Guy Morriss in Center of Things for Eagles and top-ranked at No. 50
The same player who came in second in our rankings when the No. 62 was looked at nearly two weeks ago, is now atop the rankings with No. 50.
The number 50 is more suited for Morris than the No. 62, which had Jason Kelce firmly entrenched in the top spot. Norris wore No. 50 for 10 of his 11 years in Philadelphia.
It’s a testament to just how good he was when he played center for the Eagles that he was ranked second behind Kelce at No. 62.
Here are the rankings:
Current number 50:
Duke Riley. A former third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 out LSU, Riley was traded to the Eagles in Week 5 last year in exchange for safety Johnathan Cyprien. Riley made an instant impact on special teams, playing the fourth-most snaps (254, 46 percent) and ended up third on the teams in special teams tackles with 10, behind T.J. Edwards’ 14 and Craig James’ 12.
The question is, can he step into a larger role on defense with a linebacker group that has only one real returner in Nathan Gerry.
Top 3 to wear No. 50:
3. Garry Cobb. Quite the prolific sack artist for a linebacker, Cobb spent the first six years of his career with the Lions before coming to Philadelphia in 1985 for a three-year stint that saw him start 39 games and record 12 sacks.
In his 11-year career, which began as a ninth-round selection in 1979, Cobb registered 23.5 sacks and 10 interceptions. He continues to work as a radio and TV personality in Philly.
2. James Willis. The linebacker spent the first two years of his career in Green Bay after the Packers selected him in the fifth round of the 1993 draft. He arrived with the Eagles in 1995 and spent four of his final five seasons in the league in Philadelphia.
Willis shares the record for the longest interception return in team history after scoring on a 104-yard interception against the Dallas Cowboys in 1996 after intercepting Troy Aikman four years in the end zone, returning it 14 yards before making a heads-up lateral to Troy Vincent who finished off the return by covering 90 yards for a score.
Willis spent some time coaching as an assistant at both the college and NFL levels after he retired following his final season with the Seahawks.
1. Guy Morriss. A second-round pick from TCU in 1973, the 28th player taken overall, Morriss wasted little time breaking into the starting lineup, starting nine of 14 games as a rookie. He went on to start a total of 151 games for the Eagles during his 11 years with them, including the team’s 1980 Super Bowl appearance.
He left Philly following the 1983 season and played four more years with the New England Patriots, starting 22 more games.
Morriss went on to become the head coach at the University of Kentucky for two seasons (2001-02) and Baylor for five seasons (2003-07). Now 69, he is currently an offensive line coach for Lexington Christian Academy in Lexington, Ky.
Runner-up:
Casey Matthews. He was never as good as his father Clay, or his uncle, Bruce, or even his brother, Clay, and for that, he was never really embraced by Eagles fans. Casey Matthews, though, played 64 games in all four of his NFL seasons.
He arrived as a fourth-round pick from Oregon, and that seemed to make him a favorite of Chip Kelly, who came from Oregon two years after Matthews' NFL career began in 2011.
Matthews’ best moments came as a special team player.
Others:
Alabama Pitts, Don Jackson, Robert Bjorklund, Ken Hayden, Al Wukits, Baptiste Manzini, Bob Kelley, Darrel Aschbacher, Dave Recher, Ron Porter, Dave Rimington, Alonzo Ephraim, Mark Simoneau, Zeke Moreno, Justin Ena, Tank Daniels, Will Witherspoon, Ernie Sims, Kiko Alonso, Stephen Tulloch, Bryan Braman, and LaRoy Reynolds.
