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ESPN FBO - Eagles' D is soft up the middle

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  • ESPN FBO - Eagles' D is soft up the middle

    ESPN.com: NFL
    Tuesday, September 27, 2011
    Eagles' D is soft up the middle

    By Vince Verhei
    Football Outsiders



    The Philadelphia Eagles played a real-life version of fantasy football this past offseason, adding big-name talent at quarterback, wide receiver, pass-rusher and cornerback. Unfortunately, the Eagles took the fantasy football theme too far, bringing in plenty of skill-position players but leaving holes in the interior of their defense. Those holes were torn wide-open in their 29-16 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, and it won't be the last time it costs the Eagles a game.

    Philadelphia's biggest offseason pickup gave the Eagles not just the best tandem of cornerbacks in the league but perhaps the two best players at the position, period. Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets receives the most attention as the NFL's best cornerback, but Nnamdi Asomugha was the league's one true shutdown corner during his time with the Oakland Raiders.

    According to Football Outsiders' game-charting stats, Revis was the target on 5.2 passes per game during the past four seasons, and he never averaged fewer than the 4.2 passes per game he faced in 2010. In the same time frame, Asomugha averaged only 2.1 targets per game, never more than the 2.5 per game he saw in 2007. The Eagles grabbed Asomugha and paired him with Asante Samuel. It was Samuel, not Revis, who topped all cornerbacks in 2010 in both yards per pass allowed and success rate in FO's game-charting numbers.


    After those two diamonds, though, the Eagles' secondary has nothing but rough. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has made a few highlight-reel interceptions in his career, but his coverage skills are lacking; he ranked 55th among corners last season in success rate and 63rd in yards per pass allowed. With Quintin Mikell allowed to leave in free agency and Nate Allen benched, the starters at safety are Jarrad Page (who couldn't get off the bench last season with the New England Patriots) and 2010 draft seventh-rounder Kurt Coleman.

    The situation at linebacker is even grimmer. The Eagles' starters are 2009 seventh-rounder Moise Fokou, 2010 seventh-rounder Jamar Chaney and fourth-round rookie Casey Matthews. That's three low-round draft picks with a combined 17 starts entering this season.

    The results of all this are predictable: The Eagles have completely shut down opponents' top receivers, holding Mike Sims-Walker of the St. Louis Rams, Roddy White of the Atlanta Falcons and Hakeem Nicks of the Giants to 53 total receiving yards in 99 pass plays, a rate of 0.54 yards per pass play. That's the best in the league by a ridiculous degree -- no other defense has a rate below 1.00 -- but the Eagles have been ripped apart by players at other positions. (See chart.)

    Philadelphia's pass problems

    Eagles' pass coverage broken down by type of receiver
    PositionYards/passRank*No. 1 WR0.541No. 2 WR1.2119Other WR2.0430TE1.4015RB1.8728* WAS-DAL Monday night game not included


    Linebackers and safeties do more than cover receivers. They also stop the run. At least, they're supposed to. Philly's stout defensive line hasn't allowed runners to get past it very often, but when they do, they've found nothing but open real estate.

    Only 42 percent of runs against the Eagles have gained positive yardage, the ninth-best rate in the NFL. However, the Eagles rank 27th in second-level yards allowed per run (yards gained 5 to 10 yards past the line of scrimmage) and 31st in open-field yards (yards gained 10 or more yards downfield).

    These flaws were all exposed against the Giants. New York's top two receivers, Nicks and Brandon Stokley, combined for just four catches for 32 yards in seven targets, but slot receiver Victor Cruz caught three balls in five targets for 110 yards. Brandon Jacobs had a 40-yard touchdown catch in the first half, and Ahmad Bradshaw chipped in with 18- and 26-yard catches in the second half. Bradshaw also broke off a pair of big runs for 37 and 15 yards.

    Offenses that will give the Eagles' defense the most trouble, then, are those with home run backs and other options in the passing game besides star wide receivers. Later this season Philadelphia will face the Buffalo Bills Fred Jackson, and the Chicago Bears and Matt Forte, two of this season's biggest breakaway threats who also happen to be elite receivers out of the backfield.

    The Eagles also have to play the New York Jets and LaDainian Tomlinson, who gained 116 yards receiving this past weekend. The Eagles are fortunate to avoid the league's best three- and four-wide teams like the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, but they play a murderer's row of great tight ends: the San Francisco 49ers and Vernon Davis; the Jets and Dustin Keller; the Patriots' tag team of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski; two meetings with the Washington Redskins and Fred Davis; and two meetings with the Dallas Cowboys and Jason Witten.

    Vince Young may have called this a dream team, but it looks more like a season full of sleepless nights in Philadelphia.

    Vince Verhei is a contributor to the CFB and NFL sections of Rumor Central. He also writes the Quick Reads and Any Given Sunday columns for Insider, covering the best players and biggest upsets each week of the NFL season. He has been a writer and editor for Football Outsiders since 2007. Follow him on Twitter at @FO_VVerhei.

  • #2
    I would put 8 in the box and play man to man with Nnamdi and Assante for the next 4 weeks. Just do it.
    Carson Wentz ERA


    NFC East Titles:
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    • #3
      Originally posted by BIGPHILLY View Post
      I would put 8 in the box and play man to man with Nnamdi and Assante for the next 4 weeks. Just do it.
      agreed. And if Samuel objects, let him play zone inside at one of the safety spots with DRC playing man on the outside.

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      • #4
        This has always seemed like the most obvious way to paper over the deficiencies in the middle. But here's what McLane said in today's chat at philly.com:

        Comment From Jason: Have any reporters actually come out and as Juan castillo directly..."Why Nnamdi is playing cover when he has played man, and dominated, his whole career??

        Jeff McLane: Yes, we have. He said they have mixing in some man, but will remain a zone-based D.
        Don't kid yourself Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd kill you and everyone you cared about!

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        • #5
          A reporter once asked John Robinson why he ran OJ Simpson so much. He said "if you have a cannon, you shoot it". Now it seems to me that if you have 3 pro bowl corners you find a way to shoot them too. You don't sit back in a zone and have one of them on the bench for the majority of the game. Friekin stupid beyond words.
          "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Eagle60 View Post
            "if you have a cannon, you shoot it".

            That was always my mantra when dating.
            Official Driver of the Eagles Bandwagon!!!
            Bleedin' Green since birth!

            "Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many." - Mike Willey

            ”Enjoy The Ride!!!” - Bob Marcus

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Eagle60 View Post
              A reporter once asked John Robinson why he ran OJ Simpson so much. He said "if you have a cannon, you shoot it". Now it seems to me that if you have 3 pro bowl corners you find a way to shoot them too. You don't sit back in a zone and have one of them on the bench for the majority of the game. Friekin stupid beyond words.

              Word.
              Don't kid yourself Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd kill you and everyone you cared about!

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Jukin View Post
                That was always my mantra when dating.
                Mine was: If someone asks you if you're a god, say yes.

                On Topic: Sounds like Juan learned well from the Andy Reid school of "I'll do things my way."

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                • #9
                  Andy's biggest problem from when he began, to now is IMO simply this.... He has surrounded himself with two "yes men" as his coordinators. He used to have an OC that would challenge him, and he had a defensive coordinator who ran his own show. No more.
                  http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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