I knew the Eagles defense was in trouble on Sunday because I had seen Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie cover DeSean Jackson like a blanket throughout the 2012 training camp. DRC put on a show that offseason by showing that he was one of the few defensive backs in the NFL, who could run with Jackson.
DRC might be the most talented cornerback in the NFL, but he wasn’t motivated last year. You’ve got to keep a foot up his butt and demand that he play up to his capabilities. Bronco defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio knows how to do that. He demands excellence from his players. That wasn’t the case last year with the Eagles defensive coaches. They didn’t demand the best from DRC, so he got bored and went through the motions. Now he’s playing the way he’s capable of doing.
I think the other Eagles cornerback a year ago, Nmandi Asomugha was a bad influence on him because the former Oakland Raider doesn’t love to play the game. DRC was motivated on Sunday. He was going to get the chance to do something he knew he could do, cover DeSean Jackson.
Any teams in the NFL, who have a defensive back who can cover Jackson man-to-man, will be able to shut down the Eagles passing game. They won’t have to use one of their safeties to stay deep for Jackson. Number 10’s number one ability is to get deep with his speed. He doesn’t run great short or intermediate routes. DRC is just as fast as Jackson and he showed that throughout the 2012 training camp. He, in fact challenged Jackson to a race and DeSean never took him up on it, so Jackson went into the game knowing his couldn’t outrun DRC.
I’m sure DRC gave Del Rio all this information, so the defensive coordinator designed his game plan with the thought of letting DRC handle Jackson by himself and he did just that. He was held to only two catches for 34 yards. That’s what you call being blanketed.
Del Rio and the Broncos were also able to put one of their safeties in the box as a way of helping to stop running back LeSean McCoy, who had trouble breathing in the high altitude. They blanketed the Birds tight ends with their speedy linebackers. I thought Chip Kelly was going to use his tight ends more or go to Damaris Johnson as a way of beating Denver’s man-to-man coverages, but he stayed with same lineup he had used in the previous week and that must change.
The Birds passing attack consists of starting wide receivers Jackson, along with Riley Cooper and Jason Avant, who are both slow and poor number two receivers. There are hundreds of defensive backs in the NFL, who can cover these guys easily, so everybody is going to play them man-to-man the rest of the year, unless Kelly uses Johnson and his tight ends.
I am so sick of this Unstoppable crap about Peyton Manning. Every year he gets stopped in the Playoffs. He has a 9-11 career playoff record.
Bill Parcels stopped the unstoppable buffaloe offense in the superbowl by running the football and keeping the offense off the field.
Bill Walsh stopped the unstoppable dan marino by blitzing him up the middle.
The Eagles lost the game before it even started. When I read that the defensive coaches said you can’t fool Manning. Really? Last time I checked he was just a man. The greatest can always be beaten.
This defensive coaching staff comes from a bunch of losing and they stink.
The Browns…. Little chip kelley, next time get some coaches from winning organizations.
And you should have traded those undersized defensive ends trent cole, and the bust from michigan. Not try to convert them to linebackers. If you want linebackers then draft linebackers.
You keep too many bums from the Andy Reid era. And don’t get me started on boney james(desean jackson). 105 pounds wet. After 5 years you still don’t know were the lunch room and weight room is at, at the nova care complex????
Hey Desean, Maybe you should watch the bonus features on the 300 and learn how to put on some muscle. The same guy trained that barrel chested beast for superman for the man of steel. Go to imdb for his contact info…
Get rid of that GM too. Smug little….so and so…
How in the world do you come out of training camp and Nate allen and trent cole are still starters???? To burned out bums… You stink roseman.
Chief fans, enjoy the regular season. Get your hopes ups. Dare to dream.
I Saw a Paranomal Insidious Fat man, waiting to destroy your superbowl dreams. It took 14 years to Exorcise him from this organization. He will haunt you if you let him. Don’t fall for it. Just enjoy the regular season.
LOL…sad but true
You are now seeing how DRC is motivated. If he is on a winning team, then he plays, if not he doesn’t. D_jax is exactly the type of WR that is perfectly suited for. Small and fast.
If you have the speed to stay with D-Jax, he’s one of the easiest WR’s to cover for he only runs about 4-5 routes which are all outside the #’s to the sidelines.. (maybe an occasional post pattern) and if you can stay with him and hit him around a little, he becomes a non-fatctor which I have been saying for about 3 years now …
Where was Coach Jelly Kelly’s Offensive Genius Playcalling ??
The OL is looking weaker and weaker as the Season has progressed,
even Jason Peters is playing average.. Kelce,Herremans & Johnson don’t look good at all in Pass-Protection and Mathis has taken a step back..
Things do not look too promising for the Eagles moving forward and they are one of the few Teams who have been fortunate to be relatively healthy so far.. Let’s see what happens
As I’ve stated on the other thread, it’s a slap in the face! I don’t/ won’t root for injuries, but if anyone deserves it, is that non-tackling, mutt!
Jackson is a 1 trick pony. Speed is a good trick, but it only goes so far. I don’t think defenses fear him anymore and even the ones that don’t have fast enough corners just keep a safety back to help. He’s been down hill since his rookie season.
But he is still WORLDS better than any of his healthy position-mates. Riley Cooper is getting more snaps than he deserves. He should have been cut 2 years before anybody knew he was a racist for being a crappy receiver. Try out one of the young guys, they can’t be any worse.
It’s funny looking at coaches like Reid going with hurry-up offenses. The whole league is already doing what Chip is; spread, read-option, no-huddle, pistol. By the time Chip has decent enough players on both sides of the ball to run his system, I fear that everybody will already be on to it.
That Gold Standard for Lurie shining through. All this owner cares about is the icing on the cake, he could give a lick about winning. Jersey sales, tax payer subsidized stadium.. Screw him.