Flying under the radar amidst winning streaks and playoff talk, and Dawkins and the holidays, is yet another substitution the Eagles are quietly making on defense. 97.5's Brian Seltzer is reporting for the second week in a row that Moises Fokou is actually running with the starters at strongside linebacker, finally supplanting the Chris Gocong experiment.
It's actually a bit of a surprise for several reasons. One, it's a little late in the season to still be tinkering with the dynamics on defense. Gocong hasn't been very effective, but I wouldn't say he's killed them, where it's entirely plausible a rookie might. Plus, they've stuck with him so long, it just sort of felt like he was going to be the man there for awhile.
Then again, with the extensions the Eagles just handed out, the writing was on the wall for anybody who cared to see (which I suppose is nobody). The reality is Chris Gocong will be a free agent at season's end. With the possibility of an uncapped year looming, he may only become a restricted free agent, so the club will likely retain his rights. Under any other circumstances though, there's no evidence they would be bothered to bring him back.
The fact of the matter is Gocong doesn't do anything particularly well. He's not a bad tackler, but he rarely seems to be in position to make a stop. He doesn't give them much of anything in coverage, managing zero interceptions and eight passes defensed in three seasons as a starter. And we recently witnessed his lack of versatility during a completely invisible one week stint at middle linebacker. The only thing the converted defensive end might excel at is rushing the passer, but the Eagles have seemed reluctant to use him in that manner for whatever reason.
It's especially disappointing because Gocong seemed to be making strides during the second half of last season. It was reasonable to expect his transition to linebacker would take some time, but it really looked like things were beginning to click. This year has clearly been a step back, and you have to wonder why. Was his increased production the result of offenses running plays away from Stewart Bradley? Had Jim Johnson finally discovered what worked for Gocong and forgot to impart this knowledge to Sean McDermott?
Fokou, on the other hand, has shown some promise. He plays fast, he's physical, and he tackles. Bone-headed penalties still stand out as his most memorable contributions this season, but for now it's fair to chalk those up as rookie mistakes. If he can be coached, the Eagles may have a seventh round steal on their hands.
Chris Gocong is no slouch. He's a smart guy and a good athlete. Maybe he can catch on someplace else, as so many players do after they've come through the Eagles system, because there doesn't appear to be room for him here. When Bradley returns, this becomes a very crowded group of linebackers, and I can't believe he would improve enough between now and then to remain a starter.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/12/ea...
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