Nov 24, 2002 4 min read

Detmer, Chandler face different challenges with same perspective SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Koy Detmer has enough experience as a career backup to approach his daunting assignment with perspective.

On the other sideline, Jeff Chandler has never been in a situation like this in his life.

The Eagles’ offense got a new leader when Donovan McNabb’s broken right ankle was discovered following another victory for first-place Philadelphia (7-3) last Sunday. Detmer’s first assignment is against the San Francisco 49ers’ impressive defense in the swirling night winds of Candlestick Park on Monday night.

That’s when Chandler will make his NFL debut as the 49ers’ kicker – wearing throwback uniforms from San Francisco’s championship teams of the 1980s, no less.

Neither Detmer nor Chandler will have it easy, but neither would dream of passing up the chance to get off the sidelines, particularly in a game with so much potential meaning to NFC playoff position.

“It’s a tough adjustment to being a backup, because most of the guys in this league have been stars their whole lives until they get up here,” said Chandler, who kicked for Steve Spurrier at Florida. “It takes some perspective, but you’ve also got to make sure that you’re always ready. In this league, backups become starters real fast sometimes.”

Detmer has started just six games in the past five seasons, none since 1999, McNabb’s rookie year. He has thrown just 17 passes over the last three seasons, but when he saw McNabb limping during last Sunday’s victory over Arizona, he knew his moment was arriving.

“I knew that at least I would have to help out and take over some of the practice reps and stuff like that,” Detmer said. “But in the back of your mind as a backup, you’re always thinking about having to go in. You prepare that way.”

The Eagles are a bit surprised by predictions of their impending demise without McNabb. After all, Andy Reid’s team has a sturdy defense, a punishing ground game and a playoff-tested roster.

“We know on any given play, the player in front of us can be knocked out of the game,” linebacker Ike Reese said. “With Donovan out, this is the mindset we have to take: He’s just the same as any other starter that got hurt. Just like Carlos (Emmons) got hurt a few weeks ago, and I had to step in.

“When you start saying, ‘Oh God, our quarterback is out, who do we have coming in behind him? We have to start doing extra stuff’ – we just can’t do that. We have to go about our business the same.”

While Detmer’s performance looms large in the big picture, the 49ers (7-3) have been hurt by little things all season: an inconsistent kicker, a mediocre punter, poor play by their extra defensive backs – even a receiver with a distracting desire for the spotlight and a pen in his sock.

Those little things added up to a loss last week when Jose Cortez missed a 41-yard field goal in overtime. Three days after the Chargers rallied to win that game, coach Steve Mariucci demoted Cortez and handed the job to Chandler, a rookie who will try to recover from 2 1/2 months without game action.

The 49ers have faced many of these decisions because of their salary-cap-motivated strategy of using inexperienced players at their specialist positions. The Eagles have powerful kicker David Akers and 40-year-old punter Sean Landeta; the 49ers have Chandler and second-year punter Jason Baker.

“With all the cap issues we’ve had and all of our needs, the specialists just had to wait, frankly,” 49ers general manager Terry Donahue said. “We haven’t had the wherewithal to go out and spend a lot of money at those positions … (but) if you score enough touchdowns, nobody cares who your kicker is.”

So the 49ers hope to make their kickers irrelevant by harassing Detmer, who admits the adjustment from years of practice and exhibition games to prime-time play could be difficult.

San Francisco has a markedly improved pass rush this fall with maturing defensive end Andre Carter and versatile linebacker Julian Peterson, though it didn’t do much against Drew Brees last week in the loss to the Chargers.

“Any time a new guy steps into a lineup, the thing a lot of defenses try to do is blitz the new guy,” Detmer said. “That seems to be the theme around the league. I’m anticipating the blitz, and we’re doing our best to prepare.”