Demetress Bell will have big shoes to fill in Philadelphia as he replaces injured All Pro Jason Peters at LT. However, the situation is pretty familiar to him given that he was the guy tapped to replace Peters when the Bills traded to him Philly.
"It happened in Buffalo," said Bell. "They are some big shoes to fill, and I’m not afraid of competition at all. I do think I can get the job done. That’s what they’re going to bring me in to do and I’m sure that I can handle that."
After taking no less than 5 free agent visits, Bell says he settled on the Eagles because of his comfort with the organization and the chance to work with Howard Mudd.
"Sitting down with the coaching staff and being comfortable with the organization starts off first. To play for an organization, you have to be comfortable with your coaches and your general manager, etc. As soon as I got here, I talked to Mr. Howie Roseman and Mr. Jeffrey Lurie and they welcomed me with open arms. [Offensive line] Coach [Howard] Mudd, I shouldn’t have to say much about Coach Mudd, but I think that’s a great fit for me and my athletic ability. It was a hard decision, but hands down at the end of the day for me and my family, what I can get out of this organization was a hands down decision."
Offensive line coach Howard Mudd took Bell out to dinner his first night in Philly and filled him in on the differences between what he did in Buffalo and what he’ll need to do in Philly. Bell says that he thinks Mudd’s scheme will fit him well.
"First off, I’ll just say pass protection. In Buffalo, the technique was very set and we would just go straight back. With coach Mudd, coach Mudd’s technique is sitting wider and keeping the pocket in a circle shape. In Buffalo, you just set straight back, but with coach Mudd it’s more of a basketball technique in your defensive position and that’s how I look at it. I think that will really benefit me."
Finally, what about the name change? For his entire career he’s been known as “Demetrius Bell,” but now his first name is spelled “Demetress?”
"Chad Ochocinco’s case…you make me feel like Chad Ochocinco [joking]. It wasn’t a big deal. It was spelled [the ending] ‘tress’ on my birth certificate and I had never paid attention and had been spelling it ‘trius’. They wanted to correct that and we did. It’s not a big deal. I just wanted to correct that and get it right though. I fixed it now."