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by: Doug Kretz
posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 | Print Entry
filed under: Philadelphia Eagles
Having a disruptive defense is becoming a trend for the Eagles recently. In fact, the defense has kept them in games and given them a chance to win. They are doing this by forcing teams to be in situations they don't want to be in.
In Sunday's win over the Cowboys, the Eagles' front seven did a great job of stopping them on first and second down, which put the Cowboys in third-and-long situations. Although the Cowboys have a strong ground game, it is built for short-to-medium gains because they lack a top-breakaway running threat. Because of this, when they are faced with third-and-long situations the Cowboys become one-dimensional. While the Cowboys have one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL, one of the reasons for their success is their ability to throw the ball when they want rather than being forced to throw because they have a long way to go on third down.
Because the Cowboys were in so many obvious passing situations, Eagles' defensive coordinator Jim Johnson did a masterful job of bringing a wide variety of zone blitzes. The Eagles' pressure led to QB Tony Romo's worst passing game of the year. Romo was 13-of-36 for 214 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Plus, he appeared to be out of sync with his receivers all afternoon and was off target on almost all his throws. While Romo was obviously having an off day, a good portion of his lack of success can be attributed to not having time to go through his progressions or see defenders in zone coverage.
Johnson is one of the best coordinators when it comes to designing blitzes and having his players disguise the blitz up until the ball is snapped. If the Eagles can straighten out their offensive woes by figuring out how to sustain more drives and score points they have a chance to get back into the playoff picture next year.
posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 | Print Entry
filed under: Philadelphia Eagles
Having a disruptive defense is becoming a trend for the Eagles recently. In fact, the defense has kept them in games and given them a chance to win. They are doing this by forcing teams to be in situations they don't want to be in.
In Sunday's win over the Cowboys, the Eagles' front seven did a great job of stopping them on first and second down, which put the Cowboys in third-and-long situations. Although the Cowboys have a strong ground game, it is built for short-to-medium gains because they lack a top-breakaway running threat. Because of this, when they are faced with third-and-long situations the Cowboys become one-dimensional. While the Cowboys have one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL, one of the reasons for their success is their ability to throw the ball when they want rather than being forced to throw because they have a long way to go on third down.
Because the Cowboys were in so many obvious passing situations, Eagles' defensive coordinator Jim Johnson did a masterful job of bringing a wide variety of zone blitzes. The Eagles' pressure led to QB Tony Romo's worst passing game of the year. Romo was 13-of-36 for 214 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Plus, he appeared to be out of sync with his receivers all afternoon and was off target on almost all his throws. While Romo was obviously having an off day, a good portion of his lack of success can be attributed to not having time to go through his progressions or see defenders in zone coverage.
Johnson is one of the best coordinators when it comes to designing blitzes and having his players disguise the blitz up until the ball is snapped. If the Eagles can straighten out their offensive woes by figuring out how to sustain more drives and score points they have a chance to get back into the playoff picture next year.
