In a crazy year that is the 2008 season of the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the more disappointing teams.
A team picked by some to overthrow the Giants and make a push for the Super Bowl has been limping throughout the season.
Over halfway through the season, it's time to assess what the problems are with this underachieving team.
Let's examine.
5. Coverage of the Tight Ends
It's known around the league, the Tight End is the place to attack against the Philadelphia Eagles defense. This has always been the weakness in a Jim Johnson defense and this season is no exception.
Granted, the Eagles play the likes of Kevin Boss, Jason Witten, and Chris Cooley in their own division, but shouldn't that prepare them against other tight ends in the league with all the practice they should get?
Unfortunately, all it means is that all three of the guys mentioned before look forward to playing the Eagles. It's a day they get to pad their stats.
The source of this problem may come from the inexperience of the linebackers. In college, coverage of a tight end is not something normally taught. But even when we had veterans at the position, the tight end has always done well against this defense. So what's the problem?
It could be that because the linebackers are usually blitzing, and must know how to do so to make it on the Eagles' defensive roster, coverage gets put on the back burner and is usually left to a safety.
The problem with that is if the linebacker is blitzing, and most safeties play around 15 yards back from the line of scrimmage, that gives the tight end ample time to sit in the middle of the field and rack up the yards. Something needs to change here.
4. The Lack of a Running Game
The Eagles rank 22nd in the league in rushing yards per game: an unenviable 98.3 yards per game via the ground. This will perplex anyone who follows the Eagles faithfully, given the immense talent on the line and in the backfield. The five guys across the line who seem to be Pro-Bowl caliber have not been pulling their weight in the ground game.
A back considered by many to be the best in the league, is averaging only 4.1 yards per carry on 109 carries for 448 yards. This is all unacceptable and is a big reason for the Eagles' barely-better-than-.500 record.
Reasons for this could be the lack of Pro-Bowl guard Shawn Andrews, who is out for at least another month after having surgery on his back, a problem that's been bothering him since his college days. However, Max Jean-Gilles should be more than capable of being the road-grater at 6'4" and 358 pounds.
Also, with Westbrook obviously not at 100 percent (something acknowledged by himself and coach Reid), the very underrated backup Correll Buckhalter should be seeing more time. With only 56 carries on the year, he is also averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
However, the difference with Buckhalter is he will take the ball and run straight ahead. He's not going to slash and make people miss like Westbrook, but he will lower his shoulder and make defenders think twice before they tackle him again.
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about 1 month ago
You know what else? We're afraid to throw the ball long anymore.
from about 1 month ago
hard to do that when no one can get open deep.
Curtis is running routes like he's in peewees, jackson is more of a crossing route "slash" threat, and reggie is still not 100%
about 1 month ago
What about kicking? Akers and opposing kickers against us...
from about 1 month ago
akers has only missed 4 FG's this year, granted they were at the worst times, but still only 4.
and i think kicks are always made against us because usually they're relatively short because of our "bend but dont break" mentality.
now the Matt Bryant type... well, thats just the luck of a Philly fan.
about 1 month ago
Bob, this is a very good article. I think you've hit 5 problems that have plagued the Eagles for a few years now. I don't know you but I assume you're not a football professional. My sons and I aren't pros either and these are the things we discuss. All of the Eagles' opponents are aware of these weaknesses. How is it WE all know this but for some reason the Eagles' staff doesn't change things. It's not been a problem for just a couple of games; this has been a couple years. How long does it take to figure this out? It's becoming a joke around the league. Dan Patrick and Tiki Barber were joking about the predictability of the Eagles' late game offense Sunday night. I guess it's not that simple to change things but, come on, this is getting ridiculous!
from about 1 month ago
i hear ya. and as far as being a football pro.. uhh.. well no, ive been playing since i was 6 and im playing division 2 football now sooo.. idk, maybe?
but, to hell with dan patrick and tiki barber.
that being said, most teams are predictable.
it's 3rd and 1 for tennessee they're going to... RUN, of course. everyone knows that.
did anyone think the eagles would run on 3rd and 4th down tho? i know i didnt. so, predictable? im not sure. seemed out of character to me.
but with one regime, the problems stay the same. as explained throughout the article. but, what are ya gonna do. thats our eagles.
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