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Fan-Demonium: This Defense Is Legit

Posted Sep 18, 2012

Fan-Demonium

Sunday was a good day. It was a fun day. The Eagles played in a big game, one that had a playoff atmosphere. The Eagles matched the atmosphere of the game with their level of play. That really hasn't happened in a while. It was good to see the team play up to the situation instead of leaving us all to wonder "What if?" as has happened so much in recent years.

I wrote after Week 1 that I felt the Ravens were one of the three best teams in the league (along with the 49ers and Texans). Playing them was a big challenge and the Eagles responded to that challenge. The coaches came up with a good gameplan. The players executed it well. The players also were physical and matched the Ravens’ intensity. You don't beat the Ravens just with talent or scheme. You better block, hit, tackle and win your share of one-on-one battles.

The offense piled up 486 yards of offense. They scored 24 points, despite four turnovers. Did you expect the Eagles to have that kind of success against the Ravens? I did think some of the matchups worked in the Eagles favor. In my preview I wrote, "The Ravens still have to figure out how they'll cover Brent Celek. None of their linebackers is a great match for him." I'd like to thank the Ravens for making me look smart for once. Celek was wide open all day and Michael Vick got him the ball a lot. Celek finished with eight catches for 157 yards. He delivered some very big catches that kept the chains moving and the Ravens defense on their heels. I bet their film session on Monday was not fun. You can't let a stud tight end like Celek just run around wide open like that.

Joe Flacco threw 42 passes. Vick threw 32. Ray Rice ran 16 times. Shady McCoy ran 25 times. The Eagles kept the attack more balanced and that helped to keep the Ravens from just blitzing relentlessly. Don't count on Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg doing this all the time. The fact they altered the offense shows you just how much respect they have for the Ravens.

Vick led the offense on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the game for the second week in a row. I can't stress how huge this is. You must be able to perform in clutch situations to win playoff games. Vick and the offense showed they could get the job done at critical moments. Turnovers are still a major problem, but you can see the offense rounding into shape.

The plan on Sunday was to be aggressive against the Ravens and use a no-huddle attack at times. While the offense was balanced, the Eagles didn't play conservative football. That's not Reid's style. It's not Vick's style either. I think the gameplan brought out the best in Vick. He was much more confident this week. He looked like the Vick we've enjoyed watching in recent years.

So how were the Eagles aggressive? They went for it on fourth-and-1 when already in field goal range. Reid didn't want field goals. He wanted touchdowns. The Eagles threw the ball downfield when backed up inside their own 20-yard line. The coaches had several designed runs for Vick. They weren't afraid to have him take a hit if they thought he could get key yards. The Eagles weren't afraid to mix in role players to the attack. Damaris Johnson had a catch. Stanley Havili had three touches. Bryce Brown had multiple carries. The Eagles didn't shy away from Ray Lewis. They actually attacked him on several plays.

The skill players made big plays, but the offensive line also did their part. Center Jason Kelce was lost for the season when he suffered a knee injury early in the third quarter. Kelce is a big loss, but this is the NFL and that means one thing - next man up.  The Ravens led 17-7 at that time. Dallas Reynolds replaced Kelce and the team scored 17 points with him in the lineup. Left tackle King Dunlap left on the series after Kelce. Demetress Bell took over for him and did a solid job. Bell's struggles this summer have been well documented, but he rose to the occasion on Sunday. That could bode well for his future. I'm sure Bell feels a lot better right now than he did last week when he was inactive in the season opener. The line wasn't great against Baltimore, but won enough battles for Vick to throw for 371 yards and McCoy to run for 81. Kudos to the backups for being ready when called upon.

The defense was also huge. For the second week in a row, the defense stopped the opponent when all they offense had to do was get in field goal range. Kurt Coleman picked off a pass to seal the opener. This time around it was good team defense. That was true of the whole game, as well as the final four plays.

Lawlor

Tommy Lawlor, goeagles99 on the Discussion Boards, is an amateur football scout and devoted Eagles fan. He is the Editor of IgglesBlitz.com and was a contributor to the Eagles Almanac.

Flacco was only sacked twice, but don't think for a minute that he had it easy. The defensive line got pressure on him all game long. Derek Landri drove the center or left guard back multiple times. Trent Cole was a force off the edge. Rookie Fletcher Cox continues to play good football. While the Eagles didn't sack Flacco over and over, he was forced to throw off his back foot a lot. This led to him having 20 incompletions. Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 44.2 percent of passes this year. They have a rating of just 35.1. Both figures lead the NFL. The Eagles also lead the NFL with five interceptions. Sacking the quarterback is great, but if you can force him to throw into coverage or off target, the result is just as good, sometimes better.

How fun is it to have good linebackers? DeMeco Ryans might have been quiet this summer, but he has come alive this season. He has five tackles-for-loss, a sack and an interception. That was a good year for some recent Eagles linebackers. I still think the thing he does best is just make tackles in the open field. Ryans is steady. He's also a terrific mentor for rookie Mychal Kendricks. The Eagles hoped Kendricks would help to shut down tight ends. On Sunday, he was covering running back Ray Rice quite a bit. Kendricks got the best of Rice several times, including the fourth down pass play that sealed the win for the Eagles. He was credited with two pass breakups.

Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman were solid. They combined for 14 solo tackles and had a good day in coverage. The cornerbacks were good enough that Flacco only targeted his wide receivers 12 times all game. He threw to his tight ends and running backs 30 times. Nnamdi Asomugha did get beat for a touchdown, but that came on a blitz when the rushers didn't get there and Flacco did have time to get the pass off. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie gave up a deep ball when he got caught looking in the backfield. I'm not sure what he was thinking there. Brandon Boykin had a very good game. He covered really well, especially on the final drive. His leaping pass deflection was a thing of beauty. If he had been able to knock the ball to Nate Allen for a pick, that might have been a play for the ages. As much as the coaches loved Joselio Hanson, I think you can see why they went with Boykin as the nickel corner.

Life is good now with the Eagles at 2-0, but there are flaws to work on. Neither the offense nor defense is perfect. Both groups are making too many mistakes to be thrilled with where they are. The good news is that the problems aren't due to effort or lack of talent.

The offense is the bigger concern, primarily due to turnovers. The offense has turned the ball over nine times. In 2008, the Miami Dolphins had 13 turnovers for the entire season and set an NFL record. The Eagles are too aggressive on offense to go through a year like that, but the offense is really hurting the team right now. Vick has thrown six interceptions. LeSean McCoy has two fumbles and rookie Bryce Brown has one as well. Many of these turnovers came in the red zone or scoring territory. That's equivalent to giving away points. The Eagles got by for two weeks, but this must stop. Eventually, turnovers will lead to losses.

The defense just needs to tighten up a few things. Kendricks and Ryans are new to the wide-nine and occasionally will get in the wrong gaps on run plays. The corners have gotten careless on a few pass plays. That's led to a couple of big plays and some penalties. I'm nit-picking some things here because the defense is playing really good football for the most part.

The Eagles are 2-0, but nowhere close to playing their best football. That's encouraging, especially when you consider that they looked like a playoff team on Sunday. The last time the Eagles started 2-0 was the Super Bowl season of 2004. I think it is early too consider this a Super Bowl team, but there are plenty of reasons to feel good. Vick looks like the old Vick. The skill players are off to a good start. If the line can come together, the offense will be potent. Special teams are still a work in progress as so many young and new players are mixed in. As for the defense, they're legit. And so are the Eagles.

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