Winston Justice
Maybe it wasn't the ultimate redemption for Winston Justice. That probably would have to include, oh, say three hours' worth of pancake blocks on Osi Umenyiora. But he seemed quite happy just the same.
Maybe because now, he won't have to hear the questions about his first NFL start any more.
"It's two years ago, but I think I've grown up so much as a person and a player," Justice said Sunday, after helping the Eagles give their best offensive performance of the season in a 40-17 victory over the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field.
If you've been an Eagles fan since 2007, you know all about Justice's first start. He was assigned to replace injured Tra Thomas at left tackle, Sept. 30 of that year, at Giants Stadium. Umenyiora was his primary responsibility, one for which he was ill-prepared. And head coach Andy Reid, as he would admit later, compounded the problem by giving the second-year pro little or no help from tight ends or running backs.
Result: Umenyiora piled up six sacks, four at the expense of Justice, and the Giants totaled 12 in a 16-3 decision over the Birds that was far worse than the score.
Additional Result: Now that Justice is the starting right tackle, with Shawn Andrews out for the season, he probably had more media company last week than any right tackle in the league. But he fielded the questions smoothly, saying only that 2007 was behind him and no longer in his thoughts.
Sunday, Justice backed up those words with his performance. His primary assignment, Justin Tuck, was limited to one tackle and one pass deflection, according to the postgame statistics. And Justice wasn't responsible for either of the Giants' two sacks of Donovan McNabb.
"I thought Winston played very well just on his own," said Reid, in response to a question about the Eagles' scheme against the Giants' defensive ends. "On most of our plays, he wasn't being helped. … It wasn't just Winston the last time, although he's taken the brunt of it."
Justice credits his progress to "a lot of work," but also to his religious faith. He is one of several Eagles — fullback Leonard Weaver and wide receiver Jason Avant are others — who does not hesitate to express his Christian beliefs.
As for Sunday, he agreed that the Eagles' lightning start — they led 13-0 after just 3:45 of the first quarter — and explosive offense made things easier as the game progressed.
"I think it kept (the Giants) on their heels a little bit," he said. "When you keep a defense on their heels, and they don't know what you're doing, it gives the offense a chance to strike. That's what we did."
Their 180 yards rushing was the Eagles' best since opening day at Carolina (185), but Sunday's 7.5 yards per carry was a season high. Their two sacks allowed was the lowest total in a month. Their 6-for-11 third-down effort was a season best, as were the 40 points.
While McNabb and the skill players drew all the big postgame crowds, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg gave a lot of love to Justice and his partners on the line.
"They're a bunch of tough guys now," Mornhinweg said. "They gutted it through the past several weeks. There were a couple fellas, I was concerned about them making it through the game. (But) they're a little more healthy now, and that would be the main point I would make.
"They don't whine or cry, or miss practice, and they play. And because they're healthy, they're playing at a little higher level."
For guys like left tackle Jason Peters and left guard Todd Herremans, both on the rebound from injuries, it's more about physical health. Justice, meanwhile, is breaking new ground both physically and mentally.
"It's a big game for the offensive line," he said, "but we need to keep it up next week (against Dallas). We have a good opponent coming in, so we need to get ready for them."
Spoken like a man who understands it's more important to look forward than to dwell on the past.