Picture this scenario: your longtime, reliable starting center tears his ACL and will not be available until partway through the 2010 season. Then, your backup center showcases his poor snapping ability and sits out the better part of training camp with lingering knee issues. Finally, it comes down to your third-string center, a three year veteran who has spent all but three games of his career on the inactive list. At this point, most NFL teams would either start scrambling desperately for a trade option or free agent pickup, or simply plow ahead and take out a large life insurance policy on their quarterback.
Thankfully, the Eagles have Mike McGlynn. The former Pittsburgh standout was somewhat of an enigma at center coming into training camp this year, having played most of his college career at right tackle and having spent his rookie year on injured reserve as a backup left guard. Now that he has apparently finished shuffling through the offensive line positions though, McGlynn had the opportunity to shine last night in his first start.
Watching McGlynn during the first quarter of play last night certainly put a few Eagle fans' minds at ease. It wasn't a mind-blowing performance, but the young center was able to display solid pass protection skills and consistent snaps. In the run game, he led the way for LeSean McCoy to gain 30 yards off of 8 attempts. McGlynn also gave up zero sacks on the night.
Andy Reid took notice of his new starting center during the game, saying "It looked like he did a decent job." However, once Nick Cole is finally able to return from his knee injury, it's likely that we'll be seeing him anchoring the o-line once again. Still, in his limited time in the spotlight, Mike McGlynn certainly made a strong case for continued playing time. Who knows? With his continued solid performance, Philadelphia might just have a backup center controversy on its hands.