Gardner And Molk Answer Call In Crucial Spot
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — There was a hopelessness to it. The Eagles were trailing 17-0 and within minutes, they saw their starting left guard, All Pro Evan Mathis, go down with a left knee injury, and then lost right tackle Allen Barbre leave with a right ankle injury.
Backing them up was Andrew Gardner, who played left tackle throughout training camp, and spuddy David Molk, who never played guard and was out of the NFL this time last year.
When they were called, they performed. It just took some time to get going. Molk found himself out of position the first few series, getting tossed one play, while Gardner was acclimating himself to the right side.
Eventually, it worked out for the two of them—and the Eagles, who rebounded for 34 unanswered points to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
"The guys on the team have a lot of confidence in each other and the defense did a great job of keeping us in the game," Gardner said. "We were finally able to get some things going. This was awesome for me—but I hope Al and Evan are doing well. I did have a few rough plays out there in the beginning, but when that happens, you can't let one bad play become two bad plays and I just put it behind me and keep playing."
Originally, Gardner replaced Mathis. But when Barbre went down, Gardner moved to right tackle and Molt came over at left guard.
"It was fun to get a chance to get into the game and make a meaningful contribution," Gardner said. "It was awesome to be a part of this team. When we all got together, we just said, 'This is what we do, this our job, and get in there and do it.' Hopefully, that's what we did. If I get the reps, I feel comfortable. All OTAs I played right tackle. If you're not going to start, you can't afford to play one position."
For Molk, he was placed in a different world. He's a center and his natural instincts initially took over. He got tossed like a ragdoll during his first series—then settled after that to actually play pretty well. The Darren Sproles 49-yard touchdown run was made possible by blocks from Molk and center Jason Kelce.
"At first, I didn't even know what I was doing," Molk said. "I played like a center in the guard spot—and you can't do that. It's further away. The timing is different. Kelce and [Jason Peters] are two guys next to me who are really good players and will help me with anything I need. It's like a bubble—and the guys were ready to support me. I didn't know I was the back-up guard.
"I didn't know I was going in until Evan went down. The first series was atrocious. You figure it out. You go out on the field and just go. If you have concern as an NFL player, or as an athlete in general, you're not going to be very good, because then you second-guess yourself, you're to be nervous. You just go. That's how it works. I saw Allen on the ground and I looked around and I was the only one left. And then I heard, 'Molk.'"
Molk was unemployed coaching high school football this time last year.
"This is all I can ask for, this is what I worked for," Molk said. "It was fun, I'm glad I'm back. I popped into a great situation with a great team that fits me well. I'm just having a lot of fun."
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Check Out These Sports Stories:
