PHILADELPHIA --
As far as marching orders go, they don't get much more daunting than those given to
rookie cornerback
.
Rowe was called into action on Thanksgiving after Nolan Carroll broke his ankle and left on an island one-on-one against Detroit Lions superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson until defensive coordinator Bill Davis finally ordered Malcolm Jenkins to travel against the one they call MegaTron.
It won't get much easier for the Eagles' second-round draft choice on Sunday when he'll be tasked with defending Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the first start of his NFL career.
MORE: These 10 Eagles have most to prove in final five games of season
Each week NJ Advance Media sits down with a member of the Eagles to get a players' perspective on a key aspect of the upcoming game. This week, Rowe talks about the challenge of going up against arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game in a series we call 'Eagles 4 downs.'
FIRST DOWN: Take us through what's going on in your mind ahead of lining up against Tom Brady.
Eric Rowe: "I've gotta be on my game. Especially against him. He'll find the smallest thing that will expose you and he's very good at exploiting that. You really have to be on point and on your toes defensively."
SECOND DOWN: Is there any sort of awe factor or added intimidation when you face Brady? He's arguably the greatest of all time. Do you have to work through any of those type of mental challenges getting ready for a game like this?
Eric Rowe: "I don't think there's any extra intimidation or anything like that. It's not like we're scared to get on the field. I'm filled with confidence. He's the greatest of all time. There's no messing around with him. But you have to be more aware. There's obviously more awareness you have to have this Sunday."
THIRD DOWN: They're a pretty banged up team right now. No Gronkowski. Dion Lewis goes down a few weeks ago. They're without Edelman. Is that an extra challenge knowing that you don't have quite as many tendencies and tells on film on the guys that will actually be out there?
Eric Rowe: "Definitely. We don't really know what they're going to do personnel wise because they lost Gronkowski. They love using 12 and 13 personnel, but with him out, I'm not really sure who will be in there. We already anticipate Danny Amendola coming back. But the tight end is a huge part of their offense. That'll be tough, but we just have to work with and stop what we're given."
FOURTH DOWN: Tom Brady is one of, if not the best at calling the offense at the line of scrimmage and audibling out of whatever play they called based on what the offense shows pre-snap. As a defense, how do you prepare for that?
Eric Rowe: "You just have to disguise what you're doing. He's probably the best pre-read quarterback. You've gotta show different leverages. You've gotta mess with him safety-wise. You have to have your linebackers show blitz even if they're not blitzing. You can't just sit in your coverage because he'll figure it out and pick you apart all day. We just have to disguise what we're doing. A lot."
Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.