Strong safety Kurt Coleman might only be 5-11, 195 pounds, but don't tell Jaguars wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker that.

Going for the first down on a fourth-and-3 early in the second quarter, Jaguars quarterback David Garrard appeared to have Sims-Walker deep down the right seam for a first down. However, Coleman came over from his spot as the middle safety and popped Sims-Walker to jar the ball loose. Sims-Walker exited the game with a shoulder injury and the Jaguars' first-team offense was done for the night.

"That's not allowed. You can't come across the middle and come down with the ball," Coleman said. "I wanted to lay a good lick on him whether he caught it or not. I happened to knock it out."

Coleman led the Eagles with five tackles and added another one on special teams. The seventh-round draft pick out of Ohio State was a team captain and All-American in his senior season. Even though he was on the field against veteran players, Coleman wanted to make sure it was only his helmet and uniform numbers that looked green.

"I don't look at it like I'm a rookie. I've been here for five months now. I'm very acquainted with the system, with the team," Coleman said. "I just feel very comfortable out there making plays. I feel very natural. Even though my status is a rookie, I don't want to play like a rookie."

And with hits like the one Coleman dished out Friday night, it puts offenses on alert and makes the defense's job that much easier.

"I think doing that early and often in the game sets a tone for the defense and I think the offense kind of became wary of coming across the middle," Coleman said. "That's the way you want to do it. This defense is reckless. That's how we play."

-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 11:15 a.m., August 14