Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Spikes set for sideshow on either side

WHEN THE Eagles traded for linebacker Takeo Spikes on Monday, fans assumed strongside starter Dhani Jones' air banjo was about to get locked away in its imaginary case. Maybe they shouldn't remove the hypothetical earplugs just yet.

New Eagles Takeo Spikes (left) and Kelly Holcomb leave news conference with souvenir footballs after talking with reporters.
New Eagles Takeo Spikes (left) and Kelly Holcomb leave news conference with souvenir footballs after talking with reporters.Read more

WHEN THE Eagles traded for linebacker Takeo Spikes on Monday, fans assumed strongside starter Dhani Jones' air banjo was about to get locked away in its imaginary case. Maybe they shouldn't remove the hypothetical earplugs just yet.

Out in Arizona at the NFL meetings yesterday, coach Andy Reid said that the team hasn't decided where Spikes will play, and that all three linebacking spots are up for grabs.

Back at the NovaCare complex, Spikes made his first appearance as an Eagle and said he thought he could end up playing weakside (WIL) or strongside (SAM). Spikes was a Pro Bowl weakside linebacker for Buffalo in 2003 and '04 before suffering an Achilles' injury in September 2005. When he returned last season, under a new coaching staff, Spikes played the strongside.

"We talked about it, but it could be any position, and I'm going to make the plays wherever they put me," said Spikes, 30. "That's the way I truly feel."

Asked whether he had a preference, Spikes said: "I think my natural position is at either one of the outside linebackers. Of course, looking back at history and seeing where I really made my money, and where I made all the plays, and where I felt most comfortable, is the WIL linebacker position. But, I talked to Andy the other night, and Jim [Johnson, the defensive coordinator] also, so either one. We'll play around with it and just see."

Former Buffalo teammate Troy Vincent has said he thinks WIL might make the best use of Spikes' athleticism, now that he is well removed from the Achilles' injury.

One thing you can bank on: At $4.5 million this year, Spikes is going to start. If he starts at WIL, that would mean Omar Gaither competing for the middle with Jeremiah Trotter and Matt McCoy - who already has relinquished No. 51 to Spikes - backing up the newcomer. The strongside would stay as it was, with Chris Gocong as Jones' main competition. Gocong, a defensive end at Cal Poly, spent his 2006 rookie season on injured reserve.

Spikes, meanwhile, spent last season working his way back from one of football's most devastating injuries. He said he feels that process is now complete, and he will look much more like his old self in 2007.

"They told me that it would take a year - not from the time that I tore my Achilles', but a year from the time when I actually started rehabbing - and that anniversary passed in late January, early February," he said. "So, I definitely can tell a big difference, very big. I started my workouts back already, so everything's going good."

Spikes missed four games last season with a hamstring injury that might have stemmed from being unable to work out normally last offseason, as he recovered from the Achilles' injury. His best game of 2006 was the season finale, in which he recorded 12 tackles against the Ravens.

Asked yesterday when he started to feel he was back to normal, Spikes said: "Probably close to the latter part of the season. Just doing a lot of rehab throughout the year, that was hard. And then I didn't want to accept the fact [that it would take a year] . . . My goal, with my type of mentality, I wanted to try to prove to them that was wrong, and at the same time, I wanted to prove it to myself.

"So, it took some time. I got through it. I could tell gradually throughout the season - each week, every 2 weeks - I could tell that it wouldn't fatigue out like it did early in the season. By the end of the season, I felt real strong."

Spikes asked for a trade from the rebuilding Bills and left no doubt yesterday that he looks forward to playing in Philadelphia. Vincent and linebacker Carlos Emmons, who once wore No. 51 for the Birds, are among the friends he talked to about the team and the city, along with free safety Brian Dawkins and quarterback Donovan McNabb.

"It was almost like, 'Come on, guys. Did they tell you to say that?' But it was good," he said. "They had nothing but praises . . . One of the first things that came out of their mouths was the fans, the intensity, what they bring to the game. It's almost like modern-day gladiators walking into the stadium. That's me. That's what I feel. That's what I look forward to. I enjoy that."

Sharing the podium with Spikes was quarterback Kelly Holcomb, the other player the Bills traded for defensive tackle Darwin Walker and a seventh-round draft choice in 2008. Holcomb reiterated what he told the Daily News Tuesday - that he isn't concerned about his place on the depth chart, he just wants to contribute to a winning team after slogging through Cleveland and Buffalo.

Reid made it clear yesterday that A.J. Feeley is No. 2 and Holcomb is No. 3. It didn't sound as if that would be a problem to Holcomb. Holcomb, who has little experience in a West Coast offense, might end up competing for a roster spot with a draftee, more than competing for Feeley's backup role.

"I'm not worried about it," said Holcomb, who turns 34 in July. "Competition is what this business is all about. I've had to compete for everything I've gotten in this league. Whatever it is, I'm all for it. I'm going to have to compete for a job anyway, so I welcome the challenge." *