Friday Twitter Mailbag: Where is Bryce Brown?

Matt Lombardo

November 1 2013

Bryce Brown certainly has had an up-and-down start to his career, but has had trouble seeing the field in his sophomore season, and first under run oriented coach Chip Kelly. Photo:MCall.com

Each Friday morning we will select some of the top questions we receive on Twitter and give them the kind of insight and analysis that can't fit within 140 characters. To have your question asked simply tweet it to @MattLombardo975 or@EagledelphiaPA and check back each Friday morning to see if it makes the cut!

From: Ben Aven (@AndBenPercnt12h:

What's the deal with Bryce Brown? His touches are lower than expected & he hasn't shown much of anything.

Bryce Brown was one of the biggest enigmas on the Eagles roster as a rookie last season.

The Kansas State product burst onto the scene averaging 4.9 yards per carry while carrying the ball 115 times for 564 yards and four touchdowns, largely in relief of LeSean McCoy who missed four games with a concussion.

But there were also the four fumbles which certainly punched a hole in Brown's trustworthiness as a ball carrier.

Fast forward to 2013 and Brown has become a non-factor, toting the rock 38 times for 98 yards to go with five catches for 50 yards.

Given head coach Chip Kelly's propensity for running the football and the fact that McCoy is the league's leading rusher through eight games it's certainly a mystery as to what has happened to Brown who seems to have faded into obscurity.

However, given the fact that the Eagles have been playing from behind for the majority of six of the first eight games it's difficult to establish the run game early enough and carry it through long enough to have enough carries to go around between both McCoy and Brown.

McCoy himself has only posted 20 or more carries in a single game three times in the past six games. When it comes to Brown, it simply appears that there haven't been enough opportunities in the run game for him to become a factor.

If the Eagles can ultimately jump out to an early lead on a team or find sustained success in the run game, then Brown should see a slightly increased workload. Until then, he's probably a guy who gets less than a handful of carries each week when McCoy needs a spell.

From Kevin Dixon on Facebook: What grade would you give O- line at midpoint ?

It's no secret that the Eagles offensive line has been one of the more disappointing aspects of this season, especially in the team's offensive decline over the past several weeks.

Entering the season the line of Jason Peters, Todd Herremans, Jason Kelce, Evan Mathis and rookie Lane Johnson were expected to be one of the more dominant offensive lines in the league.

However, the line has fallen on hard times and has seen struggles, particularly in the run game, ever since topping the Giants 36-21 at MetLife Stadium on October 6th.

Peters hasn't come close to approaching the All-Pro level that we have become accustomed to. Kelce has been dominated at the point of attack by interior defensive linemen over the past few games and Herremans' play has left much to be desired. The lone bright spot has been Mathis who continues to grade out well from week to week.

If I were filling out the report card for the offensive line, I'd give them a solid C.

Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.

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