Is Macho the Man?

Courtesy: Bradley C. Bower/AP

It’s September 8, 2009 and the Eagles have still not found a permanent replacement for the departed Brian Dawkins. For the last several months, we were all led to believe that guy was Quintin Demps. The coaching staff talked him up and displayed nothing but confidence in the second-year free safety.

Yesterday, a mere six days before the season opener in Carolina, rookie Macho Harris was seen running with the first team defense. Is he really the answer, or does this represent a last ditch attempt by Big Red and Little Red to light a fire under the disappointing Demps?

Harris has shown excellent ball instincts and a willingness to hit all summer long. He clearly has a high football acumen and looks like a long-term keeper. But weren’t we saying the same things about Demps last summer? Wasn’t he the rookie with tons of upside? The difference being that last season there was still a guy named Dawkins patrolling the back of the secondary. Ah… those were the days.

With the spotlight directly on him and the pressure to perform mounting, Demps appears to have flopped. His play on the field has been spotty at best. Off the field, he has vented frustration at the notion he must earn the job, and even hinted that the coaching staff in some way betrayed him by not handing him a starting gig. His own words tell the tale:

“We’re all men. We all could tell that I wasn’t being consistent enough… There’s no sugarcoating it in the NFL. It is what it is.”

Doesn’t sound like a player ready to seize a job, does it? Whatever the reasons, Demps has fallen out of favor with Reid and McDermott. If he wants to place blame, all he need do is look squarely in the mirror.

That leaves Macho Harris next in line. Has he outplayed Demps? Yes. Is he ready to become the center fielder of an aggressive defensive attack? Unknown. I’d like to feel good about his chances, but a rookie defender hasn’t started the season since Corey Simon back in 2000. The JJ system is complex and filled with all sorts of variables. It took Dawk almost three years before he felt comfortable manning the position.

This doesn’t bode well for Harris, who is a converted cornerback. Is he a star in the making, or simply the ripest apple in a basket of rotten ones? I just don’t know. Unfortunately, I don’t think the coaches do either.

Subscribe to ITI