Trenton Times
(12/25/04):
Eagles unsure of playing rotation
PHILADELPHIA - No, this won't be like any given Monday night when the Eagles take on the Rams in St. Louis, according to the three wise men known as Andy Reid's coordinators.
While the ultimate goal - winning - remains the same, the formula for achieving victory will be considerably different. And that has nothing to do with Terrell Owens being out of the lineup.
"I really don't see it changing," said offensive coordinator Brad Childress. "We have a set way we attack defenses with formations and personnel, with a group of plays that is our menu. That's what we do and what we'll continue to do. We're not doing anything different from what we usually do."
The difference comes with the players who will be on the Edward Jones Dome field. While neither Childress nor defensive coordinator Jim Johnson would reveal exactly which players would be coming off the field at what point of the game, it seems pretty clear that by some time point in the second half, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins and Jevon Kearse will be sitting.
"When we have that first group out there we're still going to have our same rotation," explained Johnson. "I wish I had a blueprint of exactly what we're going to do. We're still going to try to be as aggressive as we can. I do know certain guys are going to play a certain number of plays. We'll kind of go from there."
Childress did suggest one intriguing thing when asked how scaled down the offense will be against a team they could conceivably meet again in just a few weeks.
"There's two schools of thought to that," said Childress. "Either you don't want to show much or you show a lot, because the next team you play is only going to have a week to prepare. Give them a lot to think about or a little."
Which leaves special teams coordinator John Harbaugh sort of stuck in the middle, since the trickle-down effect of having so many reserves filling in at key spots is bound to have an effect on his unit.
"The depth chart's not difficult," said Harbaugh. "We're just playing a lot more people, which means those guys are taking a lot more snaps. But we don't expect to play any less well on special teams or less hard."
***********************************
Bill Lyon: Keep these winners safe (Philadelphia Inquirer - 12/26/04)
GL
