SB Nation - Brodrick Bunkley

Stewart Bradley lost for the season after ACL tear

JasonB — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:53:01 -0000

Last night at the Eagles' "Flight Night" fans saw Stewart Bradley limp off the field with an apparent knee injury. Turns out, the injury was serious. Bradley tore his ACL and will now miss the entire year.

Bradley has a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will end his season, his agent, Eric Metz, confirmed to the Daily News' Les Bowen. Metz said the injury is a "complete tear." Metz said they are examining their options as to who will perform the surgery.

"Stew seems to be handling it well," Metz said. "He's a mature, tough kid."

Obviously this is a tremendous blow to the Eagles defense. Bradley is coming off a very good first year as a starter and looked to be one of the real emerging stars on this Eagles defense.

One can't help but wonder whether this injury was more, less, or just as likely to happen up at Lehigh as it was during this "Flight Night" thing where the Eagles practiced in front of 30k fans at the Linc... It's a question I hope someone asks of Andy Reid.

Find out why all is not lost at the middle LB position, and see video of the injury after the jump.

Middle linebacker happens to one of the positions on the defense where there is experienced, veteran depth. Omar Gaither started and played well at the MIKE on this team for an entire season. In fact, I think most would agree that he was better at MIKE in 2007 than he was at WILL last year. It's always a blow to lose a starter, but at least the Eagles won't be relying on a rookie or inexperienced player to step in here. Gaither knows the defense, he has experience as the primary signal caller, and he's started at the position in the NFL. The other guy int he mix will be 2nd year man Joe Mays.

The other reason for optimism was something that I noted back in the position preview of the defensive tackles. Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley really did a lot to keep blockers off the linebackers, which freed up Bradley to make plays. This is not to take anything away from Bradley, but I think Omar might find that he has more room and freedom to move around than he did when he started at the MIKE back in 2007.

All that said, I don't want to appear like I'm sugar coating this too much. This is a big loss. Bradley was an important part of what made the Eagles defense so good last year. There's a reason he won that MIKE job last year and there's a reason certain major publications were calling him an all pro... The Eagles' D isn't quite as strong as it was up the middle today as it was yesterday and the depth becomes that much more thin.

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Preview - Defensive Tackle

JasonB — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:36:27 -0000

View full size photo »

This is the next installment in our series of 12 positions in 12 days previewing the upcoming Eagles training camp. Rookie and selected vets report to Lehigh July 26th and each day leading up to that date we will bring you a preview of a different position battle.

With the offense behind us it's time to move onto the defense. We start today with the defensive tackles.

The Bodies

Brodrick Bunkley, Jervonte Jackson, Dan Klecko, Trevor Laws, Mike Patterson

I'll also add Darren Howard and Victor Abiamiri to the list. Neither are DTs, but both will spend some time playing inside in certain packages.

Presumed Starters

There's not too many starting jobs up for grab on this Eagles team and DT isn't one. Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley will start after a very solid 2008 that saw the Eagles defense finish 3rd overall and 4th against the run. While Bunkley and Patterson didn't provide much of a pass rush combining for just 2.5 sacks, but they did prove to be immovable objects in the run game and freed up the linebackers to make plays. There's little doubt that the development of a guy like Stewart Bradley last year was partly due to the fact that the two DTs kept blockers off him.

As a pair, Bunkley and Patterson trailed only the Williamses in Minnesota in total tackles.

New additions

Jervonte Jackson, brother of center Jamaal Jackson, was signed as an undrafted free agent.

Dan Klecko isn't a new addition, but he's back to being a DT after finishing last year as a fullback.

What to watch for

This camp is going to be about what guys can fill different roles on the interior of the defensive line. Last year when he started the year at DT, Dan Klecko did a nice job as a situational pass rusher. Can he provide that spark again?

Darren Howard actually led the Eagles in sacks last year, many of which came when he lined up at DT in pass situations. It will be interesting to see how much of that success he can replicate this year and if anyone else can fit into that role. The prime candidate would be Victor Abiamiri, who did have some success in the second half last year lining up both inside and out. However, Abiamiri should be fighting for a starting job at DE, so the focus will be on guys like Klecko and second year man Trevor Laws to spell the starters.

Previous position previews

Interior Offensive Line

Offensive Tackles

More Eagles make TSN top 20 rankings

JasonB — Sat, 23 May 2009 06:47:04 -0000

The Sporting News along with RealScouts.com has been writing up various lists of their top 20 NFL players at every position. Last week we checked out a number of positions where Eagles ranked amongst the top 20, this week TSN released a few more top 20s where Eagles were featured.

First up is the glamor position on the defense, which is defensive end where Trent Cole ranks #15

15. Trent Cole, Eagles. Cole is extremely athletic, which makes him a perfect fit in the Eagles' zone blitz scheme. He does so many good things within the system against the run and in coverage -- and he has 29 1/2 sacks over the past three seasons.

Not bad for a 5th round pick...

Broderick Bunkley comes in at #18 amongst defensive tackles.

18. Brodrick Bunkley, Eagles. Bunkley is extremely quick off the ball and moves well laterally. Equally disruptive against the run and the pass, he is an improving player who excels in the Eagles' system.

I feel like Mike Patterson has been overlooked here. Not only do I think he was amongst the top 20 DTs last year, I think he was better than Bunkley.

Switching back to offense, new Eagle Leonard Weaver was ranked as the 9th best FB.

9. Leonard Weaver, Eagles. The Eagles' biggest struggles in '08 came in short-yardage situations. Weaver is a power back who can pick up those yards as a runner and be a physical lead blocker for Brian Westbrook, who could use help in deflecting initial contact between the tackles. Weaver, a former tight end, might be the best receiver on this list and regularly makes plays after the catch.

TSN also listed their top 30 outside linebackers which included no Eagles, however most of the list(all but 3 or 4) was dominated by 3-4 OLB pass rushers.

Eagles shake up coaching staff

JasonB — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:00:10 -0000

Change has come to the Eagles coaching staff. With a few members of the staff getting bigger jobs elsewhere, retirements, and other factors Andy Reid had some work to do shaping up his coaching staff this offseason. Today, the team had some announcements to make...

- Ted Daisher, who was formerly the Browns' ST coordinator has been brought on to head up the Eagles' special teams. Daisher was previously an assistant here. In 2007, under Daisher's tutelage, Josh Cribbs led the NFL in kick returns.

- Rory Segrest, who has been the special teams' coordinator here for the past two years has been named defensive line coach where he will replace the retiring Pete Jenkins. Jenkins is highly thought of around the league and has been credited with being a major factor in the development of guys like Trent Cole, Mike Patterson, and Broderick Bunkley. Before Segrest became ST coordinator, he was an assistant defensive line coach here.

- James Urban has been named the team's QB coach. Urban has spent the last 4 years here as an offensive assistant. I had previously guessed that Doug Pederson was being brought here to coach the QBs, but he will instead be an offensive quality control assistant. Undoubtedly he will do some work with the QBs. Urban replaces Pat Shurmur who left to join Steve Spagnuluo as the Rams' offensive coordinator.

It's also been reported that WR coach David Culley will get an expanded role in the offensive game planning.

Seven Eagles named to "All Joe Team"

JasonB — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:00:08 -0000

I've never really heard of the "All Joe Team" before, but apparently it's something that the USA today does every year.

The 17th annual All-Joe team honors the overlooked, the overachievers, the hard-working guys named "Joe" (but not the Plumber) who don't grab the headlines.

The All-Joe team, however, has become a springboard to the Pro Bowl. Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan and Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff earned All-Joe honors last year and both were named to the Pro Bowl for the first time for their 2008 body of work. Same goes for New York Jets kick returner Leon Washington.

Anyway... a bunch of Eagles made the team.

OG: Todd Herremans, Phi. Former tackle in fourth year at left guard may have been Eagles' most consistent blocker;

DE: Trent Cole, Phi. Plays in the opponent's backfield;

DT: Mike Patterson, Phi. He and Broderick Bunkley anchored the inside for a defense that allowed 92.5 rushing yards a game. A shared honor here.

CB: Sheldon Brown, Phi. Seven-year vet has played in 96 consecutive games, third-most as his position among active players

S: Quintin Mikell, Phi. Now the equal of backfield mate Brian Dawkins.

Def. coord.: Jim Johnson, Phi. Crafty old blitzer restored Eagles defensive intensity.

Always nice to see guys get some national media love.

Arizona Cardinals vs Philadelphia Eagles: Key Matchups

Andrew602 — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:00:57 -0000

This weekends game will feature several match ups that may decide the conclusion to the game. Just to look back, last weeks match up winners were Fitzgerald, Levi Brown, Dansby, and DRC vs. Steve Smith, and the young-gun did what he was supposed to do. I'm not an expert but I'd say I called 'em last week. This week I will touch base with the current match ups.

Lyle Sendlein vs. Mike Patterson/ Brodrick Bunkley - Like Hawk touched on, Lyle will need to play his best game on Sunday. Not only will he need to spot the blitz, but contain these two, something New York was unable to do last Sunday.
Gerald Hayes vs. Brian Westbrook - I heard somewhere that when facing a star running back, Hayes only job is the rush the gap and make a tackle, nothing else. That may be what Gerald will have to do this Sunday.
Fitzgerald/Boldin vs. Samuel/Brown - This may be the match up of the game. If our receivers can get off the ball and get YAC, that will put this offense in great field position. If Boldin plays throughout the game, that will also be an important factor. Philadelphia's CBs will have their hands full but are very capable of containing these two pro bowl receivers.
Dominique Rogers-Cromartie vs. DeSean Jackson - They are both rookies with bright futures ahead of them. Jackson has been McNabb's go-to man, while DRC has developed nicely into one of the few shut down corners. He's not quite there but can improve if he contains the speedy Jackson on Sunday.
Darnell Dockett vs. Nick Cole - We haven't heard much from Dockett lately, and that will need to change Sunday. Dockett will need to play with that same intensity that we saw in the Dallas game. He said he felt like it was a "playoff atmosphere" that game, and now it really is. If he is able to get passed Cole, and disrupt plays/get to McNabb/Bat down balls, then it will make life difficult on McNabb and the passing game.

The Cardinals need to come out with a tough mentality, and not get ahead of themselves. It's pretty simple, If the Arizona Cardinals can win the majority of these match ups, expect the game to be over by the third quarter.

Poll

What is the most important match up of the game?

Lyle Sendlein vs Mike Patterson/Brodrick Bunkley

18 votes

Gerald Hayes vs Brian Westbrook

21 votes

Fitz/Boldin vs Samuel/Brown

67 votes

Dominique Rogers-Cromartie vs DeSean Jackson

11 votes

Darnell Dockett vs Nick Cole

0 votes

117 votes | Poll has closed

Eagles beat Giants 23-11, advance to NFC title game

JasonB — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:20:14 -0000

4th down and... win

The can be no doubt about the two defining moments of this game for me. Two times in the 4th quarter the Giants had 4th down and less than one and both times the Eagles defense didn't give up an inch. Those are the kinds of defensive stands that legends are made of. For my money, they belong with "4th and 26" as some of the great moments in Eagles playoff history. 4th & 1 x 2?

Credit for those two stops has to go to Broderick Bunkley, who drove his man back and the play both times. The guy has had a great year locking down the interior of that Eagles' D and he deserves some national attention. His effort on those two plays should earn him that.

McNabb making magic

Last week, the Eagles victory was due to an amazing defensive performance and one great offensive play. This week, the defense certainly did it's job to great effect... but Donovan McNabb was sensational. In a game where Westbrook was completely shut down and the Eagles' running game couldn't do anything, McNabb took the team on his back in the second half and made plays. His efforts specifically on 3rd down were awe-inspiring. His escape plus throw to Avant for a first down on 3rd and 20 has to go down as one of the plays of the game, if not the entire postseason so far.

McNabb once again outplayed his opposing QB and once again the Eagles won. That's no coincidence. Five finished 22/40 for 217 yards, 1 TD and 1 rushing TD. He did have 2 picks on the day and that made his QB rating not so hot... but in the playoffs it's about making plays at big moments and winning games. That's what McNabb did today.

Speaking of QBs...

Eli Manning simply came up small today. What really was amazing to watch was how much he struggled with the wind and McNabb didn't. Clearly Manning doesn't have the arm that McNabb has(few guys do) but he didn't look like the QB with homefield advantage. You would think that the guy who has played his entire career in Giants' stadium would understand how to play it better than anyone else. Despite the Eagles rarely bringing the blitz and not sacking Manning once, Eli finished a dismal 15/29 for 169 yards and 2 INTs... one of which was returned by Asante Samuel to the one yard line setting up the Eagles' first TD.

And again, I must say... Asante Samuel = worth every cent.

Speaking of home field disadvantage...

Eli Manning wasn't the only Giant to struggle in the weather while his counterpart thrived. How about David Akers? He's perfect on the day in a stadium he's always struggled in. He sets the NFL record for consecutive FGs made in the postseason... all while his pro bowl counterpart John Carney misses two FGs and struggles to figure out the wind in his home stadium.

Road warriors

With the Eagles win in New York, road teams are now 3 for 3 in the divisional playoff round. Overall, road teams are 5-2 this postseason. That's a pretty decent omen for the Eagles as they get set to travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals for the chance to go to the superbowl.

Fifth NFC title game in Eight years

We've all gotten frustrated at times. Whether it's been with Reid, with McNabb, with ownership ect... It's a week to week game and people's emotions are going to change week to week. When the Eagles got beat by the Ravens to send us to 5-5-1 with McNabb benched a short week against a playoff team in the Cardinals coming up... it wasn't wrong to be frustrated and it wasn't wrong to lose some faith.

That said, when you step back and reflect on the stat in this headline, we have to give Reid/McNabb/Lurie/Banner the credit they deserve. 5 NFC title games in 8 years is an amazing achievement. It's not the ultimate goal of winning the superbowl, but it's a level of success that nearly any other team in the NFL would be ecstatic with.

Poll

Who was your player of the game against the Giants?

Broderick Bunkley

307 votes

Donovan McNabb

308 votes

David Akers

49 votes

Andy Reid

39 votes

Quintin Mikell

38 votes

741 votes | Poll has closed

What the Eagles did to us

rufio — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:06:13 -0000

The Philadelphia Eagles took it to our offense last night.

Yes, we were without Kellen Winslow, Jerome Harrison, Ryan Tucker, Joe Jurevicius, and our first and second string QBs, but those aren't the only reasons our offense was dominated throughout this game.

Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is what many call a "mastermind", even going so far as to put him on the "Mount Rushmore of Defensive Coordinators". He dialed up a few of his signature blitzes and confused our offense. Here is a look at what he and the rest of the Philadelphia defense did to us schematically.

Ideally, against a defense known for successful blitzes and offense can keep itself in manageable 3rd down situations. This was not the case in the 2nd quarter. On 3rd down with 12 yards to go, the Browns lined up in a 4-wide shotgun set. 2 receivers to the left, 2 to the right, and running back Jason Wright lined up to Ken Dorsey's right.

Philadelphia had shifted its defensive line wide. Both DTs are at the 3 technique (DT's nose on the outside shoulder of the OG). Both DEs are lined up outside the OTs.

My apologies for the poor quality images. You can (barely) see both LBs "showing" blitz in the A-gaps to either side of the OC. They are lined up at either the 1 or 2 techniques (LB's nose on shoulder of OC or inside shoulder of OG). The nickel back also comes up near the line to show blitz at the top of the screen.

With 7 defenders showing blitz, the 4 left who are almost assuredly dropping in to coverage are the CB at the bottom of the screen, the FS in the lower left hand corner of the screen, and the CB and SS off to the left out of our view.

At the snap, sure enough, all 7 defenders come on a huge blitz. We only have 6 blockers (5 OL + 1 RB) so we have to let one go untouched en route to the quarterback. Dorsey only has about a second to decide who is open and get rid of this ball, knowing he will probably get hammered even if he does get the ball out.

You can see RDE Trent Cole coming off of the line with a clear path to the QB just below LT Joe Thomas, who is already blocking someone else. After engaging C Hank Fraley to make sure he can't slip over to block Cole, LB Stewart Bradley drops back in to coverage to take away the "hot" route. Fraley is sealed in the middle of the line with no one to block, and Cole is free to get to the QB.

Dorsey gets rid of the ball to avoid the sack, and the pass falls incomplete. Blitzes don't have to result in sacks to be effective. Here, in a clear passing situation, the pressure forced a quick decision and an incomplete pass, not to mention a nice hit on Ken Dorsey.

Later in the game, the blitz was even more effective because Johnson was able to get a look at how we were blocking on that particular night. He was able to use that information to dissect our blocking scheme and turn up the heat:

On 3rd down with 6 to go, we went into a shotgun formation with 3 receivers on the left of the formation, one on the right, and one RB to Ken Dorsey's right:

In this image, you can see all but one of the Eagles' defensive players: the free safety is out of the frame to our left, deep in coverage. Two cornerbacks are playing off of the WRs at around the 1st down marker (showing a cover-3 shell). The third corner looks like he will be assigned to an underneath zone. The strong safety is showing blitz between the DT and DE towards the top of the screen. The defensive line is aligned quite wide, with both DTs at either the 2 or 3 technique (the inside or outside shoulder of the OG). In the large gap between the DTs, both linebackers are showing blitz again. Look familiar?

This means that 7 defensive players are "showing" blitz, crowded up near the line of scrimmage. This time, at the snap, both LBs as well as the SS drop in to zone coverage.

Along with the nickel back, that makes 4 Philadelphia defenders to cover our 4 receivers underneath, with 3 DBs in deep coverage waiting to flock to the ball. The Eagles only send 4 after the QB, but somehow Trent Cole is allowed to sack Ken Dorsey without being blocked.

Joe Thomas is the only blocker in the area, and he makes a last-ditch attempt to block Cole. He looks to be the one to blame for the sack, but is he?

The reason this blitz worked so well is because Philadelphia broke down our protection scheme. On the first blitz, the Eagles lined up in almost this same exact pre-snap formation. Here, you can see the alignment of the defenders in the second blitz with 4 on the right side of the formation and 3 on the left.

The Browns shifted their protection to the right; they slid the line to the right and kept RB Jason Wright in on the right to block. Typically, offenses want to get a "big on a big", meaning offenses want linemen to block linemen, and backs and TEs to block LBs or DBs. If all 7 Eagles were to blitz, RT Kevin Shaffer would pick up the LDE, RG Hadnot would get the LDT, C Hank Fraley would pick up the OLB, LG Eric Steinbach would take the MLB, and Joe Thomas would take the RDT. HB Jason Wright would pick up the SS, and RDE Trent Cole would be the one guy left who we could not account for. Here is the way it actually played out:

Contrary to the statements made by the announcers, Joe Thomas was not getting schooled by Trent Cole. The line calls were made such that Cole would be allowed a free path to the QB, and Thomas did his job, blocking down on the DT. Thomas could have played better in these situations, delaying his decision (which way to block) and/or being able to rediredt to block Cole as the LBs and SS dropped in to coverage. This was by no means, however, a one-on-one dominance by Cole.

So how does an offense go about beating an aggressive, blitz happy team like the Eagles? One of the easiest ways is to run the zone-blocking scheme that the Broncos do. All of these linemen and LBs are spread out across the line, each shooting a gap. It only takes one of those defenders to get pushed out of his gap by a lineman and a RB in the zone running scheme gets all the way in to the secondary. With a QB like Cutler (or Quinn), the bootleg off of a zone-run play action fake becomes very effective in buying the offense more time to deliver the ball as well.

Believe it or not, another good way to beat the blitz is to have a phenomenal athlete like Braylon Edwards to throw to. We actually beat the blitz earlier in the game. On 2nd and 11, the Eagles shifted their DL to the offense's right, and their LBs to the offense's left. The SS dropped down in to the box, and the FS and CBs are showing a cover-3 shell yet again.

The LDE drops in to coverage on TE Steve Heiden. The remaining 3 DL as well as the ROLB and MLB blitz, overloading the offense's left. In the Cover-3 shell, Braylon is basically 1 on 1 with a CB, which is always to Braylon's advantage.

Luckily, Steinbach is really talented and actually pancakes one defender and gets a piece of a 2nd guy:

This buys Dorsey enough time to deliver the ball and Braylon goes up over the DB for the catch.

The last way to beat the blitz that I will discuss here is the screen pass. Basically, you let the defense come, and you throw it right over their heads. Get a playmaker a convoy and let him run.

In this game, Washington is backed up in their own endzone on 3rd and 15 after 3 penalties. Baltimore REALLY overloads to the offense's right.

One of the DL drops in to coverage, MLB Ray Lewis is "spying" QB Jason Campbell, and 4 or 5 defenders all blitz from one side.

Washington gets a WR upfield to block DB Ed Reed, and 3 OL in front of Santana Moss. Lewis is now too old and slow to make the play, if it is humanly possible to make this play at all.

Moss gets the ball in space and has the speed to get a 1st down.

Guns and the NFL

JasonB — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:30:37 -0000

The big story this week in the NFL is of course Plaxico Burress. Burress was accidentally shot in the leg when the unregistered handgun he was carrying went off in an NYC nightclub. Burress turned himself in to police and will be charged for carrying an unregistered firearm. If convicted, Burress faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 1/2 years in prison. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to make an example of the WR.

"I don't think that anybody should be exempt from that," Bloomberg said. "It would be an outrage if we don't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."

Not prosecuting celebrities would make "a sham, a mockery of the law," the mayor asserted.

The mandatory sentencing would not necessarily apply if Burress is offered a plea bargain.

Defense lawyers said prosecutors are loath to cut a deal. "The DAs ... have been very hard-nosed on this," said veteran criminal defense lawyer Martin Geduldig. "They expect jail time."

The Eagles have been no stranger to gun incidents as Reuben Frank points out today. There was the minor Jabar Gaffney arrest, Broderick "Desert Eagle" Bunkley had several of his guns stolen, and the most serious was the shooting of Jerome McDougle a few years ago. In the past year we've seen Shawn Taylor be shot and killed and Richard Collier paralyzed by a gun shot.

After seeing what happened to Collier and Taylor it's hard to blame a player for wanting to protect themselves, but as Lito Sheppard says it's about responsibility.

"You've got to know when and where you can do things,” Sheppard said. "You don't want to put yourself in that position. Mine's always been registered. And I try not to carry it half the time. Even if I have to use it, do I really want to use it?”

"Anybody in this profession, you get a lot of publicity on TV, but you still like to do normal things, can be a target. I still like to go Wal-Mart or the mall. You're definitely a target. You just hope you don't get put in a bad situation.”

I have to agree with Lito here. I can fully understand an NFL player feeling the need to carry protection and I can't say I'd do any different if I were them. However, it's about being responsible.

Eagles Notes - Bunkley is bummed & Harbaugh faces his mentor

JasonB — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:26:49 -0000

Marcus Hayes wrote a really great article about Broderick Bunkley and what effect losing has on him. After the game against the Bengals where the defense was dominant and got 8 sacks Bunkley sat at his locker, with his head in his hands distraught over the the fact that he didn't play better. This is in a game where the opponent rushed for less than 60 yards and the QB sacked 8 times. After the Giants game, Bunk was inconsolable.

"One sack? I'm very disappointed," Bunkley said after the Eagles left Eli Manning virtually clean in the Eagles' Nov. 8 loss to the Giants.

Bunkley paused as he cut off the tape that held the gauze from the IVs he took in the third quarter to stave off further cramping and dehydration, a speed bump from which he returned. Blood had soaked through the gauze under the tape.

"I've waited for this game since February. To get to Eli," he said. "And I didn't."

That pretty much nobody else did, either, supplied him little solace.

"These guys are like my family," Bunkley said, "and when I don't play as well as I think I should, I feel like I let down my family."

It's great to hear that some guys take losing as tough as us fans do.

Raven's coach John Harbaugh spent 10 years here in Philadelphia most of which was as coach of the special teams. He was asked if facing his old boss and mentor will be special for him.

"I know you say, 'Well, that's what he's going to say.' Now, competitively, you're going against your brothers. It means something. It's exciting. There's a little bit of something at stake, and it'll be fun before the game. But when the game starts, it's going to be our players playing against their players, and whoever plays the best is going to win. It wouldn't be much of a showdown between me and Coach Reid out there. I think I'd be able to cover him, and he'd probably be able to block me. That'd be my guess."

Harbaugh says it will be awkard to face the Eagles and Reid.

"It's an awkward situation," Harbaugh said. "I'm still an Eagles fan. On any other Sunday, I want them to win. My wife and I root for them.

"The other side of the coin, though, is you want to make a good showing, a good impression. You want to go out and do well and show him that he taught you well. I want to win. But not just because it's the Eagles. Because we're trying to make the playoffs."