In two games, the Eagles defense has given up more points than any team in the National Football League. I can understand giving some points up to the Green Bay Packers even though, Aaron Rodgers was off his game in the opener, but surrendering over 30 points to the Detroit Lions, who were led by a backup quarterback, is much too much.
Still, Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott thinks he has the making of a quality defense. “Well, I think we are a good defense and we’ve been inconsistent, which happens with young teams, in particular, a young defense in this case”, McDermott explained to the media today. “But, we have to get that ironed out and that will take place over time here, and we continue to play good, aggressive football, intense, emotional football, and that will iron itself out. But we need to be more consistent.”
I agree with the coach about them being inconsistent. I just feel this group has to be in attack-mode to be successful.
I think they have some good football players on the defensive side of the ball, but I’m not as crazy about their defensive personnel as they are. I’m lukewarm about Eagles defensive tackles.
In addition, I don’t think safety Quintin Mikell has been playing at a top level since 2009. Cornerback Ellis Hobbs made a good play on an interception last Sunday, but I still think he’s a liability when left in man-to-man situations. and I’ve made it clear in the past that I’m not a big fan of Ernie Sims’ game.
Sims is like the old Michael Vick. He plays the game with his athletic ability and not with his football intelligence.
Omar Gaither doesn’t make mental mistakes but he’s too small and too slow to be a dominant linebacker.
Still you can hide weaknesses with aggressiveness on defense. McDermott expressed his disappointment in the fact that the Eagles defense didn’t play the type aggressive football he wants them to play.
“From a physical standpoint we weren’t very physical, and the vision for this defense is to be a flat-out physical football team on defense, so I was disappointed in that”, McDermott said. “And then, we have to understand the run game and how to fit the run game accordingly. Now, we did a better job of that in the second quarter and third quarter, and then got sloppy down at the end of the game there, which I’m not happy about.”
This defense isn’t big enough to sit back and take on a strong running game. They must take the field with an attack mentality and I think McDermott must allow them to attack without taking big risks. I’d like him to use run blitzes when he can.
The linebackers must attack the blocking schemes to be successful. I think he needs to stay away from all-out blitzing but he can do some zone-blitzing with the safeties still in place to guard against the deep pass.
I want to see them put their defensive tackles on the move with stunts, so they can utilize their quickness. This defense can’t just stand in place and stop people.
he shouldn’t be happy,
His Defense has given up more points in 2 games than any other team in the NFL
The Lions had almost 450 yards of Offense (with their back-up QB no less)
Every can clamour all week long about the QB Situation and the weakness of the OL,
but this teams success or failure rides on thie Eagle Defense. I believe D/C McDermott is coaching for his career this season and needs marked improvement or else he will be replaced after the Season
I also believe that the Gap Defense Scheme for the D/Line os outdated and not aggressive enough with the type of personnel they have (smaller,quicker and more athletic)
They should attack the Line of Scrimmage and position these OLB up closer to the line of scrimmage instead of 4-5 yerds behind the D/Line..
I also think the S Mickell, Sims will be gone after this Season and the DT M Patterson is the most Overrated player on this team and I am not sure why he’s even a Starter…I also think they need a ILB and shift S Bradley back outside where he can use his athleticism more..last but not least, they need to mix up thei rfron 7 packages and looks .. Come out with 5 Dl/2 LB set once in a while versus a strong running team, come out with some 3-4 packages to cover a a speed team and to use standing OLB’s/DE’s/Jokers to rush the passer (Barnes,Fokou,Sims, & Teo if he ever sees the field). this tem on both sides of the ball has become way to predictable and good O/Coordinators and QB’s will continue eat this Defense up as they have for the last 4-5 years…
Speaking of the d, any of you WIP listeners get a read on Hugh Douglas’s opinioon on Graham so far? He’s not the most polished or brilliant commentator, but just like G with LBs, I mean, its hugh douglass….
McDermott wants his defense to be physical. What a joke! The eagles are undersized at practically every position on defense and their tackling is not good. I looked at the Steelers roster on defense and they are big and mean. These Eagles coaches live in a bubble. Pittsburg defensive ends are 6’5″ and over 290 while ours are 6’2″ 260. Ernie Simms is physical in practice on his teammates in non contact drills. In the g
Hugh Douglas had some positive comments that he made back in camp about Graham..
I always thought Hugh would make a good D/Line coach if he wanted to pursue that area..
What did he have to say on WIP Schill???
continued in the game he hasn’t hit anyone but his teammates head to the point of concussion.
Schiller you mocked me once for referring to WIP and now to make a point you are doing the same, but you will qualify it by saying he was a defensive player. He said the coach has him playing inside and he shouldn’t be. PARKER SHOULD BE INSIDE.
Good Point BigE on Parker rushing the QB from the DT spot in Passing situations..
He has the quick moves and upper body strength that the others don’t seem to have just yet
(besides T Cole)… but Laws,Graham,Tapp and Teo need to step up and contribute..
By the way, is D Tapp still on the team… talk about out of sight… he’s dropped steadliy down the depth chart during his stay so far with th Eagles
The big problem with not blitzing is that that goes completely against the JJ philosophy and the only professional defensive philosophy McDermott was trained in as far as I know. Had McDermott been a guy that had been around the league and learned from a variety coordinators and understood the actual motivations for doing certain things I could understand a non-blitzing strategy from McDermott, but with things the way they are now I don’t see where it makes a lot of sense. Definitely JJ blitzed to change the options of the offense, but he also blitzed cover up weaknesses in the defense even after it was clear Dawkins couldn’t cover WRs. The point always was that the blitz, provided you have someone that can get there, makes man to man coverage irrelevant. The one thing I see McDermott doing that JJ would never have done is show a preference of where to concentrate pressure…the unpredictability of defensive blitzes was always a critical component of a successful JJ defense, yet McDermott seems to have fallen in love with concentrating pressure on the interior. Whether it be putting an undersized guy inside or having a LB picking an interior spot or rushing a safety inside it seems clear that he has a preference and that has to create a certain level of predictability for offensive coordinators to pick apart. The season is young and that may change, but so far that’s something I’ve noticed above and beyond the actual personnel issues.
Parker has done extremely well outside because he isn’t forced to bull rush guys straight back and that’s a huge benefit. Parker had 8 sacks from the outside last year…I say if it aint broke don’t fix it.
Wouldn’t a D-Line of T Cole, T Laws, J Parker, B Graham probably be the quickest,most athletic group to put out there…G-man mentionedthe use of Stunts which the Eagles don’t do that often and need to
implement some more different looks to the Offense to change things up
Graham and Teo are young rookies; their bodies are not developed yet for the pro game. I expect MUCH greater things from them next year after an offseason of working with the trainers on weights. Sapp, besides being injured, has an awfully lean body, very similar to the Freak’s frame so I have doubts about his being able to beef up. He couldn’t get any push around even the lesser tackles in camp once they knew how to push him right into the turf.
As far as DT’s go, I’ve never been impressed with Patterson/Bunkley and have long wanted this team to draft some serious beef on the D-Line. Cory Simon in his prime was a big load to handle for the opposition’s OLinemen. We can’t go to a 3-man defensive line because we have nobody who could remotely become that huge nose-guard, much less big DE’s either. We’d also need some serious big beef at 4 LB positions, with speed. So many teams went to the 3-4 to deal with teams’ moves to high-octane passing offenses. As for Sean, he’s no dummy and learned under a master, BUT he’ll need more years to really develop his own experience and answers. Personally, I still prefer size/strength/power with decent speed for the front 7. That won’t come in one, maybe not even in two, drafts with the other needs we have at corner and offensive line. Still rather see McGlynn at guard than center; he’s under a lot of pressure right now learning center position and line calls while dealing with some of the monsters in his face…. like his nasty streak.
we need a MIKE
Mr. Iggles, very good point sir, indeed. Hey does someone want McD fired already? What…wow man somebody is pink slip crazy, get rid of McD, get rid of simms, get rid of patterson, get rid of..get rid of…get rid of, and when you are finished go over there and get rid of that guy to. Haaaa to funny, relax homeboys: new D-Cord; young or new players trying to get it together; old players trying to adjust to those young and new players; relaaaaax, chiiiiiiill, breeeeeeath, let this thing play out we do have Dejuron putting in his input and he is new also, so lets wait and see it is still early.
Hey Paul Brother, man you need to get on over to ESPN, or FOX sports or some where, and share your thoughts with the world, we here at Gcobb.com have been way to selfish in our keeping you here. You always have good arguements to make even if I might dissagree with a few of them, good stats (ditto with the agree thing), keep it rolling partner, you make the site fun. Oh yeah ditch those pink slips cousin, don’t get rid of anyone just yet, lets wait to the end, oki doki. O Ta.
I am down with adding some heft on the D-line, it might be mid rounders though, becase the Eagles are going heavy on the O-line in thise next draft like they did the D this year. they are going to cast a big next in hopes of reeling in a load of talent.
Dixon best tackle on the team. Everyttime he gets in the game he makes plays. One of the big problems up front is you have 2 number 1 draft picks who arent very good. Bunkley is this man beast but he makes 0 plays. You never hear his name. Patterson is very very average. How many times did you hear Suh name from Detroit? Now thats a stud. Honestly I think Dixon is better than both Bunkley and Patterson. I would bring Owens up from the PS and team him with Dixon. Right away you get bigger. 2nd I dont understand how this Barnes comes here 2 weeks ago and is always on the field after Moise Fokou played lights out in preseason. Fokou should be starting at SAM over Jordan who gives you nothing.
Big E, Pittsburgh DE are much bigger b/c they play a 3-4 which requires a much larger DE due to the nature of the position.
How bout switching to a 3-4 since jj isnt here to run our 4-3 correctly.
Seems like most teams that run the 3-4 have great defenses doesnt it? Can anyone name me a team who is running the 3-4 whose defense stinks? You wonder why most of the league doesnt run it. The Eagles would first have to fire McDermitt and bring in a defensive coordinator to install it. It takes a whole off season to implement it. Then the following year to have your ups and downs. Its time for a change.
Come on G, the defense must be fine. Schiller said so.
G, Mikell hasn’t really done a lot since the 2008 season when he was playing next to Dawk. It just doesn’t look like McDermott is good enough right now to know how to scheme to cover up the weaknesses. I know he’s young and this is only his 2nd year and really first year going into the season from the end of last knowing he was the coordinator but he has to do a much better job. I mean we haven’t even gotten to the meat of the schedule where we will face many good teams w very good QBs who will find a way to exploit our weakness. I think the D, will go through some stretches of very good defense and then have some tough games so hopefully they can come together from the middle towards the end of the season.
Anyone thinks that if the D is really bad this year, McDermott is fired and replaced with Jauron?
Not only does it take a whole offseason to implement it you also need to change your personnel to accomodate it which could take even longer for it to be effective. If many of our guys are too small to play on the line in the 4-3, they would be even smaller to play in the 3-4. I would be all for it, but it could take a couple seasons to properly implement that. Think about it, one of our problems have been the LB position. In the 3-4 you need some good LBs and we may have 2-3 on the roster who probable could play well in at scheme. I don’t think we have any DEs that could move to outside LB. It would take a long time to get the personnel. And the reason it’s so effective is because it’s more unpredictable with the linebackers. You just don’t know what they are going to do. So flexible there. I do think the 3-4 is very effective against today’s offense but like the 4-3, if you can’t get to the QB it almost doesn’t matter.
scorp It doesnt take that long to implement it. With draft picks, FA and trades It takes1 off season to get personnel. Cole and Graham become my Ware and Spencer and stand up right away. Sims, Bradley, Fokou im ok with. Im keeping Dixon and Owens. Then Im going to the draft. It took GB 1 year. Im going right to the Pittsburgh staff and plucking the best defensive coach for the job and promoting him to my defensive coordinator. This defense is 6 years past its prime. Predictable. Time for a change in philosophy this off season. The little fast guys doesnt work. Im tired of hearing about fastballs. Honestly it didnt work against the Peytons and Bradys of the world when JJ was here eithier. Just look how good the Jets, Steelers, Wash, GB, and Dallas defenses are. Will some of them teams have bad games of course. But for the most part them defenses are very good. 3 of the top 4 defenses in the league run a 3-4. IMO.
Ive been saying for quite sometime now we need better DT’s. Ive been saying it for 3 years now!! love the guys and they do a decent job but we need an ass kicker up front. excuse my language
Runtheball…you’re right, we need a MIKE….Mike Singletary that is……
The steelers always had 3-4 players playing in the 4-3 so there transition was better, same for the packers and everyone else who converted over. Even the redskins had 3-4 type players. We have always had 4-3 type players (not always but for a while now). The jury is still out for me though becasue i see both types getting beaten and winning in games this season so far and last season, so pick your poison I guess.
My view aslo Dawk I love our guys to they do what we ask, but as you say some “Ass kickers” is always good whether its the 3-4, 4-3, 4-6, 1,000, 200, or any other mathematical term you desire to heap upon a defensive formation. LONG LIVE THE EAGLES….GO EAGLES
daggolden, you are assuming that draft picks are ready to go and perform immediately and that’s just not the case. When I say implement, I mean effectively. Sure they can implement the 3-4 defense right now if they want but I’m talking about effectively. You need to re-consider the entire personnel for the front 7 and even your coaching staff because you need guys who can teach that defense. So yes, it can be implemented quickly, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be effective.
The funny thing about the Eagles’ defense is, statistically speaking, they do pressure the QB. They had 44 sacks last year, which tied them for 3rd in the league. They were top 10 in rush yds/game last year, and number 1 in passes defended. They were however pretty middle of the road in points allowed.
I think the defense will improve if they aren’t crippled with injuries. I would like to see them bulk up at the tackle position. I think this defense would be fantastic If we had been able to get Haloti Ngata instead of Brodrick Bunkley the year that they were the 2 premier tackles.
Graham is too small to play outside linebacker in the 3-4. Too short and short arms. You can’t just put cole on the outside because now he’ll be forced to cover at times. Any indication he can do that when needed? This isn’t madden where you can just select a different defense with the same personnel and it works. I would love a 3-4 defense but for anyone to think it would be a quick and easy transition are kidding themselves. 3-4 defenses can get carved up too just like 4-3. That stout Cowboys 3-4 blasted us last year and then got raped by the Vikings. The Jets ravaged everyone and then Peyton destroyed them. So yes typically 3-4 defenses are good, but that’s because they have the coaching and personnel and they can get ate up just as much.
Scorpio Graham to small? Are you serious. How big do you think Harrison and Farrior are ummm 6 foot 240 and thrive in that system. I think all the Steelers LB are built like Graham. What Graham is to small to play is DT. Thats what you should be typing. His arms are to short so he cant play? So if he was 1 inch taller and his reach was 2 inches longer hed be fine. hmmm, Cole how do you know what he could do in the 3-4? Ive never seen him play it so I cant really say. All I know is that Cole is a player and probably could thrive in any defense. No its not Madden. But the Eagles defense is terrible, predictable and stale. I always love when good opposing qbs like Peyton would point out where the blitzes are coming from before the play even starts.
Obviously you weren’t paying attention. He’s small in the sense that he is too short and arms are too short for LB. He has a heavy lower body with powerful legs. He’s not built to play LB in any scheme. And about Cole, that’s exactly the point. You don’t take a guy that’s been playing one way his entire career and stick him in an entirely different position and expect to get similar results. Again, this isn’t Madden. I agree that the defense isn’t good. And like I said I’m all for a 3-4 but it’s not as easy as some of you would like it to be. That’s something that requires new coaches and new players in most places along the front 7. That’s the point.
Honestly, I don’t think we need to switch to a 3-4. Yes, it is an attractive defense, but with the personnel we have the 4-3 can work just fine. The problem right now is that we are playing a zone defense but not getting the right amount of pressure on a QB. The QB will dissect a zone defense all day if he has time in the pocket. Once we bring some extra guys and put our secondary in man to man, they are being beat by receivers who are quicker/stronger/bigger. There lies the problem with our defense. Our secondary NEEDS to play zone coverage. They aren’t very good man to man. And that is why Jauron was brought in. Therefore, we need to disguise our zone blitzing a little more. There needs to be some kind of shell that throws off the read of the QB. If we line up in Cover 2 the blitzer can’t be discovered before the play or we are screwed from the get go. Right now we are playing Cover 2, borderline Cover 3 when Bradley drops back in a deeper zone. However, our front four are not getting the right amount of pressure in order to make the zone defense successful. So McDermott is forced to bring extra guys on a blitz, the problem is by doing this he is putting corners in man to man coverage. Or he is zone blitzing but not disguising it very well and the QB sees the pressure before the ball is snapped. So I think it is a mix of coaching/personnel that is creating these breakdowns. Either the front four need to step up, or McD needs to create some creative zone blitzing schemes but disguise them well enough in a Cover 2.
I just want to get it straight. Graham is big enough to put his hand down and rush from DE. But hes to small to stand up and rush from.end. But hes big enough to rush from DT. hmmm. So the key is the hand on the ground which determines if your big enough. Because we agree that in a 3-4 the Wares of the world are just DE standing up. So why dont we just tell Graham to put his hand on the ground in a 3-4 so hes “big” enough than. Problem solved.
Graham can play a 3-4. Most people had him listed as a 3-4 OLB coming out of the draft. The question was whether he was big enough to play in a 4-3 with his hand in the ground…which we all know he can.
I don’t think we need to switch to a 3-4. But I would like to see us mix up our 4-3 coverage a bit. Stand Cole up, stand Graham up and have them come straight down the middle behind the DT’s. Or have them be a decoy for a LB coming off the edge. Get less predictable and disguise the blitz.
Long time lurking
1st time posting
What up fellas
Is it me or do we show our hand way too early on the blitz.. it seems like we got guys committed to the gap we’re blitzing while the QB is still in Pre snap read…
What if he played standing up but his pants on the ground..pants on the ground…getting pushed around with your pants on the ground!
Because in the 3-4 he would be in situations where he may have to cover short TEs and running back routes. That’s why. If you just put him in there in what you call a 3-4, but line him up at outside LB to rush every play then you’re still just playing the 4-3. I never said i agree with Graham lining up inside either. I don’t know why they do it. He’s a DE in the 4-3 defense. He’s not an NFL outside linebacker. Just stop it. It’s not so much as the base defense that’s the problem with the team as much as the scheme and the personnel. When we continually had one of the top defenses in the league it was 4-3. We just don’t have the personnel that is as good as it use to be. That’s the main problem. Bad linebackers, soft corners and small lineman. That’s totally opposite from the personnel that we had the first part of the decade. And changing to a 3-4 won’t make these players better.
I think regardless of what system you run on D, you need the right personnel for the system to work.
Exactly WWW. I don’t care what base defense you have, it doesn’t matter if the personnel can’t play. You can run 4-3, 3-4, 5-2, 4-4 or whatever you want. If the guys aren’t good enough putting them in another system isn’t going to make them stars.
Does anyone dislike the D when Bradley IS healthy? I think we all agree that omar gaither is a huge dropoff, and its night and day between the two. Therefore, isn’t this just about getting a really good backup MLB, not saying that’s easy… but seriously the d tackles and run d luck A ok when Bradley is in.
schiller, I agree to a point but the corners are still suspect. And Akeem Jordan and Ernie Sims aren’t good either. It’s more than just the MLB. I do agree that the run D is better when bradley is in there but whether he is in there that should change how Bunkley and Patterson play and they are average. They are nothing special. They do not get pressure which is why they move Graham inside and they get moved out of lanes against good rushing teams. Many want to discard the d-line rotation as keeping guys fresh but in my opinion it’s more because everyone except Cole is only a situational player. When you are good, you do not get rotated in and out when you aren’t tired. You get rotated out because you aren’t a complete player. If you think the defense problem is the just backup MLB, that’s pretty hilarious. I’m sure McDermott is only upset with Gaither. Not anyone else. Right.
Exactly, rotating in and out a bunch of average players to keep other average players does really nothing. It’s great we have a bunch of “high motor” guys and “fastballs” but it’s not enough and it’s not getting the job done. No one is scared of this D anymore and that’s been the staple of this team since I can remember. I want teams scared to play in Philly and I want them even more scared when we come to their house. It’s time to get back to basics and re-build this D with prototypical D players. Big fat nasty DT’s that will rip your head off, DE’s that make OT’s piss thier pants, LB’s growling and hungry for anything as long as it ends in “Back”. I’m tired of having the fastest worst D in this league. I don’t care about stats in avg yard per carry, or QB hurries, or any of that other fluff stuff. Give me mean and give me nasty and give me hungry, then when they’re done eating go from hungry to greedy and never stop wanting more.
On a side note I heard in a Pittsburgh newspaper Cowher was quoted he is ready to return to the sidelines as long as the “situation is right.” Hmmmmmmmmm
I see plenty of mean and nasty killers on the d.Trent,Bunk,B-Graham,JP,and theres a few more with serious pride in bringn an attitude too the field. Just need too get better play outta the tackles and Stew Bradley is a huge difference. Huge game for the D and they can make a statement to the Skins this weekend with a bottling of MJG. Just attack the edges and send some a gap blitz’z!TACKLE TACKLE TACKLE!!WRAP!!!
And there secondary is pathetic.300 plus for the Ninja.85 on the ground.NFL live had a great segment on Vick helping the run game by keeping the end commited too the edge. Good stuff. THis is goodstuff….no more talking soap opera sh!t. TALK EAGLES FOOTBALL!!!LETS GO BIRDS!!
When exactly have we had “big nasty DT’s that will rip your head off” in the past 10 years. Or “LB’s growling and hungry”.
Listen, the defense is not as bad as the scores indicate. Yes, they have some weaknesses, but they can still make plays. They’ve played 2 good quarters in each of the first two games and two bad quarters in each game. If they can put a complete game together, the point total will drop. The eagles defense has always had the “bend but don’t break” philosophy. They would give up FG’s instead of TD’s. Right now, they are just struggling at holding teams to 3 points. Other wise they aren’t playing terribly. I’m not saying they are great by any means, but I do think they have enough talent to be a top 10 defense. They just have to put a complete game together.
erock i agree….we are 1-1 right now and could of been 2-0…we had a chance to tie that packers game up…and that is when the defense is giving up the most points in the league.
if they get any better at not allowing points…which i think they will….then we may be very successful.
Eagles could easily be 0-2 also…They are fortunate to be 1-1 and now have a good opportunity to go
2-1 which is good start considering how their Offense Line has played, and with some the injuries that have sustained so far,,, Any win is a good win no matter how ugly it appears..
Look at the glass half full Paulman….not half empty
I think we roll against Jax
“Right now, they are just struggling at holding teams to 3 points. Other wise they aren’t playing terribly. I’m not saying they are great by any means, but I do think they have enough talent to be a top 10 defense. They just have to put a complete game together.”
EB, that’s exactly the point. You cannot say on one had they are giving up touchdowns but they aren’t playing terribly. If giving up a bunch of TDs isn’t playing terrible then what the hell is? You write one sentence and negate it with the very next one.
Hey guys, we give up a lot of points (most in the league) but we aren’t playing bad. Good defenses always give up a lot of points to the likes of teams like Detroit with their backup QB. So don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with given up tons of yards and points.
I just thought I put a post out there from Schiller’s and EB’s perspective.
KTDawk says:
September 24, 2010 at 7:57 am Big E, Pittsburgh DE are much bigger b/c they play a 3-4 which requires a much larger DE due to the nature of the position.
THEIR DE’S ARE BIGGER THAN OUR D TACKLES. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THAT
Dude, i’m tired of you acting like you know it all. Every time someone makes a post the big bad scorp comes on and types a paragraph on why he knows more than you…
Exactly as erock said “the defense is not as bad as the scores indicate.” They’ve played 2 bad quarters in each game that hurt them. They just have to put together a complete game.
WE have play makers on the defensive side of the ball that can force turnovers. Right now we are struggling to keep teams to FG’s in the red zone. But if we turn that around then there is no reason we can’t be a top 10 defense.
And your defense only has to let up less points than your offense scores. There is more to being a “good defense” than points allowed. New Orleans gave up more points per game than us last year, and they won the superbowl. Why? Because their defense stepped up when they had too, plain and simple.
One guy does not a defense make…