The center position isn't completely foreign to Mathis, who played a few games at the position early in his college career at Alabama, though he has yet to take an NFL regular season snap in the middle. Still, Mathis said that if he is called upon to start at center Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys he expects the transition to be seamless.
"It better be," he said. "I expect a lot out of myself, so that's what I'm trying to deliver."
Other than physically snapping the ball to the quarterback, the biggest adjustment from guard to center has to do with making the pre-snap reads and calls. Knowing all along that he's been the team's emergency center, Mathis has been attending the weekly meetings for centers and quarterbacks all season long.
The veteran said that preparation has rubbed off on him during games, as he will sometimes find himself diagnosing defenses like a center before the snap even at his left guard position.
"For the most part," he said. "Some plays I'm thinking about more guard stuff, but usually my process is seeing the big picture."
Though the Eagles do have another center on the roster in
"I like playing football anywhere you need me," he said.
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