Galan brothers anchor defensive line

A lot of football teams try to use a mix of power and technique on the defensive line. In this respect, Penn is no different from any other football team. It's just that most defenses don't derive that mix from a pair of brothers. "They're my two best players right now," Penn defensive line coach Jim Schaefer said of Ed and John Galan. "They work hard in practice, bust their butts and they've become good leaders on the defensive line. At this point, they're probably the two most important guys to me up front." Both Galans are men of tremendous stature, scary enough to imagine from a quarterback's perspective even when they aren't wearing their pads. On Saturdays, blocking Ed, a 6'0", 255-pound senior and John, a 6'3", 260-pound junior, is particularly daunting. Ed registered five sacks in 1998, and John picked up four of his own last season. "Eddie is one of the strongest kids in our conference, and he can be a real force in our defense," Penn defensive coordinator Ray Priore said. "John is a real good pass rusher... a little more low-key. Both play extremely hard." But they do it differently. Thickly built and extremely powerful, Ed tends to muscle his way through offensive lines. John tends to rely on his moves to make his way into opposing backfields. "He's a little stronger than I am," John said. "He's a little more power. I'm a little more technique.... He's probably the strongest kid by far on our team, so he has great strength. He just blows people off the line. I have to rely more on my technique and speed." Defensive style seems to be just about the only difference between the two brothers, who were born 17 months apart. Like many other recent Penn standouts, including Jim Finn, Joe Piela and Carmelo Rubano, both attended Bergen Catholic (N.J.) High School, where both also played lacrosse and wrestled. The Galans are both Philosophy, Politics and Economics majors, and both now live in the same house. They couldn't see things being any other way. "Everyone was like, OCan you go to the same college and be in his shadow?'" John said. "I don't feel like I'm in his shadow. I feel like we complement each other very well. People ask if you can go to the same school, play behind your brother, but... I don't think I could imagine us not playing together. We've been doing it so long." Of course, things haven't always been completely harmonious between the two brothers. "Yeah, I used to beat him up," John says. "Gave me my only bloody nose ever," Ed says with multiple levels of pride. But John is quick to add, "We haven't fought in a long time. We get along great." Such a relationship affords the Quakers the sort of chemistry along the defensive front that doesn't tend to exist in college. That is because it is extremely rare for teammates to play side by side for more than a couple of seasons before moving on. These two have been at it for a lifetime. "I've played with him so long, I feel a little more confident," John said. "I know he's going to do his job, get it done. I don't have to worry, because I know he's going to do what he's got to do." The bond of trust and confidence that they have in each other allows the Galans to admire each other's work on the field. "He's a pass rushing specialist," Ed said. "You watch him pass rush and you're amazed at the moves he pulls off." Their impressive play has led to raised expectations of performance. "They mean an awful lot to me as far as this season goes," Schaefer said. "If we keep them healthy, they're going to have a hell of a season for us." Since Ed is a senior, this will also be the last season that he and John play together for the Quakers. "Every game we've played since we were little together is a memory," Ed said. "There's not one specific thing. It's a great memory altogether.

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