Comeback kid McDougle and the Philly D

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, June 22, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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"Oh yeah," said Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Jerome McDougle, "We're going to be good." If nothing else, the quote reveals that sometimes, even in a jock interview, true feelings can slip out. "Defensive line, [and on] defense in general we're going to be real good."

Philly fans are doubtless pleased just to see McDougle standing properly, much less running drills. The 2003 first-rounder out of Miami steadily saw more playing time and moved higher up on the depth charts his first two seasons when he was suddenly met with a couple of debilitating injuries. In July 2005, McDougle was unfortunate enough to be shot by armed robbers the night before training camp opened. McDougle's physical rehabilitation commenced, but had to undergone emergency surgery on a hernia which was a by-product of the shooting. Needless to say, McDougle sat out last season.

At camp, McDougle proclaims himself to be better than ever: He claims to be faster, lighter and in a weird way, he says, the incident "was a positive thing to happen." The DE doesn't quite have that apparent swagger yet, but his confidence burgeons. This Eagle defense, he opines, is so good "it's scary." Specifically, McDougle was referring to the team's depth at defensive tackle and general speed on the DT.

Indeed, the Philly D needs no more speed or DTs. Paul Grasmanis is gone, but the lineup at defensive tackle is still stacked with guys like Broderick Bunkley, who racked up some nice stats at Florida State and is seen as a replacement for departed veteran Hollis Thomas; fellow rookie LaJuan Ramsey, a sixth-rounder signed to a four-year deal; ten-year man and representative of the old guard Ed Jasper; young Keyonta Marshall, who made the team after being drafted in last year's seventh round; Mike Patterson, named the Pro Football Weekly/ESPN "instant impact" rookie at DT, who finished the season with 45 tackles including 38 solo. and out-again in-again veterans Sam Rayburn and Darwin Walker.

As for velocity, joining the scout-surprising speed of Bunkley and Patterson are a couple of examples in DE's Trent Cole and Jevon Kearse. Cole amassed 43 tackles in his rookie year after being drafted in the fifth round, while the eight-year "Freak" Kearse got 39 tackles last year including a two-game stretch wherein he bagged fifteen. Early reports indicate that neither of these two have lost a step. And then there's McDougle, who assures that "yeah, I'm definitely lighter."

McDougle's two-tiered comeback attempt continues full speed ahead, but would you believe that he still fears gray clouds on the horizon? "We look so good now," he says, "I just don't want it to go down the drain."

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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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