Maybe things will work out.
Malcolm Jenkins: Biggest move in secondary was coaching change
In his first season with the Eagles, Malcolm Jenkins recorded 80 tackles, 15 pass deflections and three interceptions. (USA Today Images)
Maybe the biggest move the Eagles made in the secondary wasn’t signing Byron Maxwell or Walter Thurmond.
Maybe the biggest move the Eagles made in the secondary wasn’t cutting ties with Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher and Nate Allen.
Maybe the biggest move the Eagles made in the secondary wasn’t drafting Eric Rowe, JaCorey Shepherd and Randall Evans.
Malcolm Jenkins suggested this week it was replacing John Lovett with Cory Undlin.
The Eagles quietly “re-assigned” two veteran position coaches on Jan. 20, moving tight ends coach Ted Williams and defensive backs coach Lovett into retirement positions in the scouting department.
They replaced Lovett with Undlin, and after just a few months, Jenkins can see a huge difference.
“Adding Cory Undlin is really probably the biggest addition we had when you talk about upgrading that (defensive backs) room,” Jenkins said.
That does not reflect well on Lovett.
It was no secret that the veteran defensive backs on the Eagles the last couple years were not in lockstep with Lovett, who had 17 jobs from 1977 through 2014. Which means he lasted about two years and three months on the average per job.
Lovett was considered limited when it came to teaching technique, and it showed on the field in his two years as the Eagles’ secondary coach.
The Eagles allowed 4,636 passing yards in 2013, fifth-most in NFL history, and 4,238 last year, 20th-most in NFL history.
The 8,874 yards they allowed in Lovett’s two years as secondary coach is the second-most any NFL team has ever allowed in a two-year period. The Eagles are also one of only two teams in NFL history to allow 4,200 or more passing yards in consecutive years.
The Eagles' corners were especially lacking in technique when it came to jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Their inability to prevent receivers like Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson and Jordy Nelson from free runs down the field is the main reason the Eagles allowed 18 completions of at least 40 yards last year, the most in the NFL in 13 years.
The Eagles actually ranked third in opposing completion percentage at 58.4 percent but allowed an NFL-high 12.3 yards per completion. They became the first team in NFL history to allow more than 4,000 passing yards while limiting QBs to less than 59 percent completion.
Jenkins said the scheme and personnel weren’t the problem, the guys just weren’t prepared on game day.
And that is a direct reflection on coaching.
“The biggest thing is keeping the ball in front of us,” Jenkins said after OTA practice Thursday. “It’s that simple. Fooball’s not a complicated game. When you keep the ball in front of you as a secondary, nine times out of 10 you’re going to win.
“And we had tight coverage. If you look at the completion rating against the secondary, we were really good from that standpoint. … The biggest thing is just keeping the ball in front of us, and that has nothing to do with scheme and nothing to do with personnel.
“That’s just awareness and knowledge of the game.”
And awareness and knowledge of the game are directly related to coaching.
The Eagles also cut ties this offseason with assistant defensive backs coach Todd Lyght, who accepted a position at Vanderbilt before quickly accepting another position at his alma mater, Notre Dame.
Undlin, 43, is beginning his 12th NFL season and most recently spent the last three years with the Broncos, the last two as secondary coach. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2004.
Undlin is the Eagles’ 10th secondary coach since 2007, following John Harbaugh, Trent Walters, Sean McDermott, Dick Jauron, Mike Zordich, Johnnie Lynn, Todd Bowles, Bobby April and Lovett.
can't wait to see how they play
Malcolm Jenkins: Biggest move in secondary was coaching change
In his first season with the Eagles, Malcolm Jenkins recorded 80 tackles, 15 pass deflections and three interceptions. (USA Today Images)
Maybe the biggest move the Eagles made in the secondary wasn’t signing Byron Maxwell or Walter Thurmond.
Maybe the biggest move the Eagles made in the secondary wasn’t cutting ties with Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher and Nate Allen.
Maybe the biggest move the Eagles made in the secondary wasn’t drafting Eric Rowe, JaCorey Shepherd and Randall Evans.
Malcolm Jenkins suggested this week it was replacing John Lovett with Cory Undlin.
The Eagles quietly “re-assigned” two veteran position coaches on Jan. 20, moving tight ends coach Ted Williams and defensive backs coach Lovett into retirement positions in the scouting department.
They replaced Lovett with Undlin, and after just a few months, Jenkins can see a huge difference.
“Adding Cory Undlin is really probably the biggest addition we had when you talk about upgrading that (defensive backs) room,” Jenkins said.
That does not reflect well on Lovett.
It was no secret that the veteran defensive backs on the Eagles the last couple years were not in lockstep with Lovett, who had 17 jobs from 1977 through 2014. Which means he lasted about two years and three months on the average per job.
Lovett was considered limited when it came to teaching technique, and it showed on the field in his two years as the Eagles’ secondary coach.
The Eagles allowed 4,636 passing yards in 2013, fifth-most in NFL history, and 4,238 last year, 20th-most in NFL history.
The 8,874 yards they allowed in Lovett’s two years as secondary coach is the second-most any NFL team has ever allowed in a two-year period. The Eagles are also one of only two teams in NFL history to allow 4,200 or more passing yards in consecutive years.
The Eagles' corners were especially lacking in technique when it came to jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Their inability to prevent receivers like Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson and Jordy Nelson from free runs down the field is the main reason the Eagles allowed 18 completions of at least 40 yards last year, the most in the NFL in 13 years.
The Eagles actually ranked third in opposing completion percentage at 58.4 percent but allowed an NFL-high 12.3 yards per completion. They became the first team in NFL history to allow more than 4,000 passing yards while limiting QBs to less than 59 percent completion.
Jenkins said the scheme and personnel weren’t the problem, the guys just weren’t prepared on game day.
And that is a direct reflection on coaching.
“The biggest thing is keeping the ball in front of us,” Jenkins said after OTA practice Thursday. “It’s that simple. Fooball’s not a complicated game. When you keep the ball in front of you as a secondary, nine times out of 10 you’re going to win.
“And we had tight coverage. If you look at the completion rating against the secondary, we were really good from that standpoint. … The biggest thing is just keeping the ball in front of us, and that has nothing to do with scheme and nothing to do with personnel.
“That’s just awareness and knowledge of the game.”
And awareness and knowledge of the game are directly related to coaching.
The Eagles also cut ties this offseason with assistant defensive backs coach Todd Lyght, who accepted a position at Vanderbilt before quickly accepting another position at his alma mater, Notre Dame.
Undlin, 43, is beginning his 12th NFL season and most recently spent the last three years with the Broncos, the last two as secondary coach. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2004.
Undlin is the Eagles’ 10th secondary coach since 2007, following John Harbaugh, Trent Walters, Sean McDermott, Dick Jauron, Mike Zordich, Johnnie Lynn, Todd Bowles, Bobby April and Lovett.
can't wait to see how they play
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