Eagles offensive line not perfect, but not bad, either

ST. LOUIS - It wasn't blocking on the right flank that felt weird for Todd Herremans, it was not standing at his long-time spot in the huddle.

Herremans started his first game ever at right tackle on Sunday, and while there were several breakdowns on the offensive line, the group held up much better than many were forecasting in the Eagles' 31-13 win over the Rams.

"The great thing about it is that it's only going to get better on from here," Herremans said. "The more we play together, the more reps that we can get, the more we can come together as a unit."

The Eagles line gives new meaning to the term patchwork. Left tackle Jason Peters is the only lineman playing the same spot as last year. Herremans was moved out from left guard two weeks ago. Evan Mathis replaced him, and just last week the newly-acquired Kyle DeVan took over for struggling rookie Danny Watkins at right guard. Oh, and rookie Jason Kelce was at center.

"For the most part I think we did our jobs today," Kelce said.

Quarterback Michael Vick was sacked three times, fumbling once when former Eagles safety Quintin Mikell blindsided him. And there could have been more, as there always is, with Vick escaping pass rusher after pass rusher.

"Mike is just one of those rare breeds that he can make something happen when the original play is not there," Kelce said. "I think that's something we always take for granted. He's a special player."

But there were times that Vick had ample room in the pocket. And even though the run game sputtered for three quarters, it took off in the fourth as running back LeSean McCoy ran for 95 yards. He finished with 122 total.

"They did a good job, man," McCoy said of the line. "They took a lot of hard shots from the media, but they stepped up and played well."

Herremans was matched up against defensive end Chris Long and kept the budding star mostly in check. Long finished with a sack and two quarterback hits. Herremans said that there was no pressure playing a new position, one responsible for protecting Vick's blindside.

"That thought was out of my head," Herremans said. "I wasn't even thinking that because I had been there for two weeks. It wasn't like they just shifted me over before the game. . . . It felt weird lining up in the spot of the huddle."

Last month, Jeremy Maclin was in his hometown of St. Louis, undergoing testing for cancer, unsure if he had a future in football.

On Sunday, he was back home, starting at wide receiver and playing the game he loves.

"I was excited just to be able to play football, and playing in St. Louis the first game was just a bonus," Maclin said.

The third-year receiver did not play in the preseason after missing most of training camp as doctors were evaluating what was later diagnosed as a virus. While he didn't have much of an impact on the game, Maclin did finish with one catch for 20 yards.

"I was worried about conditioning coming into the first game," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "I kept asking him about it, and he wanted to keep going, and we spotted him a couple times, and he wanted to get back in."

Maclin, defensive tackle Mike Patterson and long snapper Jon Dorenbos were the Eagles' captains for the game. Patterson being able to play in the opener was a minor miracle, considering he suffered a seizure just a little over a month ago.

Defensive end Darryl Tapp (sack and a forced fumble) had a pectoral strain, and linebacker Akeem Jordan had a shoulder strain. Both will have magnetic resonance imagings Monday morning. . . . Wide receiver Steve Smith, nine months removed from microfracture knee surgery, was active and was on the field for a few plays. He was not targeted, however. . . . A week ago, Watkins was the starting right guard. On Sunday, the Eagles' top draft pick was inactive. The other inactives were safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, cornerback Curtis Marsh, quarterback Vince Young, guard Julian Vandervelde, defensive end Phillip Hunt and tackle Winston Justice. . . . Kelce became the first Eagles rookie to start at center on opening day since Gene Ceppetelli in 1968, and linebacker Casey Matthews became the first Eagles rookie to start at linebacker on opening day since Alonzo Johnson in 1986. They are the 10th and 11th rookies to start on opening day under Reid. . . . Wide receiver DeSean Jackson recorded his 12th-career 100-yard game. . . . The Eagles converted 8 of their 10 third-down opportunities in the first half, 8 of 12 overall.