One week to go in Eagles’ Spring Training OTA’s…with the best news so far being LB Stewart Bradley’s left calf injury (which left him limping this past week) is apparently just a simple muscle strain. The knee is OK…so far. And G Todd Herreman’s left foot, while still hurting enough to keep him sidelined during drills, has been given a medical thumbs-up to be ready to go by Training Camp in July.
FS Marlin Jackson did not fare so well. He is gone for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon. It’s now up to rookie FS Nate Allen or veteran Quintin Demps to step up into the curious void at free safety.
Most of the buzz at NovaCare Complex has been focused on the offensive squad, with press and media microscoping QB Kevin Kolb’s drills with his veteran receivers and a few rookies showing impressive effort, including long-shot Riley Cooper.
But those in the know realize it’s the Defense that’s under the gun in 2010…something’s gotta give, something’s got to develop huge on the defensive side of the ball for the Eagles this season, or we may be facing a very frustrating campaign with too much compensating pressure on Kolb’s role as first-year starter.
That’s why this recent blurb from ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio caught my attention, and I think it’s noteworthy to examine:
Speed and variation. That’s supposed to be the calling card of the Eagles’ defense, which severely underachieved down the stretch last season — McDermott’s first year as defensive coordinator.
With those two principles in play, McDermott has not shied away from speculation that the Eagles this season will employ some 3-4 fronts, which his predecessor — the late legendary Jim Johnson — rarely used.
Theoretically, a 3-4 would put the best athletes on the field to rush the passer.
Although there is serious doubt the Eagles have a conventional nose tackle to pull that off, there is another question seldom raised about the use of the 3-4 in Philly: What would happen to the Eagles’ best defensive player,
Trent Cole?A two-time Pro Bowler, Cole is one of the best right defensive ends in the league. If he lined up at defensive end in a 3-4, Cole’s speed could get lost in the interior of the line of scrimmage. If asked to pull his hand out of the dirt and line up as a right outside linebacker, he might be overexposed, especially when asked to drop back in pass coverage.
Garry Cobb, a retired Eagles outside linebacker who watches nearly every team practice for his own website, said he doesn’t like the idea of messing around with Cole’s alignment.
“I wouldn’t put him inside and I don’t want to see him in coverage,” said Cobb, watching McDermott’s squad at the current team OTAs. “He’s not good side to side. I’ve never seen him make a play in coverage.” Cole’s only career interception came in 2006. “You wouldn’t want him in coverage except as a decoy,” Cobb said.
Making the best of use of Cole, who led the Eagles with 12.5 sacks in 2009, has to be the focus of any re-alignment. But fixing the pass rush is one of the Eagles’ highest priorities this season.
Yes, they finished with 44 sacks last year — third in the league. But they gave up too many big plays and points, surrendering 21 points per game last year — four points higher per game than Johnson’s 10-year average. That’s because McDermott dialed up the blitz on
41.2 percent of the called pass plays last year — sixth highest in the league and the most of any Eagles defense since Andy Reid became head coach in 1999.The idea this year: better pass rush with fewer blitzes. Taking fewer chances will leave the secondary less exposed, especially since free safety and right cornerback are in a state of flux.
The team moved up in the first round of the draft to take a left defensive end,
Brandon Graham of Michigan, to give Cole help. In fact, the Eagles used nine of 13 draft picks on defensive players, including safety Nate Allen, who looks like he may have to be the starting free safety now that Marlin Jackson is gone for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon.Now, it’s easy to see why McDermott is focused on speed and variation with the front seven in practice. When asked about the experiment with multiple fronts and looks, including the 3-4, McDermott joked he may use the 3-4 on every down, then offered a broad explanation that might not change in training camp or the preseason.
“We’re trying to see who can think on their feet, make quick decisions,” said McDermott, 36.
“Right now,” McDermott continued, “we’re looking to see who can fit in the mix, who can play, who can react on their feet. We are trying to put a little pressure on them to see who can handle it.”
McDermott could easily say that about himself.
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