Mike McGlynn took over two years but will finally get his shot to play.

The process of landing a job in the NFL can be as brutal as the sport itself.

Players lucky enough to just to make to a training camp find out the sobering news that they are not the center of attention as they were in high school and college.

It may take years – if ever – for a player to get a real opportunity to play in meaning ful game.

For Eagles offensive lineman Mike McGlynn is has been two years since he was drafted in the fourth round out of the University of Pittsburgh where he was a three-time All Big East selection, earned a spot on the All-American third team, played in 47 games and notched a streak of 43 consecutive starts since taking over as the team’s starting left tackle in 2004.

That’s an impressive resume, right?

In the NFL, it means very little.

In his two seasons in Philadelphia McGlynn has in appeared in three regular season games, one playoff gameand no starts.

This season though, the 6-foot-4, 315-pounder will finally get his chance.

While starting center Jamal Jackson continues to rehab his torn anterior cruciate ligament, McGlynn has been playing with the first string offensive line, snapping the ball to newly appointed starting quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Even though coach Andy Reid has stated for the record that Jackson is the starter, the Eagles are actively looking for a starting center.

The Birds are also looking at Penn State All American A.Q. Shipley, who spent last season the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad after getting drafted in the seventh round, Dallas Reynolds out of BYU and Nick Cole, a versatile lineman who filled in late last season for Jackson and struggled in two lopsided losses to Dallas.

But McGlynn is getting the first extended look and likes it.

“I look at it as an opportunity,” McGlynn said. “All those reps I get against those ones…it’s an opportunity for me to show my talent. I am looking at it as an opportunity to play.”

Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said McGlynn has a golden opportunity and the competition will be open and may the best man win.

“I think McGlynn’s got a great opportunity here,” Morningwig said. “But we’ve got three men working [to play center]. It’s a great competition there. It’s an important position on any football team. And we’ve got to solidify that. That will be an ongoing situation with that competition. I do believe we’ve got three maybe even four players who have an opportunity there.” 

McGlynn said all he has ever wanted was a chance, now he has it.

“It’s all you can ask for,” McGlynn said. “If Marty said that today, I take it as getting as many reps as I can with those guys as a plus. These opportunities don’t come along very often so you want to take advantage of them when they do.”

The Eagles did not draft an offensive in this year’s draft. Reid said he needs to find out if players drafted over the last few years can play in the league.

Over the last few years, the lineup – which included Pro Bowlers Jon Runyan, Tra Thomas and Shawn Andrews – was nearly impossible to crack. Now those guys are gone and the Birds are building a new line.

“We’ve got to find out about McGlynn, got to find out about Reynolds,” Reid said. “We’re just giving them as many opportunities as we can.”

Reid said he was please in what he saw with McGlynn with the “ones.”

“That was the idea behind this, just give him some reps and see how he handled it,” Reid said. “It looked like he handled that very well.”

McGlynn said he just wants to play. He does not care where, just as long as he is on the field.

“I want to be the starting center, the starting guard or something.”   

McGlynn wants to play in the NFL very badly, but says he has no thirst for fame.

After his playing days are over, McGlynn says he wants to return to his high school, Austintown Fitch in Austintown, Ohio to coach and eventually become the athletic director.

It is that kind of down-to-Earth thinking McGlynn brings to the field every day, whether it’s practice or a game. It is the kind of thinking that helped shape his idea of what defines an offensive lineman.  

“You have to be tough,” McGlynn said. “You have to bring your lunch pale to work with you every day. You are kind of like a construction worker or a steel worker – you have to do all the dirty work and just get it done. When I play the game, I want to be the guy who, when you go against me, you know you’re going to get my best on every play.”