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It's Brodrick Bunkley's world, we're just living in it

By JasonB
I've been singling out Brodrick Bunkley for praise every single week so far. In fact, I said on the BGN Live podcast that I think he has the made the biggest jump of any player on the team in terms of development from last year to this year. The media seems to agree, as evidenced by the flood of Bunk articles this week.

Reuben Frank: Bunkley: From bust to force

It really has been a remarkable transformation for Bunkley, who is the first Eagle defensive tackle with two sacks in a game since Darwin Walker against the Cowboys the fifth week of last year.

Walker had occasional bursts of pass pressure but didn't give the Eagles the bulk and the power to move offensive guards out of the way that Bunkley is showing.
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If you're looking for one easy answer why the Eagles ranked 26th in rush defense last year and allowed an insane 142 yards per game and 4.6 per carry and are now third in the NFL and giving up just 72 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry, look right at No. 97.

The new No. 97.

Eagles' defensive line flying high

This is a great time to be a member of the Eagles' defensive line.

After three weeks, the team leads the NFL with 14 sacks and is ranked fourth against the run, allowing just 71.7 yards per game.

Thanks to big plays by Cole, fellow defensive end Juqua Thomas, and second-year defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley, the Eagles prevented the Lions' talented, big-play receivers from doing too much damage against a depleted secondary.

Geoff Mosher: Bunkley out of doghouse, in QB's face

With Bunkley and Patterson generating a good push -- as opposed to getting knocked backward, an all-too-frequent occurrence last season -- linebackers and defensive backs have flocked to the ball without 300-plus-pound offensive linemen impeding their routes.

Three weeks into the new season, the Eagles have the NFL's third-best rushing defense, allowing 71.7 yards per game.

"It's amazing, the difference between last year and this year," middle linebacker Omar Gaither said of Bunkley. "He came in focused from day one this season and it has shown. If he can do this every year, he's going to be a great D-tackle for a long time."

Parillo: Bunkley starting to look like a No. 1 pick

"A lot of times, guys who are a little bit in the doghouse their rookie year tank it," Reid said yesterday. "[Bunkley] actually admitted he wasn't quite ready and he attacked that issue. He really attacked it in the off-season. He spent the whole off-season up here, working hard, detailing his work, and it's paying off for him right now."

Smallwood: Bunkley a brute force on defense

With two sacks, a career-high four tackles and two more quarterback hits, Bunkley's play against Detroit was his breakout game. But the truth is that the he has been a force to deal with in all three of the Eagles games this season.

It's not all about statistics with defensive tackles.

By keeping offensive linemen engaged and forcing teams to account for him, Bunkley is helping free up other Eagle defenders allowing them to do their thing.

The guy who couldn't get on the field as a rookie is now playing like the impact tackle the Eagles thought they were getting when they drafted him.

McCann: Eagles' Bunkley looks like real deal

Coming into this season, the Eagles had a 6-foot-2, 306 pound question mark at defensive tackle named Brodrick Bunkley.

Three games into the 2007 campaign, that question mark has straightened into an exclamation point, as Bunkley has been a consistent, occasionally dominant force in the middle of the Eagles' defensive line.

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