McDermott, Eagles D tasked with honoring Johnson

Like any NFL coach worth his play-calling sheet, Sean McDermott is in a constant state of analysis. He makes no apologies for this. McDermott's job as the Philadelphia Eagles' new defensive coordinator is defined by problem-solving, and he is attacking his big shot with a buck-stops-here mentality.

A quick flashback to training camp, which after two weeks of the regular season is more distant in NFL time than the calendar suggests: Sitting in the lobby of the Eagles' NovaCare complex, the passionate McDermott lit up when I asked about his celebrated checklist.

"You want to see progress," he said. "You've got to start somewhere, and that's where we started. The checklist, some of it remains the same as we go through the season. Do we run to the football? Do we get off blocks? Do we tackle? Nobody tackles anymore in the NFL. Schemes aside, you have to be sound fundamentally."

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This undoubtedly has not been an easy week in the analysis department for McDermott, officially promoted when longtime, ultra-respected coordinator Jim Johnson succumbed to cancer on July 28, but effectively in charge of the defense for months.

His unit — flying a bit under the radar with Michael Vick's return factored into the quarterback scenarios — tries rebounding against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday while wearing skid marks left by the New Orleans Saints last weekend.

Sure, the Eagles D was handcuffed by short fields on two quick TD "drives" that put the game out of reach. Ellis Hobbs fumbled away the second half kickoff, then Kevin Kolb came right back with a quick pick. But it took the Saints just seven snaps to make it 31-13. And just before halftime, it took them just two plays to cash in on a 54-yard TD "drive."

That's not championship-level defense. Nor were the ugly numbers: 421 yards, 46% on third down conversions allowed, 311 yards and three TDs by Drew Brees, 133 rushing yards.

Metaphorically, the Saints shredded McDermott's checklist.

When he met the press on Thursday, it still stung.

"I just have a few remarks about last week's game before we get started," McDermott said. "As I mentioned after the game, I didn't get the job done ... on several different fronts."

McDermott wouldn't elaborate on his self-analysis, but did mention the need to correct fundamentals. After the Eagles sent a broken Jake Delhomme to the bench in the opener at Carolina (seven turnovers, just 169 yards allowed), the unfortunate outing against New Orleans had a striking resemblance to the NFC title game at Arizona, when Larry Fitzgerald, Kurt Warner and crew used their version of fast-break football to gain control of the contest.

"It all goes back to fundamentals," McDermott said during our camp chat. "The scheme has always been a great scheme, but if you analyze our NFC Championship Game loss it really comes down to those three or four things I mentioned that are on the checklist."

Two games don't make a season, but the last outing underscores why the Eagles defense — which ranked No. 3 in the NFL last season, and features a deep defensive line — was such a major question mark during the preseason.

They are trying to improve, while filling voids. The Eagles cut the cord with the defense's heartbeat, safety Brian Dawkins, which led to him signing with the Denver Broncos. Dawkins spent 13 years in Philadelphia and earned seven Pro Bowl berth selections. He left as the city's longest-tenured active pro athlete in any sport.

"His leadership was the most important thing," cornerback Asante Samuel said. "It was incredible, the emotion and the way he played the game. It made everybody on the defense better. You can't replace it, but everybody has to pick it up in their own way."

Dawkins' old spot is now manned by a rookie, fifth-round pick Macho Harris. Maturity and big-play presence gave Harris the nod over second-year pro Quintin Demps.

"He had the hot hand," safety Quintin Mikell said of Harris, "and he really showed up."

Another major loss came without warning the first week in training camp, when emerging middle linebacker Stewart Bradley blew out a knee. He's lost for the season, with Omar Gaither seemingly having only a tenuous grasp on the job after a shoulder injury sent his chief competition, Joe Mays, to rehab. That former Eagles middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was brought in for a workout this week is not a symbol of comfort.

Then there's the loss of Johnson. From a football standpoint, his experience and track record as elaborate blitz creator was invaluable. A 22-year NFL assistant, Johnson was the type who might rely on institutional memory and tap a play that worked a generation ago for a specific situation.

Although Eagles coach Andy Reid said he never considered anyone else for the position, given McDermott's 10-year tutelage under Johnson — "It was a slam dunk with Sean," Reid said. "I didn't even think about it." — the new coordinator has never called plays on a full-time basis until now.

"It's important that Sean does it his way," Reid added. "He'll tell you he learned a lot from Jim, so there will be a lot of carryover, but we're all different. He's got to let his personality show on the defense."

As position coach, McDermott — whose career as a safety at William and Mary overlapped there with the player-coach tenure of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin— had a reputation for packing much emotion as he roamed the sideline on gamedays. Some longtime Eagles observers wonder if he'll stay focused as he's decided to remain on the sideline rather than make the calls from an upstairs booth.

"It's important that I don't lose sight of the next call," he says. "But that's not something I've had trouble with in the past. It's important that I remain myself. That means a little bit intense and emotional. That's defensive football. That's how I want our players to be."

The players can't help but notice that element with McDermott.

Mikell said that after the 48-22 loss to the Saints, McDermott "took it hard on himself ... He takes it personally when we don't play well."

There are also simmering emotions linked to Johnson's death. While the tragedy affected individual players and coaches to varying degrees, Johnson's presence lingers.

During camp, Bradley talked of missing Johnson's attempts to use levity in delivering messages.

"They were cheesy, but kind of hilarious," Bradley remembered. "The punch line would come like 20 minutes after he starts a joke. He'd build it up, build it up, and then laugh hysterically at his own joke. Those are the memories that stick with you."

Reid said that when he walks by a picture of Johnson hanging at the Eagles' complex he is comforted in knowing that the revered coach is in a better place. He wants his team, wearing "JJ" decals on their helmets, to draw on the inner strength Johnson displayed as he battled his illness.

"That's the toughest adversity you can have," Reid said. "He was strong as a rock through that. I think everybody can take a little piece of that."

Reid maintains that Johnson, whom he hired in his second year on the job, made him a better coach because he stressed cohesiveness between different units. There are no walls among the offense, defense and special teams — which was even apparent to Reid as he spoke to Johnson nearly every day as his condition deteriorated.

Johnson would typically want to talk football. "He handled it like a stallion," Reid said. "He didn't want anybody feeling sorry for him, but we all did. It was a tough thing for everyone."

McDermott said during camp that in addition to reflecting deeply about his former boss before the preseason opener, he still heard Johnson's whispers in his ear.

"When you lose a dear friend in any walk of life, you never know when it's going to hit you during different stages of your day," McDermott said. "But he's with me."

When Johnson was hired in 1999, McDermott was already on the Eagles staff, working in the scouting department and as Reid's assistant. McDermott joined the coaching staff as "quality-control" assistant, then ultimately wound up on Johnson's defensive staff.

"I was the low man on the totem pole," McDermott said. "But he accepted me with open arms, despite my coming in with such a limited background on my coaching resume. For that, I owe him my career."

Now it's left to McDermott to produce a unit that would make Johnson proud.

No doubt, that's somewhere on the checklist.

Screen Monster: Jeff Feagles has encountered any number of unusual situations as the NFL's longest-tenured punter, but until last Sunday night the 22-year veteran had never tried to kick with 160-foot long HD video screens suspended over the field.

Feagles, the New York Giants punter, never came close to hitting the assemblage of video screens during the regular-season opener at Cowboys Stadium. The bottom of the two biggest screens (there are also two smaller side boards), hang 90 feet above the field.

After a panel hanging from the bottom of a screen was struck by a punt during a preseason contest, the NFL amended the rulebook to stipulate a re-kick if such occurs in a regular-season game.

"I skimmed it a couple times in warmups," Feagles said, "but it's not the type of kick that I do."

Feagles said that after hearing so much about the video board, he was relieved after arriving to the stadium.

"The question for me was how narrow it was," he said. "When I got out there, the thing was pretty narrow. The way I directional kick, it was not a factor at all. That made it a lot easier for me to concentrate on what I was doing."

With boomers such as Oakland's Shane Lechler and San Diego's Mike Scifres among punters slated to play at Cowboys Stadium this season, Feagles predicts that "do-overs" because of high punts are inevitable. That's what Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hopes to avoid, seeking to squash debate about someday raising the $40 million screens positioned for specific sightlines.

"It's going to get kicked," Feagles said. "There are guys who kick the ball down the middle of the field and just bomb it and get great hang time. And when you're backed up — if my feet are on the goal line — there's a chance you're going to hit it there."

Feagles realized that some people were hoping he'd hit score a direct hit.

"I heard TGIF's was giving away free appetizers if we hit it," he said, referring to a promotion by the restaurant that will continue during Monday night's game between the Cowboys and Carolina Panthers. "So I let down the country, I guess."

Quick slants: In a Saturday dedication ceremony, the NFL Players Association will name the Northwest Washington, D.C., building that serves as union headquarters "Upshaw Place," in honor of the late Gene Upshaw. "My great loss is probably going to be that I never met him," said DeMaurice Smith, Upshaw's successor as executive director. "No one can ever be Mr. Upshaw. But everyone says the same thing about his legacy: He was a great leader." ... The Colts head to Arizona for a Sunday night clash with no mercy from the NFL schedule, having to travel again on a short week after playing Monday night in Miami. Just one other team this season, New England, has a primetime road game the week after playing on the road on Monday night. After closing Week 12 with a Monday nighter at New Orleans, the Patriots are scheduled to play the following Sunday night at Miami ... New England, by the way, comes off last weekend's loss to the Jets with a 78-20 mark in regular-season play since the start of the 2003 season — losing back-to-back games just once during that span ... This week's sign that Chad Ochocinco never gets enough of being outlandish: The Bengals wideout has "challenged" Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman to a boxing match. "Challenged who?" Ravens star Ray Lewis said, cracking up at the thought. "It's like a Rottweiler fighting a Poodle. Come on, man. Just stick with what you do. Catch footballs and let Shawne keep rushing the passer. You don't want to get into that ring. That boxing ring is a whole other animal."