arrived in time to break it up. To be such a excellent quarterback, McNabb still makes some back-breaking mistakes. Only his fifth interception of the season, but this was a doozy.
IRVING, Texas -- Two quick turnovers by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has translated into the Cowboys trailing the Eagles, 20-14, in the first half. Both mistakes have been extremely careless by Romo. After dropping the ball in the end zone, Romo recovered it, but didn't protect it as he was being tackled. Safety Brian Dawkins smartly attacked the the ball and linebacker Chris Gocong jumped on it for a touchdown.
Romo came back strong, however. The Cowboys ran a reverse to rookie running back Felix Jones and they used a screen to tight end Martellus Bennett to get deep into Eagles territory. Terrell Owens followed by scoring another touchdown on a little slant from Romo to give the Cowboys a 21-20 lead. Owens got inside-position on Dawkins, who never had a chance. There have not been any organized celebrations from Owens in this game -- just flexing his muscles, which may be a reference to his new workout book.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Matt Mosley
Mosley, an award-winning writer for The Dallas Morning News for seven years, joined ESPN.com in January 2007. Mosley, a Baylor graduate, writes columns, features and blogs for ESPN.com.
