Eagles try to keep Giants from sacking playoff hopes

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg would rather not look back.
But if the Philadelphia Eagles intend to start their late-season playoff push against New York on Sunday, they have to right all the wrongs from their abysmal outing against the Giants in Week 4.
“I hate to go backward and talk about that game because that was a bad thing that happened there,” Mornhinweg said Thursday.
The Giants’ defensive line dominated in New York’s 16-3 win, manhandling Eagles tackle Winston Justice in his first NFL start and sacking Donovan McNabb an NFL record-tying 12 times.
Osi Umenyiora accounted for six of the Giants’ sacks. Mathias Kiwanuka had three, Justin Tuck finished with two and veteran Michael Strahan added another.
“The real challenge is when you have one great pass rusher, you can do some things to keep him away from the quarterback,” Mornhinweg said. “When you have two, you’ve got some problems there, but you can still do a couple of things.
“When you’ve got three, now it becomes a pretty good problem.”
Umenyiora is tied for the lead in sacks in the NFC with 11. Strahan and Tuck each have nine. Kiwanuka is out for the season with a broken leg.
The hard-charging Giants caused fits for McNabb and the Eagles on that September Sunday. But the Eagles were missing five starters in the loss – most importantly McNabb’s longtime backside tackle, William Thomas.
Justice was victimized throughout the game, and showed plenty of heart by offering to shoulder the loss alone.
“I played the worst out of the line that game,” Justice said this week. “Personally, I think I got away from my technique and that is why I was defeated in that game.”
To a man, the Eagles admit the inability to stop the Giants was a team problem and not Justice’s alone. Coach Andy Reid agreed.
“I think Winston came out a better player for it,” Reid said. “Every offensive lineman goes through an experience like that. The thing that is important with that group is they all had a little piece of that pie.”
When the 5-7 Eagles take the field Sunday, McNabb will have Thomas protecting his flank.
“Backside tackles are always big for a quarterback,” McNabb said. “He (Thomas) has played a major part in, at least, the success I’ve had here. We’ve had some great times together.”
The Eagles need to re-create some of that success if they are serious about a push for a postseason spot. They are one of eight teams battling for the last playoff spot in the NFC. A loss would move Philadelphia closer to missing the playoffs for the second time in three years.
The Eagles’ offensive line will try to slow a New York defense that leads the league with 44 sacks. And Thomas is looking forward to the challenge of trying to stop Umenyiora.
“You just try to slow him down, get in his way,” Thomas said. “He has enough power that he can just bull-rush.”
The offensive line will feel the added pressure of protecting McNabb, who missed the last two weeks because of a sprained right ankle and jammed thumb – all that after coming off a severe knee injury last year.
“They do a lot of great blitz schemes, so we have to be vigilant in protecting our quarterback,” said Brian Westbrook, who missed the last Giants game because of injury. “Having (Thomas) back will definitely help us out a lot.
“The running backs, as well as the tight ends, we need to help Donovan, and he needs to get the ball out of his hands quicker as well.”