Chip Kelly this offseason decided to completely give the team a makeover and we will find out tonight if Chip Kelly is a football genius or he’s just crazy. The most change definitely within in the defense and mainly in the secondary that was ranked 31st in pass defense last year. Only three players remain from last years secondary with Chip Kelly addressing the position in free agency and the draft. The question everyone wants to know is did the secondary actually get better and we will find out tonight against Matt Ryan and company.
Chip Kelly has talked very highly of Matt Ryan and believes Ryan is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Kelly also talked about that defending Atlanta’s passing game is his biggest concern and it should be. Matt Ryan was ranked fifth passing yards in 2014, finishing with 4,694 yards and averaging 293 passing yards per game. Ryan also threw for 28 touchdown passes and decreased his interceptions by three. Not to mention Ryan has many weapons at his disposal and here’s a rundown of the key match ups.
Byron Maxwell vs Julio Jones
The Eagles made finding a solid cornerback a priority and they didn’t hesitate to back up the money truck to bring Byron Maxwell to Philadelphia. Maxwell was apart of the Seahawks defense aka the Legion of Boom and he will have the responsibility of containing Julio Jones. Maxwell looked good in the preseason, but a lot aren’t really sure if he’s actually that shutdown corner we saw in Seattle or his success was due to having the best defense in the league behind him. Whatever it is, Maxwell is still the best Eagles cornerback and he should be following Julio Jones around all night long. It wouldn’t be far fetched to see Nolan Carroll on Julio Jones a couple of times, but Byron Maxwell should be the main guy covering him at all times.
Nolan Carroll vs Roddy White
Nolan Carroll will be lining up on the opposite side of Byron Maxwell and he will be matching up against veteran receiver Roddy White, who is very talented as well. This is Nolan Carroll’s first time starting on the outside and he will have his hands full with White, who caught 80 balls last year for 921 yards and seven touchdowns. Carroll and White are almost even in height with Carroll being an inch taller than White. As long as Nolan Carroll doesn’t get burned, he should be able to hold is own and lets not forget the Eagles have two solid safeties in Walter Thurmond and Malcolm Jenkins, who will be backing the corners up.
Eric Rowe vs Leonard Hankerson
The Eagles, after filling their need at wide receiver with their first pick of this past year’s draft, decided to go with a cornerback their next pick. The Eagles select safety/cornerback Eric Rowe out Utah and many experts called this pick a steal. After watching Rowe in the preseason, he showed that he still has a long way to go to be effective in the NFL, but with injuries among other things, the rookie will find himself starting the slot tonight against veteran receiver Leonard Hankerson. This is probably the Eagles most worrisome matchup because Rowe got beat countless times in the preseason and with being the slot corner, safety help won’t always be there which puts a lot of pressure on him. Rowe certainly has the potential to be a playmaker and had shown flashes in the preseason, but if has improved at all yet will remained to be seen tonight. There has been some speculation that Eagles could move Nolan Carroll to the inside and Rowe to the outside on some plays, but trusting a rookie against White wouldn’t be the best idea
Another matchup, which isn’t really about the secondary, but concerning the linebackers is Falcons running back Devonta Freeman. Freeman is a great receiving running back, who broke off a lot of big plays catching passes out of the back field last year and with Jacquizz Rodgers and Steven Jackson gone, Freeman will be a big part of the offense. Looking at the Eagles linebackers, it’s hard not to think this will be a huge matchup problem because none of these linebackers are very quick and if there are any holes in coverage, Matt Ryan will pick them apart. For the Eagles defense to be successful, they need to get pressure on Ryan and force him into bad decisions. The Eagles front seven is pretty solid and they will be a huge key in the game tonight.
Chip Kelly’s new look defense will have its hands full tonight in Atlanta and it will be interesting to see if the changes that were made will make a difference. It obviously won’t be all on the defense and expect the Eagles offense to have a big night. Despite what happens, it’s important not to overreact after one game and remember it’s a long season. Rejoice and be glad that Eagles football is back and the birds will win this game 34-23.
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