| | | | | | | |  Friday, September 13, 2002
Things to watch for on Monday night
By Melissa Stark
Special to ABC Sports Online
It'll be a huge game on Monday night when the Eagles face the Redskins (ABC, 9 p.m. ET). They're division rivals, and there's been a ton of trash talking this week. There are a lot of storylines to follow on Monday.
From talking to guys like Shawn Barber and others on the Eagles defense, the key is to put pressure on Shane Matthews. They want to blitz him. Obviously with Steve Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun, they don't want to give Matthews time to throw. After Matthews' performance last week (28-40, 327 yards, 3 TDs), that is the key. The Eagles know Matthews has a strong arm. They know they can't give him much time.
|  | | The Eagles need Troy Vincent in the lineup to match up against Steve Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun. |
The Eagles also need Troy Vincent back, especially against this offense. He missed last week with an injured knee. He also missed the opener last year. Andy Reid joked that he'll give him the final week of practice off before the first game next year because that's the second year in a row he missed the first game.
Injuries have really hurt the Eagles so far. Rookie cornerback Lito Sheppard should be back. The defensive line has been hit hard, and defensive end Derrick Burgess had surgery this week, so Michael Sinclair was signed to get more depth on the line.
On the offensive line, they gave up six sacks last week against the Titans. John Welbourn is out four-to-six weeks and Jon Runyan, who has a sprained left foot, is hurting. Runyan is a key this week.
Looking at the Redskins, the players like Spurrier's attitude. From all the players who I have talked to, they don't think of him as arrogant; they look at it as confidence. A lot of players were there under the Schottenheimer regime. He brushed them the wrong way with curfews, keeping them there for long hours. A veteran player like Bruce Smith didn't understand. They like it that they are in at 9 and out by 4. It is strict, and he institutes discipline, but it is different. A couple of players on the Eagles all were positive as well with what they had heard about Spurrier.
From all the coaches I have talked to, many being former college coaches, they all seem to think his system will work. It has given the Redskins hope. Washington has struggled so much in recent years, with a lot of coaching changes (four in three years) -- to have something that might work is exciting.
And to have Marvin Lewis as a defensive coordinator, he is excited to have three Pro Bowl linebackers (LaVar Arrington, Jeremiah Trotter and Jesse Armstead). Arrington had half-a-sack last year, and is looking forward to this season. He is already predicting that he'll be the Defensive Player of the Year.
The one player who was worried how much he was going to play with the new offense was Stephen Davis. All of his questions were answered when he had 26 carries for 104 yards in Week 1. Davis' status is going to be a big key this week. They need to have him healthy. He has said is ready to go and that he won't miss the game. Barber, who has been there in Washington, has said even an injured Davis can kill you.
The main player to watch on the Redskins this Monday is Trotter. When he left Philadelphia, it was a rather bitter situation. He has said that it is his year to prove the Eagles wrong. He wants to make them 0-2. Runyan responded that it is sad that he is putting so much into one game when it's not the Super Bowl. All that is leading to a lot of trash talk. But Trotter desperately wants to play well.
Everyone is going to be watching his replacement on the Eagles, Levon Kirkland, who got pulled in the second quarter last week. Reid is going to start Kirkland -- he wants to prove that Kirkland can do the job.
One other player looking forward to Monday night is Chris Samuels, who is looking forward to going up against Hugh Douglas. That will be a matchup to watch.
Melissa Stark is Monday Night Football's sideline reporter and a frequent contributor to ABC Sports Online.
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