Eight years ago, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was the head coach of the Detroit Lions. Needless to say, there are plenty of new faces. In the past two seasons alone, the Lions have overhauled 74 percent of the roster and only four starters remain.
A lot of those new faces will be on the defensive side of the ball trying to slow down whomever is at quarterback for the Eagles. Whether it's Kevin Kolb or Michael Vick starting, Mornhinweg said that the main objective is to provide the signal-caller some assistance.
"We've got to give the quarterback help. That's first," Mornhinweg said. "They're much better talent-wise. They've done a pretty good job of recent history on building that talent. They've had a bunch of high picks in every round, so they've done a pretty good job there."
The area to watch in terms of giving the quarterback help will be right down the middle. Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was pivotal in preventing the Bears from having any success in the red zone last week. Suh will battle Mike McGlynn, who takes over as the starting center. There's also Owen Schmitt, the new fullback, who has done everything he can to get up to speed after signing with the team on Monday evening. At least McGlynn garnered plenty of experience with the team this summer in training camp and the preseason.
"Great confidence in Mike McGlynn," Mornhinweg said. "The good thing is that he got an awful lot of reps in training camp and in the preseason."
Even though Schmitt is new to the system, Mornhinweg expects him to perform when he's out on the field.
"I expect him to play at a high level," Mornhinweg said. "He's a smart guy. His preparation is very good up to date."
The Eagles faced some adversity against the Packers losing three starters on offense due to injury over the course of the game. The Eagles battled back in the second half from a 20-3 deficit and nearly tied the game late in the fourth quarter. Mornhinweg is no stranger to adversity because of his past experience in Detroit. At one point during his tenure, the Lions played in 10 straight games that were decided by 10 points or fewer and only won one of them.
"It was a great experience. You find out things about people when things are not good," Mornhinweg said. "I thought the one thing I was proud of in all of those players is that they stayed together and they fought. We were virtually outmanned in every game."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 3:45 p.m., September 16
