"For more than a decade, Howard Mudd's job was protecting Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, the cerebral quarterback with a talent for reading defenses but whose mobility is largely limited to his pre-snap arm waving.

Now Mudd, the Eagles' new offensive line coach, is charged with drawing up ways to keep defenders off Michael Vick, whose unparalleled running ability creates unpredictable situations for offenses and defenses alike.

Mudd said this Pro Bowl quarterback, though, will get the same kind of protection as the last one. On every play, he explained, there is a spot where the quarterback is expected to throw from. Mudd will focus on making that one place a sanctuary.

"We're going to protect one spot," Mudd said. "Let him do what he does, and we'll do what we do."

If Vick runs, that's his choice. His linemen, meanwhile, will make sure they keep one place safe, Mudd said Wednesday as he discussed his approach to his new team after 12 years coaching the Colts' offensive line.

Mudd, who was briefly retired and sat out last season, has a significant new task: fixing leaks on an offensive line that allowed 49 sacks last season, fourth most in the NFL.

"I don't like the number," he said. The total is more than double what Mudd's Colts teams gave up in an average season.

Mudd, who arrived in Indianapolis in 1998, the same year as Manning, coached offensive lines that allowed the fewest or second fewest number of sacks eight times in 12 seasons. Only four times did they give up more than 20 sacks in a season.

It helped to have Manning under center, but even early in the quarterback's career the Colts ranked among the best in the NFL at protecting their passer.

Mudd's philosophy sounds straightforward, and mirrors the talk coming from a slew of new defensive coaches who also vowed to simplify things.

"Keep it simple. Do a few things and do them extraordinarily well. That's kind of going to be our motto," Mudd said. That way, when something goes wrong, it's easy to find the problem."