The Problems in Philadelphia

Obviously no-one predicted a 1-3 start for the Eagles and naturally everyone in the team is 'frustrated' and the fans furious. What do people see as being the reasons for the disappointing start? There are quite a few possibilities including:

A weak offensive line.
A QB that has been banged up (and suffered a few injuries this season too ) and has seemingly annoyed referees with last weeks rant.
A shut-down corner who has opened for business this season.
The pressure of the 'Dream Team' tag (as Peter King commented, still VY's only meaningful contribution to the team).
Too many new faces in one go, especially given the shortened offseason.

I'm sure there are many other possible reasons but I was just wondering what people's thoughts were. I'll give mine after a few responses.

i think the vick affect has gobe
last year teams didnt know how to contain him he was "new"
but this year teams have done their homework and now know how to contain and play against him and a weak O-line never helps.

I questioned whether the Eagles were genuine superbowl contenders back in August.
I wasn't convinced they'd have the salary cap to start with, then trading Kolb was a deal I questioned because the way Vick plays he is always liable to get injured so a quality back up is necessary - they got VY who is competent but he's also a cancer, an attitude the locker room could do without.
They'll be OK, I still expect them to win the East and if they gel over the coming weeks they could enter the post season hot and be a serious challenger.
People forget they were about 3 inches away from taking the play off game v Packers last season into OT, so they were'nt exactly poor before the influx of new blood....

The Eagles were on fire with the signings they were making and were expected to do well. I think you've already got a few of the reasons for the problems at philly. Keep in mind its still early on and we could see the Eagles gel and come good but atm this hype and the "dream team" tag didn't help.

I've not seen much of the Eagles this season but from what I can get- Offensively they've got Vick who hasn't been as good so far this season and its no wonder as he's not getting the protection he needs from his O-line leading to him getting banged up and injured. Red-zone efficiency on both sides of the ball is also a problem, they had several wasted opportunities in their last game also, they're going to need a key player for short distance plays. Vick being out atm is also not helping either. Defence also needs shaping up and to stop giving up to many big gains.

Cherries

Not sure I agree with that, Vick has over 1000 passing yards and has scrambled for over 200 rushing yards, he has 6 TDs but the problem is he's turned the thing over 5 times through week 4.
His passer rating is 92 through week 4 so as a pure QB he is almost top tier, throw in his scrambling abilities and he is a trheat.
The o-line who allow the pass rush to pressure him all game must take some of the blame - I still think he is an explosive QB who offers something very few other QBs can...

Grizzly wrote:Cherries

Not sure I agree with that, Vick has over 1000 passing yards and has scrambled for over 200 rushing yards, he has 6 TDs but the problem is he's turned the thing over 5 times through week 4.
His passer rating is 92 through week 4 so as a pure QB he is almost top tier, throw in his scrambling abilities and he is a trheat.
The o-line who allow the pass rush to pressure him all game must take some of the blame - I still think he is an explosive QB who offers something very few other QBs can...

good point
this stats from last year and the dream team statment has clearly put pressure on him to preform maybe forcing him to take risk when he really shouldnt leading to higher turnover numbers

Of course it doens't help when your kicker is missing 30 odd yard field goals that would have pretty much guaranteed you a win.

I still see the Eagles winning the division. There is just too much talent on the team and they'll surley gel in the next few weeks. A lot will depend on whether Vick stays healthy though.

Another problem which some seem to have missed is that teams are running all over them. Their defensive line has been shocking and their linebackers are just terrible. If a team like that can't stop then run then they can't control the clock.

The problem is with their new D scheme. Its designed to get after QB's, but sacrifices holes for the running game. The wide 9 split of the DE's isn't proving as effective as they had hoped, mainly because the yardage they are giving up in the run is far less than the sack yardage they are gaining.

And long may their troubles continue.

It has been mentioned a bit in the media but.... Hiring an offensive line coach as you defensive coordinator basically because it's a job he always wanted to do.

Now I imagine there is some more substance behind that, but its been a strange move.

There is no way the Eagles will win the East, it's all well and good predecting they may come good and gel in a couple of weeks, by that time they can staring down the barrell of a 2-6 season. The main problem is whats already been touched on is the Interior Lineman the OC and O/G who are not highly rated, you can spend big money on CB, DL back up QB etc but if you can keep your trigger man upright or from been flushed from the pocket then its money wasted. If I were an Eagles fan I would hope that money was first spent on shoring up the O line as the $100million they are rumoured to pay Vick will be a waste.

AS for who will win the East the other 3 have been far better but I think it will be a toss up for the Skins and Cowboys the Boys have thrown away 1 game against the Jets and imploded against the Lions if they kept cool they could be 4-0 but 2-2 with a banged up QB and missing a number of starters including their #1 WR is not too bad.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive problems:

Run D#

Jim Washburn has installed the wide 9 technique into the Eagles defensive front which was utilized during his time with the Tennessee Titans. This alignment in itself shouldn’t really cause too many problems defending the run but it does use undersized defensive ends (Jason Babin) with speed. Undersized usually equals difficulty when playing the run. Even so the wide 9 means the defensive ends primary job is to get up field not play the run.

From what I can see the problem the Eagles have is related to not having the LB and safety personnel to run the scheme effectively. DC Juan Castillo has said himself that,

“Football is a gap control game with that scheme,” and,

“LBs have the C gap instead of having the D gap.”

Except the Eagles don’t appear to have the linebackers to fill the gaps created by the system, they are being blocked and can not shed those blocks. The number of times when watching games involving Philadelphia this season I noted #51 (Jamar Cheney), #53 (Moise Fokou) and #50 (Casey Matthews) failing to get off blocks was very concerning. I can’t be 100% sure but it also looks like they are completely missing their gap responsibilities at times, perhaps due to the short period of time teams have had to install new defensive schemes.

The play at safety hasn’t been much better – numerous missed tackles, a complete inability to cover virtually any tight end, being blocked out of plays by slot receivers were just some of the problems I noted with #42 (Curt Coleman) the primary culprit.

The nature of the defense means that both the DL and LBs are attacking up field and thus over pursue at times.

You can see what I’m talking about here: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8221f4ab/Can-t-Miss-Play-Jackson-rams-through-Eagles

Over pursuit by #53 (Moise Fokou) means that when Steven Jackson cuts back he’s out of position (poor gap control right there), cant get off his block and ends up being pancaked. You can see #42 (Curt Coleman) get taken out of the play by failing to get off a block by Danny Amendola. Coleman might not be the biggest safety in the game but he shouldn’t be blocked out of a play so easily by a 180lbs slot receiver. The linebackers have to do a better job of controlling their gap, shedding blocks and tackling the ball carrier.


Pass D#

The problems at safety and with the linebackers doesn’t stop with the run defense, they can’t cover either!

2nd year player Jamar Chaney and rookie Casey Matthews have both looked poor in coverage and have been exploited by running backs and tight ends. Regardless of the problems the Eagles defensive backs are having, I’ll touch on this in a minute, they are still some of the most talented players in the Eagles defense when being utilised to their strengths. When you consider this and the problems the LBs are having in both coverage and vs. the run it makes sense that teams will use offensive formations, such as multiple TE looks, which keep the Eagles out of nickel and dime sub packages and in their base 43 defense. It forces mismatches and keeps one of the Eagles better players on the sidelines. Watch any Eagles game this season and you will see tight ends and running backs exploiting their base 43 defense and the LBs in particular.

Tony Gonzales beating the Eagles coverage for a touchdown in week two: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8225e224/Gonzalez-gets-his-second

Here the Falcons line up in a twins formation with both receivers on the right side, a FB and the TE (Tony Gonzalez) to the left of the formation. The Eagles are in their base 43. The Flacons attempt to draw the linebackers up to the LOS with a fake draw and the receivers run routes which take the FS and the corners out of the play and allow Gonzalez to beat a LB or SS. The draw doesn’t really do much but it holds the MLB #50 (Matthews) just long enough to allow Gonzalez to beat the coverage #41 (Page).

Quick note on the Eagles corners, specifically Nnamdi Asomugha: We all know what Asante Samuel struggles with – gambles, gives up big plays and can’t tackle but it turns out that Asomugha’s strength isn’t zone coverage, who knew that he was a better press man cover corner. Playing zone means the corner can ill afford to miss tackles but that’s exactly what’s happening with both Eagles corners ATM. The way the Eagles play coverage just doesn’t lend itself to Asomugha’s strengths and I read an article recently by Michael Lombardi which explained that in certain situations, depending on offensive formation and route concepts, he actually ends up playing FS. Not ideal.

I think the Castillo thing is a big issue. The talk over the offseason was all about the benefit of continuity. The teams that retained the same Head Coach, Coordinators and QB were thought to be in good shape. Given that, placing an Offensive Line coach in charge of a Defence for the first time in his career can't be a good move. Through in a lot of new faces and rookies on that side of the ball and you have a team that is significantly behind the curve so far.

I really want Casey Matthews to succeed (I was actually hoping the Packers would draft him) but at the moment he looks lost. I know Middle Linebacker is a tough place for a rookie but where isn't on an NFL team. Hopefully he improves but the lack of an experienced head there is hurting the Eagles too.

Shutdown corners. I've been thinking a lot about this recently and have started to wonder whether the success that Asomugha has had is now hurting him. It got to the stage in Oakland where he wasn't being thrown at at all. Surely it is difficult to maintain your skills and focus when this is the case. Yes you practice constantly but that never fully replicates a game. Does the fact that players like Cruz have been beating Asomugha suggest that he has dropped off slightly? I know it's a risky strategy but if I was an Offensive Coordinator I might target him a little and put the pressure on, obviously as his targets go up he will start to get that game-time practice so it's a short lived strategy.

Michael Vick. I agree with Grizzly here rather than cherries, he's still performing at a staggeringly good level but he's being let down by the OL. Why you would spend $100M on a QB and then watch him get chased around week after week is beyond me. Not that they can do an awful lot about it now but it's not very well planned by the Eagles back office.

The final point comes down to money too. Too much spent on too few. How they can have been splashing that kind of money around and not given any to DeSean Jackson is beyond me. I would be furious if I was him seeing people like Steve Smith come in and take some of his money (while contributing very little). Also the way he's playing the amount they will have to give him is going up week by week. I can smell a franchise tag coming (and given Larry Fitzgerald's new contract that won't be cheap).

GB1919 wrote:Shutdown corners. I've been thinking a lot about this recently and have started to wonder whether the success that Asomugha has had is now hurting him. It got to the stage in Oakland where he wasn't being thrown at at all. Surely it is difficult to maintain your skills and focus when this is the case. Yes you practice constantly but that never fully replicates a game. Does the fact that players like Cruz have been beating Asomugha suggest that he has dropped off slightly? I know it's a risky strategy but if I was an Offensive Coordinator I might target him a little and put the pressure on, obviously as his targets go up he will start to get that game-time practice so it's a short lived strategy.

I’m not sure but I find that premise hard to believe. Quarterbacks weren’t throwing in Asomugha’s direction when he was in Oakland because he’s a big, physical, 6’2, 210lbs corner who plays press man to a high level and essentially shut down whichever receiver was on his side of the field. This is going to require a very high level of skill and focus. I doubt very much the small number of passes thrown into his coverage was on reputation alone, if the receiver was open he would have got the ball.

I just think it’s a case of, right now, he’s not as strong when it comes to playing zone as he is at press man. The scheme in Philadelphia is asking different things of him in coverage and it takes time to learn and adjust. I find it somewhat strange that they paid all that money for him then don’t play to his strengths and, at times, actually have him playing out of position at FS.

Nnamdi Asomugha himself on the Eagles defensive scheme:

"Here, you're learning new things because they're putting you in different situations, different spots, and I've played the slot this year, I've played on tight ends, I've played free safety, I've played corner,"

"It's a lot more than just going out there and playing man."

Most of the time when playing zone it’s about protecting against the big plays and keeping things in front of you, therefore if you have a short reception you must make the stop as poor tackling can kill a zone defense. One thing we might find out about Asomugha is that he’s not as good a tackler as first thought. He’ll be asked to do more of it playing zone and he’s already missed a few to date.