Gocong finds himself in middle of Eagles defense
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By Jeff McLane
The Philadelphia Inquirer
(MCT)
SAN DIEGO — Here was Chris Gocong's assignment Sunday: Play a position you haven't lined up at since high school and do it despite the fact that you missed the last game with multiple injuries.
The results were mixed in the Eagles' second straight loss, a 31-23 defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers.
With the injury to weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan, Gocong was moved from his regular spot on the strong side to the middle so that Will Witherspoon could replace Jordan. Moise Fokou filled in for Gocong at strongside linebacker and led the team with 10 tackles.
Aside from roaming the middle, Gocong had to make all the calls on defense.
"I would say it was pretty good," Gocong, who finished with four tackles, said of his performance. "My biggest thing was setting the defense and setting the blitzes and getting everybody lined up and just playing downhill from there."
Still, there's more to middle linebacker. Most important, he is responsible for stuffing the run and covering running backs and tight ends coming out of the backfield and off the line. San Diego had most of its success in those departments.
It was especially surprising that a running game that ranked last in the NFL and averaged 69 yards per game could run rampant over a rushing defense that stood 10th in the league. Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. On the whole, the Chargers gained 119 yards on the ground.
"We were trying to blitz into their runs and I think they were seeing our runs and just checking the other way, which is smart," Gocong said. "In the fourth quarter, we made an adjustment to get out of the blitz. Then we kind of solidified after that."
The last time the Eagles played San Diego in 2005, Tomlinson was considered the best running back in the league. He was shut down that day and managed only 7 yards on 17 carries. He hasn't been the same tailback this season, partly because of age and injuries, but he wore down the Birds. His 20-yard TD scoot early in the third quarter gave the Chargers a 21-6 lead.
"He had a good game," Eagles safety Quintin Mikell said. "They ran the ball a little more. He did have two touchdowns, obviously, and that wasn't good, but we did pretty well against him."
But San Diego had more than just Tomlinson. Top receiver Vincent Jackson was held to just one catch for 10 yards, but tight end Antonio Gates finished with seven catches for 78 yards and running back Darren Sproles had four catches for 31 yards. Fullback Mike Tolbert tallied two catches for 25 yards, including a 20-yard score.
"It was tough," Gocong said. "They had Sproles, they had Gates, they had great receivers. But we definitely put the time in."
The Eagles have been ravaged at linebacker and have been scraping to fill holes all season. They have tried six players at middle linebacker since starter Stewart Bradley suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during training camp.
Gocong was just the latest plug-in. He did not play last week against the Cowboys because of quadriceps and hamstring strains in his right leg. He returned Monday to find out that he was moving to the middle after Jordan hyperextended his knee against Dallas. It was a difficult transition. In the second quarter, Gocong was confused on one play about his alignment and had to go to Mikell for instructions.
"I tried to watch him some and he looked like a guy that was new to the position," Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said. "He looked like a guy that wasn't fully healthy."
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(c) 2009, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
