Would The Birds Really Start A Rookie Seventh-Rounder At MLB?

--Posted By BountyBowl--

According to Reuben Frank and others, the Eagles are considering using rookie Moise Fokou as the team's starting middle linebacker:

Fokou, an unheralded rookie out of Maryland and the 230th pick in this year's draft, found himself Tuesday getting some work with the Eagles' first defense at middle linebacker. A new position and a new role for Fokou, who had been practicing as a backup strong-side linebacker.

"I guess the coaches felt it was a better fit to come in and help out at middle linebacker," said Fokou, who seemed a little bewildered after practice talking about his possibly temporary, possibly permanent promotion. "I'm just going to take it and run with it. It's a lot different. I have to be a lot more vocal. You're like the quarterback on defense, and I've never done that on any level."

So when Fokou was minding his business on the sideline, and he got the call to take the field with the first team, you can imagine how surprised he was.

"It was eye-opening," he said. "All of a sudden, there are a lot of grown men all looking down at me and waiting. I'm like, 'What do I tell these guys?' So I just called the defense, and we went out and played."

His meet-cute with the rest of the defense aside (I think I can hear him batting his eyelashes in the above quote, inasmuch as 235-pound linebackers have eyelashes and are capable of batting them), is anyone buying this?  That is, are the Eagles really considering the move, or is this just a wake-up call for/ fire under the ass of Joe Mays?  Andy Reid did parse his words carefully in re: Mays yesterday, suggesting that this was a "big game" for Mays. 

The question is, how big?  Big enough that Andy Reid would start a rookie (who has never played the position much less had the radio in his helmet) at middle linebacker?  Or just big enough to hand the job back to Omar Gaither (provided he heals appropriately).

Personally, I'm not convinced.  Mays will be the guy against Carolina, though I'm certainly not disappointed to hear that the Eagles think highly enough of a rookie linebacker to consider him for this spot.  That certainly bodes well for some depth at the position.

(Or it just means the starters aren't very good.  One of those.)