Sunday, December 24, 2000
Players to watch
• WHEN BENGALS RUN
Center Rich Braham will make his 69th and possibly final start as a Bengals lineman today.
Braham, an unrestricted free agent, is reportedly far apart in early stages of negotiations. He has started only eight games this season, missing time because of knee surgery related to a problem with his bursa sac.
In his place, Brock Gutierrez started seven games and helped the Bengals establish their second-ranked rushing game. Gutierrez is 27, three years younger than Braham, and was signed to a one-year extension through 2001.
• WHEN BENGALS PASS
Eagles right end Hugh Douglas, of Central State, is fourth in the NFL with 15 sacks.
A first-time Pro Bowler, Douglas' task of getting to the quarterback will be more difficult because he's matched up against veteran left tackle John Jackson — an upgrade over Rod Jones — and won't have the advantage of coming at the QB's blind spot. Bengals starter Scott Mitchell is a lefty and will have a better chance to see Douglas approaching. Not counting sacks, 10 of Douglas' 45 tackles are for loss. He added weight in the offseason and is healthy.
• WHEN EAGLES RUN
More than his arm — which is pretty strong and accurate — Donovan McNabb scares the Bengals most with his legs. He leads the Eagles with 609 yards rushing and has a 7.6-yard average.
He had 125 yards on the ground in a Nov. 26 victory at Washington, which is the sixth best single game rushing for an NFL quarterback.
If the Bengals sacrifice a “spy” on defense to shadow McNabb, it leaves one of his receivers in single coverage, which he like. His runs aren't planned but occur mostly on scrambles.
• WHEN EAGLES PASS
Linebacker Takeo Spikes, if he were left alone to free-lance in the defense, like the Ravens' Ray Lewis, would have more tackles and a few more sacks.
But Spikes, the team's best defender, is called upon to drop into pass protection on many plays. He's tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
Today, Spikes will see plenty of Eagles tight end Chad Lewis, the team's leading receiver with 60 receptions. Lewis is a Pro Bowler, and Spikes will want to show he belongs by shutting Lewis down.
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Players to watch