PHILADELPHIA ? It was Andy Reid?s idea to let 70-year-old offensive line coach Howard Mudd take a long offseason nap to recharge his battery and strengthen his hip for the 2012 season.
Mudd spent almost all his time at home in Seattle instead of coaching Eagles players in Philly.
?I told him to go practice retirement,? is the way Reid phrased it.
The way the offensive line is playing, both coaches could be practicing retirement in a few months.
If there?s a stat out there in which Michael Vick isn?t the most beat-up, knocked-down, dragged-off quarterback in the league through six games, please forward it to Mudd and the Eagles.
The left tackle position is a big reason why. Only a few months ago the Eagles felt good about this position even though Jason Peters blew out his Achilles? tendon. Make that really good.
?I don?t anticipate changing the entire offense because we don?t have Jason Peters,? Mudd said. ?Will some of the things be less spectacular? Probably. But we can win games with Demetress. We?re going to win games with Demetress Bell.?
Well, the Eagles are 1-3 with Bell in the starting lineup and 2-0 with King Dunlap on the job. Points over the first six games of the seaosn are at an historical low for the Reid era.
You won?t find a player in the Eagles? locker room who doesn?t believe Dunlap, elevated to the starting job this week, provides more hope than the demoted Bell. The Eagles confirmed the switch in their depth chart and prospectus released Tuesday afternoon.
The Eagles either wasted their resources signing Bell or didn?t coach him properly. If Dunlap can?t stay healthy, rookie Dennis Kelly (6-8, 321), the fourth-round pick out of Purdue, could be the next man up. Continued...
The center position also has been a disaster since Jason Kelce tore medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in the second game of the season.
Starting center Dallas Reynolds is an effort guy showing more of his practice squad pedigree each and every week.
Steve Vallos was cut Tuesday in order to sign Matt Tennant, who centered for Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan at Boston College.
The mauler-type Tennant (6-4, 300) played in 28 games with the Saints in 2010-11 but wasn?t good enough for the Patriots, who cut him Saturday. The Eagles might at least be able to get an inside scouting report on Ryan, who brings the undefeated Atlanta Falcons to Lincoln Financial Field Sunday.
The center issues also are a product of the dysfunctional offseason. After evaluating from afar, Mudd indicated he had three serviceable centers in Kelce, Reynolds and Julian Vandervelde, who is on the practice squad. Vandervelde at least excelled singing the National Anthem on Eagles Flight Night.
The only coaching change Reid made during the bye week is firing defensive coordinator Juan Castillo and elevating secondary coach Todd Bowless to that post. Castillo provided stability as the offensive line coach before Mudd arrived.
If the Eagles are unable to fix the protection issues short-circuiting the offense and contributing to a plague of turnovers, you can point to the coaching staff.
Right now they are trying to rally around Reid?s 13-0 record in games immediately after the bye.
Reid also is 4-0 against the Falcons in Philadelphia.
Source: http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/10/23/sports/doc50876435901d9064122845.txt
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