Ahh, our trifecta of corners opposite Asante Samuel... How you all scare me so. The Eagles will need to use all 3 of them against the Green Bay Packers' impressive and deep receiving corps comprised of the following players:
Greg Jennings - 76 catches, 1265 yards, 12 TD
Donald Driver - 51 catches, 565 yards, 4 TD
Jordy Nelson - 45 catches, 582 yards, 2 TD
James Jones - 50 catches, 679 yards, 5 TD
With the Packers running 4 very talented players deep at WR, Joselio Hanson, Dimitri Patterson, and Trevard Lindley will all undoubtedly see playing time next Sunday. But which of the 3 will start and see the most time on the field next Sunday?
Andy Reid was non-committal. When asked whether Dimitri Patterson will start next week, he gave his standard Andy answer:
"We'll see how all of that works out."
When Patterson was asked what his role on the team was, he gave a non-answer Reid would be proud of:
"My role is, whenever my number is called, to be productive. That is really what my role has been in my whole career. I really don't know. I am just going to keep going out and prepare myself the way I have been doing. I will go from there."
Joselio Hanson was asked if he'd start next week, and again, not much:
"I'll see by Wednesday. We'll see what happens. If I am, it would be great. If I'm not, I'm just going to play my role."
So let's play "Being Sean McDermott." Who would you start if you were the Eagles defensive coordinator?
Joselio Hanson - Has playoff experience, and is by far the most experienced corner not named Asante Samuel on the Eagles. Decent slot corner, doesn't seem to be very comfortable on the outside.
Dimitri Patterson - Had some really good games (Colts, Redskins, Cowboys), and some really bad ones (Giants, Vikings). Probably the biggest playmaker of the 3, but also the most susceptible to the big play.
Trevard Lindley - The rookie wildcard. Has gotten extensive work in just 5 games during his NFL career, including one start. Has mostly played well, but there really isn't enough tape to fully evaluate how good the kid is. Would the Eagles trust the rookie to start in such a big game?