by By Jeff McLane; Inquirer Staff Writer , The Philadelphia Inquirer

How do you block an outside linebacker - the best defensive player in the NFL, as Eagles tight end Brent Celek called him recently - who "has no weaknesses" in his game?

If there were an answer, the mastermind who could devise a way to stop Dallas' DeMarcus Ware would become as rich as the Cowboys linebacker, who became the league's highest-paid defensive player last month (six-year, $78 million contract).

Teams normally aren't apt to reveal their game plans against certain players, especially one as dangerous as Ware. But even if they were that forthcoming, there really are only so many ways to prevent the all-pro from getting to the quarterback and disrupting an offense.

Through the first four games of this season, there appeared to be some chink in Ware's armor as he was held without a sack. But he arrives at Lincoln Financial Field tonight, with first place in the NFC East up for grabs, having recorded five sacks in his last three games. The fifth-year pro might not be on pace to eclipse last year's NFL-best 20 sacks, but he has the Eagles - who have been victimized by Ware over the years - on red alert.

"The one thing I'll say about him is, he is a dynamite player," Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "He is fast and quick like a running back-linebacker-receiver type guy. And he's big and strong, as well."

After a disastrous six-sack performance at Oakland three weeks ago, the Eagles' offensive line has regained some of its composure. Last week, the unit held the New York Giants to just two sacks, even though Peters continued to struggle on the left. Ware mostly lines up opposite the left tackle, but he's often freed to go rogue.

"He walks around. He finds matchups," said Peters, who faced Ware two seasons ago when the Eagles' tackle was in Buffalo. "Sometimes he goes against the tight end. Sometimes he wants the tackle. But most of the time, he's walking around and moving around and finding weaknesses in the offensive line."

When Shawn Andrews was lost for the season and Winston Justice was named his replacement at right tackle, the prevailing thought was that he would be the line's weak link. Justice, though, has been steady. That doesn't mean Justice, or Peters, will be left on an island very often.

"We got things in for him that will help out our offensive tackles," Celek said.

Any number of players could help - the guards, the tight end, the fullback, the running back, the slot receiver - but using too much protection could limit quarterback Donovan McNabb's receiving options. So running backs Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy, fullback Leonard Weaver, and Celek will chip-block and then go out on occasion.

"He's a guy you've got to be aware of at all times," Weaver said. "So you've got to chip him, you've got to double-team him."

In the Cowboys' first four games, opponents were able to double-team Ware constantly because strong-side linebacker Anthony Spencer was unable to create pressure. Ware used to have Greg Ellis opposite him in Dallas' 3-4 scheme, but Ellis was released in the off-season and the Raiders picked him up. Spencer has yet to record a sack this season, while Ellis has four.

Ware "was almost there a whole lot of times," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "I think he had four, five or six hits on the quarterback first game of the season. Sometimes, it comes in bunches, but he's pretty consistent overall."

Ware rarely plants himself into a three-point stance. He likes to stand hunched over with his arms dangling and his fingers twitching.

"What it does is, it gives them flexibility," Reid said. "If they want to drop him [into pass coverage], they can drop him. If they want to rush him, they can rush him."

He rarely drifts back into coverage, though. He's a rusher in the classic 3-4 Charles Haley mold. He wears the No. 94 Haley wore in Dallas and he's similarly built (6-foot-4, 262 pounds). He may already be better. He has an explosive first step; he can maneuver inside, and he can even bull rush over 350-pound linemen.

He is not invincible, however, and the Eagles say they won't audible at the line or call out different blocking assignments based on Ware's alignment.

"We do focus in on knowing where he is at," McNabb said. "But nothing to the fact that you make checks because he's lined up in a certain situation. We have the utmost confidence in our guys up front."

One way to hold Ware without a sack would be for McNabb to take shorter drops and release quicker passes. Of course, Ware is more than just a sack-master. In fact, the two times he has scored a touchdown in the NFL didn't come as result of one of his sacks. Coincidentally, both involved current Eagles quarterbacks in 2006.

In just his third game against the Eagles , Ware scooped up a McNabb fumble caused by an Ellis sack and raced 69 yards for a score. Two months later, against Atlanta, he intercepted a Michael Vick screen pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.

Vick threw four touchdown passes in that game, but the one thing he remembered was Ware's leaping several feet, snatching his pass, and then breaking through his attempt at a tackle.

"I realized right then," Vick said, "that he would become a great player."

Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.

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