The situation can’t get worse when a win over a winless team is not guaranteed. This team has looked super uninspiring since that win over Carolina 3 weeks ago. Blame can be equally shelled out to all three facets of Eagles football. I know that there are some Eagles fans who want to chalk this season up as an L and tank for a draft pick, but this is still a young team that can turn things around. This piece will be talking about my overall frustrations, but also how to get “1% better every day” Today, I want to focus on the uninspired, flower-power Eagles defense.
The Scheme(?)
Jonathan Gannon was hired as a top contender this offseason to be our next defensive coordinator and the results have been less than positive. It is quite clear that his lack of experience calling plays is costing us games. He likes to run only 2 different looks in the front seven. Either a 4-3 with Davion Taylor or an extra DB in coverage, or a weird 5-2 look with Genard Avery stepping up to the line while Alex Singleton and Eric Wilson must fend for themselves. That’s it. No blitz formations, no man to man, very few stunts on the d-line. To top it off, Gannon does not have a great feel for the D-line rotation. It seems he has a “run stuffing unit” and a “pass rush unit”. All it does though is allow younger/inferior players to soak up playing time from our stars. I think Tarron Jackson can develop nicely, but if I have to see him or Ryan Kerrigan taking significant snaps away from the explosive Josh Sweat anymore I will not be happy. Say what you will about Jim Schwartz, at least he knew how to dial up pressure, and who to do it with. Seeing failed HCs like Gus Bradley, Dan Quinn, Vance Joseph and Todd Bowles light it up as defensive coordinators for their respective teams makes being an Eagles fan that much more frustrating.
Frustration
Videos have been swirling around since last week’s L in Vegas of leaders like Fletcher Cox and Rodney McLeod voicing their frustration with their new roles. That is a bigger problem than many Eagles want to admit. With Brandon Graham out, Cox has had to take on a leadership type of role on this defense. After all, he did win a super bowl with us. Seeing a seasoned pro-bowler like him not buy in only spells trouble for the younger players who look up to him. If this indeed is the straw that makes our players buy out, Gannon will be gone faster than you can say “bend, don’t break”.
The Good
A lone bright spot on this defense has been the DBs (specifically the corners). Even though they aren’t playing in a scheme that fits their skillsets perfectly, the development has been quite impressive. Darius Slay is back to being feared as a lockdown CB after what critics called a down 2020. Steve Nelson does sometimes get beat on jump balls, but he has played the short game very well. And most impressive of all in my opinion has been the emergence of Avonte Maddox. I was a huge fan of Maddox his rookie year, and Gannon has finally figured out how to use him. Maddox has been making huge tackles all over the field, registering PBUs and even an INT last week. The 4th year corner is really showing why he deserves an extension. We also have a hint of depth at safety. Marcus Epps has stepped in well whenever Anthony Harris (who is having a solid year of his own) or Rodney McLeod have missed time. All this progression makes sense, given that Gannon was the DB coach who oversaw the explosion of Colts DB Chris Moore and the revival of Xavier Rhodes. The potential to develop young talent like Zech McPhearson, Josiah Scott and Tay Gowan makes firing Gannon difficult.
How To Win
The Lions’ 0-7 record can be deceptive. While they have the thinnest receiving core in the league, they still can get great production from the short pass game to dangerous RB D’Andre Swift. Lions QB Jared Goff is not known for decision-making. If we can pressure him while having a guy like Avonte Maddox (NOT Fletcher Cox) keep his eyes on Swift the whole game, we will win. But it is all easier said than done. Gannon needs to realize that his job is potentially on the line, and needs to call the game of his life to save it.
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Jish Sokolsky is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Jish, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
