Coming off the Eagles' fourth-straight loss last Sunday, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo vowed to unveil some "new wrinkles" to his scheme in order to bolster the team's ailing run defense. The first-year defensive coordinator did not disappoint, making the necessary adjustments to shut down a formidable Redskins rushing attack.
This offseason, the Eagles hired well-respected defensive line coach Jim Washburn, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, to handle the front four. The renowned defensive mastermind has perfected a scheme utilizing the wide-nine technique. In it, the defensive ends each line up about a yard outside of the offensive tackles and explode off the snap, using pure speed, as opposed to a combination of finesse and power, to put pressure on the quarterback.
The system has worked wonders for the Eagles' pass rush, which ranks second in the NFL with 18 sacks through six games. However, with the ends lined up so wide, offensive tackles have been given unimpeded lanes to the linebackers in the second level, allowing them to bust open wide holes on inside runs.
When fully utilized, the scheme can be effective against both the pass and the run. In 2010, under the direction of Washburn up front, the Titans allowed just 3.9 yards per carry which was tied for seventh-best in the NFL, allowing just 3.9 yards per carry.
The leader of a defense that had given up an average of 140.2 yards per game on the ground going into Sunday's matchup with the Washington Redskins, Castillo knew that something needed to change. The Eagles were able to finally see their rush defense click. They allowed just 42 rushing yards on the day, and only nine by the Redskin running backs in the second half.
Rookie linebacker Brian Rolle, who contributed three tackles in the Eagles' 20-13 win over Washington, outlined the adjustments that were made by Castillo and the coaches.
"We shifted our ends inside on some obvious run downs from a wide nine to a six technique, bringing them closer to the center," said the Ohio State-alum. "We also moved our linebackers up toward the line of scrimmage. That allowed us to get into the gaps more quickly. Our goal was to force their quarterback, Rex Grossman, to have to try to make plays with his arm. That's what we did and it was very effective.
"Pinching those ends into the six position (outside shade of offensive tackle) really helps. With those guys closer to the opposing linemen, it means the offensive tackles have to get their bodies on the ends and don't have a free run at the outside linebackers, as they often do when you're in a wide-nine front. Therefore, we were able to make more plays while the tackles are engaged at the line of scrimmage."
The hope for the Eagles is that the defense can build upon this performance and continue to make the necessary adjustments each week to stop the run. Rolle, however, cautioned that "each team is unique" and that, therefore, the defense will need to come up with "different adjustments" for each offense it faces.
"Against a zone team like the Redskins, defenses want to clog the gaps and get penetration," he said. "They try to stretch you out horizontally and then have the running back cut up field when a hole opens, so you don't want to run laterally. If you do, you're playing in to exactly what they want you to do. We were able to execute our strategy perfectly, and that's why we were so effective Sunday."
A key for the Eagles moving forward will be to know when to utilize the wide nine and when to switch up the front seven.
Juan Castillo and the coaches now have two weeks to prepare for the rival Cowboys. Luckily, Dallas features one of a rushing offense in the NFL that gains an average of just 84.8 yards per game. Expect to see the Eagles rely more upon their base wide-nine scheme when Tony Romo, and his fourth-ranked passing offense, comes to town.
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