Eagles' Runyan to Strahan (respectfully, of course): Good riddance

The question was direct, and so was Jon Runyan's response.

"You going to miss Michael Strahan?" Runyan was asked.

"No," he said immediately. "But it will be different facing the New York Giants."

As the right tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, Runyan spent the past eight years trying to keep Strahan off his quarterbacks, and there have to be easier ways to make a living. Rewind the videotape to the Eagles-Giants 2000 playoff game, and you'll see what I mean.

Strahan beat Runyan for two sacks, both resulting in fumbles. But it was one sack in particular that was memorable -- with Strahan hammering his opponent high, knocking him to the ground, then using Runyan as a doormat as he stepped on and over him en route to Donovan McNabb.

"That still (ticks) me off," Runyan said.

It should. Runyan is nobody's doormat. In fact, he has been one of the best offensive tackles in the game for years. But on that afternoon in January 2001, he witnessed what made Strahan one of the most formidable pass rushers in the game.

"He was the type of guy who threw everything at you," Runyan said. "Even if he was hurt he would do everything he could. The biggest thing was that he wasn't going to beat you with one move. He would wait for you to get out of position, and then he would take advantage of it. He wouldn't set you up, but he would wait and react off of something you might do stupidly."

Strahan often saved his best for Runyan and the Eagles. In fact, 21.5 of his career sacks were against Philadelphia -- more than any opponent -- and his 12.5 sacks of McNabb were the most of any quarterback.

"He did things old school," Runyan said. "He didn't rely on pure athletic ability. He was very smart and studied the game. He would try to wear you down, and he would be patient. And the remarkable thing is he did it for years (15 to be exact). It didn't make a difference if you doubled him or chipped him he still got home. And that's a testament to how good he is."

A year ago the Giants produced a club-record 12 sacks against Philadelphia in a 16-3 victory, with many of them coming at the expense of left tackle Winston Justice -- making an emergency start in place of injured William Thomas. Osi Umenyiora set a Giants record that evening with six sacks, but Strahan managed to make a name for himself, too.

He had one sack to break the club record, previously held by Strahan and Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.

"I have tremendous amount of respect for him," Runyan said of Strahan. "He's one of the few guys left in the league who doesn't consider himself as only a pass rusher. He plays the whole game."

And he played it so well that Runyan didn't hesitate when asked to rank Strahan among the defensive linemen he faced in his 12 pro seasons.

"I would put him right up there with Reggie White," he said.

No wonder he won't miss him.