Fletcher Cox is in a good mood. And this could spell trouble for the Lions' offensive line come Sunday.
"I actually feel like where I should be right now," Cox said, sporting a smile at his locker in the NovaCare Complex following practice earlier this week.
Cox has been on the field in the first two weeks of the season, but he hasn't been quite the Fletcher Cox who takes over games. He's got three tackles and six quarterback hits. He almost picked off Matt Ryan last Sunday night when he surprised the Falcons by dropping back in coverage.
But he has yet to wreck an offense. And the Eagles could sure use that Fletcher Cox on Sunday when a tough, physical Lions team comes to Lincoln Financial Field.
"We just got to do our job. Every guy just has to do their job and not try to make the big plays and we'll be fine. Continue to play team ball," Cox said. "The Linc will be loud and I think that'll help us out a lot."
Coming off a season in which he played 80 percent of the snaps on defense, the Eagles invested in the defensive tackle position to take some of the pressure off Cox by signing Malik Jackson and brining back Tim Jernigan. The added help was especially important early in the season as Cox missed all of Training Camp and the preseason with a toe injury that required offseason surgery. However, the Eagles lost both Jackson and Jernigan to foot injuries in the first two weeks of the year.
"The most important part about it is finding a way, finding a way to get one-on-ones, finding a way to beat double-teams, and beat slides," Cox said. "Don't get frustrated about it. The time will come where I can get there.
"It's going to happen. Trust me. We're in no panic in the D-line room about getting sacks. We've hit the quarterback a lot in the past two weeks. The sacks will come and when they come, they come in bunches. We gotta be patient about it and not force it and we'll get there."
The only question now is whether or not Cox will be smiling after Sunday's pivotal matchup with Detroit.
