Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Philly looks to rebound at home vs. Tennessee
PHILADELPHIA >> Zach Mettenberger is no Aaron Rodgers.
It certainly is safe to say Mettenberger, the Tennessee Titans rookie is as fearless as Austin Davis, the undrafted quarterback who threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns to nearly beat the Eagles in the fifth week of the season.
The Eagles ought to revisit the St. Louis Rams tape if they’re expecting a cakewalk Sunday against the double-digit underdog Titans at Lincoln Financial Field (1 p.m., CBS TV, WIP 94.1FM). Mettenberger was a first down or two away from beating Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers last Monday.
“Any given Sunday you know he could do it,” Eagles safety Nate Allen said. “We had the same talk about the Rams and they came in and, those guys, they’re up here for a reason. They’re professional athletes, pro quarterbacks, and he could have a day like that. Just completely blow up and have a great day. So we’ve got to approach it just like we’re playing Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning. We’ve got to approach it the same way.”
The big picture makes the game more challenging. The Eagles (7-3) in four days play the Dallas Cowboys on the road for what could be the NFC East lead. The Titans contest is your classic trap or sandwich game.
The struggles of the Titans (28) are documented. They don’t stop the run, they gamble with zero coverage to crowd the line of scrimmage and they start a rookie quarterback.
“But Mettenberger can make all the throws,” Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho said. “They’re good at the skills positons. (Tight ends) Delanie Walker and Chase Coffman are very capable players. Your record doesn’t always accurately depict the kind of team you are. So we have to play them as a Super Bowl contender and make sure we bring our best. I think after you get a nice butt-whipping at Lambeau Field then that completely disrupts human nature. We’ve got to get back in the win column, so I’m not even wor-
ried about who we’re playing after Tennessee. After you win this game then you can focus on the next opponent. If you start worrying about the next opponent you’ll end up with two losses in seven days before you know it.”
Mark Sanchez makes his third start at quarterback for the Eagles, who after playing turnover-free in a win over Carolina gave the ball away four times in a 53-20 loss last week to the Green Bay Packers.
Sanchez has thrown four interceptions in three games. With 16 interceptions, the Eagles are nextto-last in the league. Their turnover ratio is minus-9. Just four teams, none of them winners, have worse differentials than the Birds.
Sanchez thinks the turnovers are correctable. He also has an idea what Mettenberger is going through, what with having to get ready for his fourth start in a short work week. Sanchez did that with the New York Jets.
“It’s a blur and a whirlwind and just a lot of stuff flying around,” Sanchez said. “You try to retain as much as you can. (The coaches) try and go with what you’re best at. That was kind of the case of where I was at. If you have a concept and you’re 0-foreight on the concept you probably won’t run that in the short week. If there’s something you’ve been just almost automatic on, 75 percent or higher, why not?”
Eagles l i neba c k e r Mychal Kendricks, like a survivor, tries not to look back on that train wreck in Green Bay.
But Kendricks, in an almost private moment said candidly “It could be the best thing to happen to us.”
The Eagles blew up in Minnesota last year, giving away a decision that could have enabled them to clinch the division pennant before the last game of the season.
Then again, there are twice as many games remaining this time around for the Eagles. This run starts with a trap game against the Titans.
“Dallas will be in the same boat,” Allen said of the Cowboys, who play at the New York Giants Sunday night. “They’ve got to play a Thursday night game, too. I guess both of us are playing in the trap. They’re feeling the exact same way we are so we’ve just got to approach it and just execute. That’s the main thing.”