Babin's release catches Eagles off guard

WHEN NEWS spread of Jason Babin's release Tuesday, uncertainty and concern spread with it.

"My mom called me," defensive end Brandon Graham said. "Everybody was calling, saying, 'What's going on? Everything all right?' Hopefully, I'll still be here," Graham said, chuckling.

"I'm just going to take this opportunity, and I'm about to go hard. Y'all going to see me this weekend. You're going to hear from me."

Graham said he was sorry to see Babin go, but he grasped immediately what his mother did not: Babin's departure made Graham a starter. This became official when the Eagles took to the practice field Wednesday to begin preparing for this weekend's visit to Dallas.

Eagles coach Andy Reid's stated reason for releasing his 32-year-old Pro Bowl pass rusher from a year ago was to give more playing time to his younger guys, the Eagles buried at 3-8 and riding a seven-game losing streak. This means more of Graham, the 2010 first-rounder who has shown flashes in limited playing time this season, and much more of 2012 second-rounder Vinny Curry. Curry made his NFL debut Monday against the Panthers and led Eagles defensive linemen with five tackles. It might even mean some trickle-down playing time for Phillip Hunt, the former CFL star who has been inactive the last three games. Hunt said he was in the rotation for Wednesday's practice.

"As young guys, we're just gonna have to step up," said Curry, who called Babin, claimed on waivers by Jacksonville Wednesday, "a good guy, a good teammate, helluva football player." Asked whether he now expects to get more than the 21 snaps he recorded in his debut, Curry said: "I hope so. I'm just going to work my tail off today and the rest of the week."

Curry's energy and effort stood out Monday. On one play, he tried to sack Cam Newton, missed, got up and chased Newton down as he scrambled.

"If you watch Trent Cole and those guys in front of me, those guys, they sell out," Curry said. "I just wanted to give it everything I've got. It was about proving myself to those guys, as well."

Speaking of Cole, Babin's hunting buddy said they were in Cole's garage, Babin getting ready to head home, when Babin's cellphone rang Tuesday afternoon. Later, Babin would tell a radio interviewer that he was pretty sure when Andy Reid's name came up on the screen, it wasn't going to be good news, and that he laughed when Reid told him his reason for calling.

"He said, 'Yeah, they just released me.' I thought he was playing at first . . . he wasn't," Cole said. "It was shocking to him . . . I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't have words for him."

Cole said Babin went home immediately.

"He's got a family to take care of; he's gotta go home and get things situated. That's life-turning."

Like Graham, Cole got a call from his mom, among many others, he said.

"They were all surprised . . . I didn't answer the phone, though," he said.

Did Cole, who has 1 1/2 sacks this season, after notching 11 in 2011, worry about his own situation?

"I don't live life worried," Cole said. "I worry about what's now . . . You've gotta keep movin' on. You can't harp on it; don't let it get under your skin.

"I know Jason's going to find a great home, he's going to be very successful. He's going to make somebody happy."

Cole said Curry "is going to be a great player. I see a lot of potential in him."

Curry said after the game he heard from a lot of Marshall fans "glad to see me back on the field." He said close friends might have wanted to congratulate him, "but they know I'm a sore loser, not to call after a loss."

When Reid was asked why it took so long to get Curry into the lineup, he said the coaching staff had worked with the rookie on the "run-pass transition." That would seem to have been a challenge this season for more than a few Eagles defensive linemen, under defensive line coach Jim Washburn's wide-nine setup.

Graham, meanwhile, technically started against Carolina, since the Birds opened in a five-lineman front that included him. He has 13 hurries - but only one sack - in limited but increasing action over the last seven games.

"I'm excited. I can't wait to go out there and make plays . . . I can't just get to the quarterback, I've got to get him," Graham said. "I gotta play good on the run. That's what I'm working on, all this week. I'm about to do extra sprints to make sure I'm conditioned right, get myself together so I'll be ready for Dallas."

Middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, a 7-year vet, said he has seen enough of the NFL that he wasn't particularly surprised by the Babin news.

"I think it's good to see the younger guys, see what they can do . . . For those guys, I'm happy that they get an opportunity," Ryans said.

Where does this leave the mood of the team?

"The mood is, we're trying to win, we're trying to beat the Cowboys," Ryans said. "That's the mood."

Defensive tackle Mike Patterson said he "most definitely" was surprised to see Babin go.

"We've seen a lot of stuff over the years," said Patterson, who was a rookie when another Pro Bowl vet, Terrell Owens, got his walking papers from the Birds 7 years ago, also in November. That happened in the midst of Reid's only previous losing season since 1999.

Was Babin's departure a message to the underperforming defense?

"It could be, if you look at it that way," Patterson said. "You'll only see the message if you're not playing well . . . as long as everybody continues to play, and goes out there and works hard, you got nothing to worry about."

Twenty-four-year-old defensive tackle Cedric Thornton might not get many more reps from Babin's leaving, but Thornton reported that Babin did leave him Babin's array of nutritional supplements.

"I guess he was trying to say I'm weak," Thornton joked.

Blog: eagletarian.com