Playing the numbers game

By Lou DiPietro  |   Thursday, September 04, 2008  |  Comments( 4 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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The NFL season is officially underway after the New York Giants’ Thursday night win over the Washington Redskins. Last weekend, the Eagles took their final preparatory step by officially setting their 53-man roster, cutting 12 players and placing two on injured reserve to get down to the limit.

There were plenty of surprises among those cuts, but unfortunately, the NFL sometimes becomes the cruelest numbers game of all. And the harshest reality of that numbers game is that sometimes, even with an amazing preseason, you may not end up being the best option for myriad reasons.

Football is unlike any other major sport; there is no Triple-A team, no AHL or NBDL affiliate. Sure, there’s an eight-man practice squad, but that doesn’t get you any game action. No one likes to see that proverbial Major League-esque red tag in his locker, but in the NFL, you’re not just competing against others at your position. Sometimes, you’re not even competing against others on the roster looking to fill minor roles - you can also be competing against players who aren‘t even in camp.

Some of the final roster cuts around the NFL are, well, cut and dried. Take Jerome McDougle, the former first-round pick whose Eagles career was mired with injuries. McDougle had an excellent preseason, but with Victor Abiamiri ahead of schedule in his injury recovery and the emergence of a re-focused Darren Howard - who can also slide inside if need be - McDougle was the odd man out. Had Abiamiri been a little further behind, maybe even enough to land on the PUP list, McDougle might have had a shot. Unfortunately, Abiamiri wasn’t and McDougle didn’t. He quickly landed on his feet, signing with the NFC East rival Giants, but in Philadelphia, he was the seventh musical chairs contestant in a six-chair game.

Versatility - or perhaps lack thereof - is what led to the demise of cornerbacks Therrian Fontenot and Kyle Arrington. The Eagles kept nine defensive backs, with five of them being safeties. Rookie safety Quentin Demps had a good preseason, but with his ability to play corner in a pinch, he landed the final spot in the defensive backfield. J.R. Reed is more of an asset on special teams, but if need be, he can then fill in as the fourth safety if Demps is called on to shift over. Arrington had a nice preseason and the Birds liked Fontenot’s physicality, but flexibility ended up being the buzzword that kept them off the roster.

That same attribute turned a potential fourth-stringer into a starter. That man is Tony Hunt, who will open the season as the team's starting (and only official) fullback. A month ago, fullback was a three-man race among Jason Davis, Jed Collins and Luke Lawton, while Hunt was trying to avoid being the odd player out in a running back competition that included Correll Buckhalter, Lorenzo Booker and Ryan Moats.

Then, somewhere along the line, the Eagles -- who like Hunt’s size and ability -- decided to try him at fullback. None of the three other candidates were lighting it up, and Hunt took to his new position relatively quickly. With defensive tackle Dan Klecko -- who has plenty of experience at FB, especially in goal-line situations -- having also earned a roster spot, the Birds felt they could take the risk and let Hunt develop as a fullback. Lawton, Collins and Davis were left out of a job (as was Moats, who then became the odd man out of the RB race), and last year’s fourth-round pick found new life.

And then there’s the case of Rocky Boiman. Brought in from Indianapolis in the offseason, Boiman was expected to be a solid contributor on special teams and, as a backup linebacker, counted on to be a calming veteran presence in a relatively young group.

Sadly for Boiman, the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes fail to come to fruition. Boiman actually won a job and survived the final round of roster cuts but fell victim to the old “someone else better just came up” phenomenon. When the Giants released Tank Daniels -- who was originally signed by the Eagles as a rookie free agent in 2006 -- head coach Andy Reid and general manager Tom Heckert decided to instead bring back a player who already knew the system well. With Chris Gocong expected to take most of the snaps on the strong side anyway, special teams ability became the most important attribute for the man filling his backup spot. Daniels played that role well en route to a Super Bowl ring last year, and Boiman found himself to be the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That’s not to say there isn’t hope. As the case of Boiman and Daniels shows, opportunity is available. The Eagles signed eight of their castoffs -- Arrington and Collins among them -- to the practice squad, McDougle found a role with the Giants and experienced players such as Moats, DT Montae Reagor, offensive guard Scott Young and safety Marcus Paschal could quickly find a new home if injury or inconsistency plagues some other team.

In a sport where lifespan is short, depth charts are long and almost nothing is guaranteed, the numbers game often becomes the most important one. As they say, though, when one door closes, another opens.

The door to the 2008 Eagles season opens on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, and as long as Reid and his staff feel comfortable with the 53 men ready to run through it, everything should turn out just fine.
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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN ...
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