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Less Could Mean More For Kearse In Year 3
June 25, 2006
He has been a good player for the Eagles -- healthy, active, a threat every time he lines up at defensive end.
But Jevon Kearse is a player defined, fairly or not, by numbers. Sack numbers. And his numbers say that Kearse has been only OK in his two seasons here with 15 total sacks, a bunch of hurries, a lot of tackles.
There has been no Pro Bowl chatter with Kearse, and when the game's best ends are discussed on those throaty national panels, his name is not bantered about.
So what is Kearse? Is he just another average end who is beyond his better days? Is he still a good-to-very-good end who has simply been hampered by the Eagles' lack of consistency elsewhere on the defensive line? Or is he still a top-shelf player who is due for a bust-out year -- read: double-digit sacks -- in 2006?
Kearse is a central figure with this Eagles team, no question about it. When you read all the predictions about this season -- some, I must admit, are so out-of-date and factually incorrect it's truly embarrassing -- Kearse is a player who is glossed over, written about as if he is the past tense, a second-status player whom is not counted on to deliver the goods this season.
DE Jevon Kearse should stay fresh as the Eagles rotate at the edge
I think the contrary. I think Kearse has been better than his numbers these last two seasons and I think that with the addition of Darren Howard, the development of Trent Cole, the re-emergence of Jerome McDougle -- who has not resembled the McDougle of the past and is, in fact, far better than he was prior to his shooting last year -- and the overall improvement of the tackle positions, Kearse is in position to return to his glory days of terrorizing quarterbacks on a weekly basis. And I think that the key may be this: The less we see of Kearse will mean the more we see of his production, if that tumbles forth with any kind of logic.
See, the sense here is that Jim Johnson and his defensive coaches have a plan in place to rotate bodies throughout this defense. There is depth all around, that much is believed throughout the staff, and the Eagles want to take advantage of that versatility and stretch the limits of Johnson's genius.
So Kearse is going to get some extra rest if all goes according to the blueprint. He'll get his, for sure, but so will the other ends. By rotating Kearse, the Eagles hope to keep him quick off the edge and give him that slight bit of advantage that can mean the difference between a sack and a quarterback's completed pass.
Plus, the Eagles are going to move Kearse here, there and maybe everywhere. He can come up the middle as a Joker in the scheme and he can line up on the right side from time to time. This is something that most good ends do -- move from side to side and even line up at tackle. The Eagles did it way back when with Reggie White and it was tremendously effective.
Kearse is not White -- nobody is -- but The Freak has a unique skill set that the Eagles want to set free.
His long arms and incredibly agility are ideal for playing in space, and Kearse will have more space this year if Howard plays to his ability and if Cole continues to come on like a freight train and if McDougle's spring sensation was a true preview of what is to come and if the tackles -- improved by adding Brodrick Bunkley in the draft and by signing Ed Jasper for depth in free agency -- create some push up the middle.
When Kearse was signed prior to 2004, the Eagles envisioned a player coming off the left edge who would force offenses to account for his presence, and they wanted Kearse to get to the quarterback. Kearse's play in '04 was outstanding and, yes, he had a huge impact in that Super Bowl season. The sack numbers, 7 ½, weren't otherworldly, but Kearse definitely made an impression in big games and, without a doubt, in the post-season.
More than anything in his two seasons, Kearse has been durable. And that was such a huge question with him when he signed, coming off the foot problems that plagued him in Tennessee. Along with that, Kearse has played the run hard and has shown toughness and the ability to dig in and help anchor against the run.
As he enters year three with the Eagles, Kearse is bounding with excitement, and for good reason. He has pieces around him to make the Eagles pass rush more multi-dimensional and creative.
Kearse was in phenomenal shape in the spring and he looked as quick and frisky as ever in those drills. He is a sight to see, really: A thoroughbred with the those gangly arms and rock-solid legs coming at an offensive lineman with alarming speed.
And the Eagles insisted all through last year -- and Johnson answered the question many times -- that they were pleased with Kearse, that he saw a lot of double teams, chips, attention from more than just one blocker. Fine. Fair.
But still ...
The expectations are high for Kearse and for this Eagles defense. The personnel puzzle is complete, so now it is time for Johnson to move his pieces around and make some magic. Kearse, in year three as an Eagle, looks to get back to the top of the heap in the nation's eyes. Should that happen, the Eagles will rise along with him.
EAGLES looking to improve on defense
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