But the statement at the bottom of this is just stone cold stupid. To say the Eagles will miss Jamaal Jackson more than they've missed Stewart Bradley is standard sportswriter idiocy. It's a mediocre writer saying "look at me - I know so much about football that I can appreciate a center!"
Not to say that Jackson hasn't had a really good season, and not to say that he won't be missed. But the Eagles can fill in for Jackson better than they did for Bradley for the simple fact that Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles have played and started and the Eagles have won with them.
The season-long search for a passable Mike linebacker has had a crushing effect on the Eagles D. They simply don't have anyone of the right size and speed to play the position.
But Cole and MJG are big enough and mobile enough to be effective. The O-line won't be as solid without Jackson, but please. They'll get by.
It'll be interesting today to see the Eagles first half run-pass ratio. Will they run more to get Cole and Max Jean rolling, give them a little more confidence? That would slow down the Cowboy pass rush, and it just might pick up a few yards.
This game - and consequently the NFC East - will be won or lost when the Eagles have the ball. The Birds' offense is explosive; the Cowboys defense is third in the League. That's the game, right there. The Eagles must do a better job in the red zone than they did in the first meeting - touchdowns, not field goals.
Again, that's the game. And Cole and Jean-Gilles will have to be a part of that. Creating a comfort zone early for them will be important. Some early success will be a big boost. So, a few extra runs early will help them overcome the loss of Jackson and open things up for that offensive explosion we all hope is coming.
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