Coming into the regular season, few teams received more national media coverage than the Eagles and Jets. Fresh off of an abbreviated off-season that saw them nab All-Pro CB Nnamdi Asomugha, DE Jason Babin, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, QB Vince Young, RB Ronnie Brown, WR Steve Smith and DL Cullen Jenkins, many tabbed the Eagles front-runners for the NFC championship. Talk of this squad being a "Dream Team", as Vince Young put it, only further increased expectations.
Fast forward to the start of Week Four, and the Eagles are looking at a 1-2 record, and their vaunted secondary torched by Eli Manning for 254 yards and four touchdowns on 16-23 passing. To make matters worse, QB Michael Vick again left early with an injury, and even when in the game, the offense didn't seem to click.
The Eagles are still 4th in the NFL in total offense, and 13th in total defense, but don't let those numbers fool you. The 2010 San Diego Chargers had the #1 offense and #1 defense in the league last year, yet missed out on the playoffs. While San Diego's disappointing 2010 campaign was largely due to horrific special teams (something the Eagles are at worst average at), there are weaknesses in this Eagles team that good teams can exploit.
Philadelphia employs an attacking 4-3 scheme designed to put pressure on the QB with the likes of pass-rushing specialists Trent Cole and Jason Babin, two of the more athletic, up the field DE in the game. The best way to counter a smaller, athletic defense is employ a power running game, something teams have done to them in both the Eagles losses this season. In their Week Two loss to the Falcons, they gave up 139 yards on 29 carries. This past week in their loss at home to the New York Giants, they allowed 112 yards on 28 carries. Even in their season opener, a 31-13 victory against St. Louis, the Rams racked up 154 yards on 26 carries. That totals up to 405 yards on 83 carries, for an average run attempt netting 4.9 yards per carry. Its not only on the defensive line, however, as their starting linebackers have not done an adequate job of filling the gaps, and are all fairly undersized, their average size among starters being 5'11, 235 pounds. The best defenses in the league are capable of making teams one dimensional. That would be exceptional for their excellent cornerback tandem of Asante' Samuel and Nnamdi Asomugha, who could then have the ability to focus exclusively on making plays against the pass.
Another big issue I've seen in watching the Eagles is the carelessness they display with the football. Vick already has fumbled seven times through three games (losing three) and he and back-up QB Mike Kafka have both thrown two interceptions. This offense is one of the most explosive in the game, but they need to do a better job taking care of the ball. Their -4 turnover margin is tied for 29th in the league with Denver. Only Kansas City, San Diego and Pittsburgh have a worse margin through three games.
Ultimately, this team has too much talent to not make the playoffs, and three games remaining against the NFC West will help, but their going to have to beat some good teams, including their home game vs the Patriots and Jets. If the Eagles really do believe its "Super Bowl or Bust" for this team, I'd like to see them start improving their rush defense and ball security, as top contenders like the Packers and Saints will make them pay dearly for turning the ball over.
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