• March 29, 2024

Marty Mornhinweg Tries to Explain Eagles Red Zone Problems

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg was at the podium today and  he tried to explain what’s been the problem that has been plaguing the Birds in the red zone.  In the Saints game they got into the red zone five times and weren’t able to score a single  touchdown.

“If you’re not playing with great precision down in the red zone, then you get into those types of situations,” he said. “All eleven players have to play fast and precise down in the red zone. Things are happening quickly; they’ve got the 12th man (the end line) … I will tell you players are working very, very hard to get that thing straightened out.”

I don’t see much hope for these guys in the red zone because they don’t have a power running game.  They don’t have any good big receivers, so teams are keying running back LeSean McCoy and making sure to get penetration into the backfield.   They can’t run behind Jason Peters and they can’t trick people any more with shovel pass.

Most of the time when McCoy gets a handoff, he’s avoiding a tackler at the same split-second that he gets his hands on the football.  They still need to give him a chance to make something happen.  Marty shouldn’t forget McCoy when they get into the red zone because he’s their best player and very effective at making tacklers miss.

Maybe they should start kicking field goals on second down if they get in the red zone. LOL

Seriously, Mornhinweg said he thought all of those empty backfield formations were a strong area for the Eagles offense in the Saints game.  Vick got killed by the New Orleans blitzes versus the empty backfields.   He’s got to get the ball out of his hands, but he’s still going to get pounded in that set. He sacked on that key second down play in the red zone.

I thought they should have gone with more maximum protection plays and let DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin get open deep when they were out in the open field.

New Orleans hadn’t been able to cover anybody up until Monday night, but they covered that over by putting pressure on Vick.  How could the Birds be so foolish as not to move into two tight end sets with maximum protection and throw the ball deep all day long.

GCOBB

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jphalines
jphalines
November 8, 2012 3:41 pm

You said how could the Birds be so foolish as not to move 2 Te’s to block. The very simple reason is it was not part of AR’s game plan. He has to win on his terms even if there appears to be a better way once the game starts. Past examples are Osi’s 7 sack night because AR refused to help with a TE or RB. Several recent ones are forgetting about McCoy because the coaches felt they could win passing despite some running success.
When I watch Vick throwing 40+ times a game and getting hit 20+ times I think of the scene from Tin Cup. Kevin Costner has the US Open locked up if he would just lay instead of trying to go over the water with a risky shot. We all know he kept missing and lost the Open on his terms. That’s Andy Reid the football coach in a nut shell.

jphalines
jphalines
November 8, 2012 4:19 pm

It is Andy Reid’s conviction or stubbuness that has played a large part in his success. It’s a trait of most successful people. His football IQ is matched by only a few, but there’s often a fine line between stubburn and stupid.

MaybeTheyCan
MaybeTheyCan
November 11, 2012 1:22 pm
Reply to  jphalines

Reid ran way past that line and stomped on it several times on the way years ago. When I realized that, I stopped supporting him and wanted a change at coach.

BigE
BigE
November 8, 2012 5:14 pm

Wighead- the Eagles have been working on red zone offense for three years.
The coaches and players defy logic. The must all be on meds. Don’t piss on my back and tell me it’s raining. Wighead, you and and Andy couldn’t game plan for anyone even if you had six weeks. Your line sucks, your center and QB
can’t get the blocking straight and your receivers are whimps. When this team plays it’s not the body bag game, it’s the hand bag game.

larrwd
larrwd
November 8, 2012 5:17 pm

Has everyone seen the guy I wanted to draft Russell Wilson .. He’s playing quite well.. So much for Gmcliff saying he wouldnt even make the NFL.. The eagles were going to draft Wilson instead of Foles but Seattle got to him first..
That being said Wilson wouldnt do anything behind this offensive line either.. Worst offensive line Ive seen maybe ever.. Than fired Juan Castillo the best coach on the team ..The eagles are fucked..

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
November 8, 2012 5:27 pm

I understand why Reid is sticking with his plan. I don’t agree with that plan, but I understand why he does. His ideas carried took the team to its most successful record in its modern era, playoff success, and a SB.

Again, I understand why he sticks with this system even though I am not a fan of said system (though I do agree with MM and think empty backfields are a good strategy against big blitzes)

What I don’t understand is how if Reid believes in his system and will not change it, he keeps rolling out a QB who he knows (he has to know by now) cannot run said system.

Biglion821
Biglion821
November 8, 2012 5:40 pm

I actually agree Vinnie, so obviously as the coach he sees things we don’t.

Berks
Berks
November 9, 2012 12:42 am

i will tell u why they are so foolish……..they have andy reid as a coach

Berks
Berks
November 9, 2012 12:46 am

i will always say this….coaches before Andy, had 10,11 wins in a season but they were fired for 1 bad season. if they had 14 years their wins would add up. Andy went up against crappy teams and Giants are beatable even in their SB years. coaches before Andy, let’s say had a little tougher schedule

slick1
slick1
November 9, 2012 1:56 am
Reply to  Berks

That’s the same thing I’ve been saying. Who’s to say that if Kotite,Ryan, Marion Campbell, Dick Vermeil, Ray Rhodes, et al had been given FOURTEEN YEARS, they couldn’t have been equally successful and, in fact, may even have won several Super Bowls by now?

Those early years of success by Reid were illusionary. Done when the majority of the NFL was in a debilitated state. Reid, and his version of the WCO, was new. It took the rest of the NFL by surprise and it took time for the rest of the NFL to gain strength through the draft and free-agency and through the hiring of fresh new young and innovative coaches who developed styles, strategies, and tactics to defeat Reid’s WCO. Once that happened, they (opponents) never looked back.

Gotta Luv It
Gotta Luv It
November 9, 2012 10:22 am
Reply to  slick1

Dude you are being sarcastic by mentioning 4 of the worst NFL Head Coaches EVER right? LOL..Right ?

DCar
DCar
November 9, 2012 1:50 am

This @$$-puppet is still coaching, WHY?!?!? He is even more clueless, inept, ill-advised & delusional than square peg, in round hole Reid. LURIE, BROOM THIS AFTER BIRTH OF A COACHING STAFF, ALREADY!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! I can’t take another idiotic quote, article, nor interview, with any of these dorkholes!!!!

paulman
paulman
November 9, 2012 9:57 am

I think we can all agree that the Coach AR era has ended and there is no sense in Coacg Reid changing up things halfway thru a lost Season.. He will ride it out as I have stated numerous times for he now is Coaching for his next Team for he knows the Eagles are toast and that his time is up.. (as does his Staff)
Mudd will go back into retirement and probably should have stayed there,
Washburn will probably get hired by someone, but the Wide 9 Scheme does not get a lot of favorable looks from most HC and besides the Detroit Lions, I don’t think another NFL Teams runs it as a Base Defense and probably for good reason..

ISeeGreenPeople
ISeeGreenPeople
November 9, 2012 10:30 am

Marty’s explanation should be “I suck because I insist on making this team a one dimensional offense and I don’t care if we are easy to defend because me and Andy will prove that we can drive our sports car 100 miles an hour through New York city rush hour traffic”

Berks
Berks
November 9, 2012 2:03 pm

iseegreenpeople,
that is a great analogy!! a sports car. Reid using a corvette which crushed weaker teams, the philosphy did not score much in playoffs. 3 points against panthers and 10 against cowboys will always stick especially when we had the talent and wasted it.

Berks
Berks
November 9, 2012 2:20 pm

Redzone problems? give Andy a mirror. ……………….1st and goal, just run it in Andy, get stopped twice, run it in, coming away without a touchdown last game from 1st and goal,,,,,, pathetic

RealTalk777
RealTalk777
November 9, 2012 2:30 pm

I agree Berks…I think they just don’t have faith in the run game close to the end zone. Many times the Eagles get to the red zone and try running it in, they have gone backwards! They have not had success running the ball in and that is due to lack of size up front. In those situations, you gotta put big bodies on the line and go with power. The Eagles don’t have any power formations…Right about now, I’d try anything..Get in the I form and throw Jenkins, Thronton in the middle or the edges and run to either side, following blocking from the FB.

RealTalk777
RealTalk777
November 9, 2012 3:37 pm

This weekend game has to be about getting confidence back on offense and defense. Coaches/plaers need to come out strong. I’d like to see the O go 2 TE set in the redzone and go with a TE screen to Harbor. I want to see some 2 Back shot gun set, can go play action, and get back in the flat, numerous things can be done out of this, throw two TE’s out there, chipping…Make the defense have to be accountable for those guys coming out the back field,dictate the game make the defense play you instead of you playing the defense…Force safety to cover the TE, with some decent protection, that should open up some plays down the field.

Butch007
Butch007
November 10, 2012 6:12 pm

Part of the problem with running max protect is that A.) Both of the TEs aren’t great pass protectors and for whatever reason, when their number is called to block, they both almost always end up attempting the block better pass rushers on the opposing team and that exacerbates the fact that they aren’t great blockers. They need to change their max protect scheme to include an extra O-Linemen and TE. The other issue is that the receivers haven’t been coached to come back up the field when the protection breaks down and the QB based on that isn’t looking for the receivers to work their way back and is either out of options or dragged to the ground. This is where a big veteran WR like Plexico Burress would have come in handy.

As for the defense, Bowles is going to have to figure out how to blitz better and rather than running a straight Wide 9 they need to try to mix in some twists since every team is going to max protect the edges. They might try that 5 D-Linemen configuration Juan Castillo started experimenting with last year. It also would be nice if they would sign a good sized LB like Kourtnei Brown now so they can move Kendricks to WILL…ideally in two weeks. Kendricks will probably be beastly on the blitz up the middle.

Butch007
Butch007
November 10, 2012 6:13 pm

I’ll be curious to see what they come up with for tomorrow.

Stevo
Stevo
November 10, 2012 9:45 pm

Butch and a few others nailed it…..

When they try and get a push from their Oline.. they cant because the line is not big enough,

When they try and use 2 TE’s to block…. they cant because they are more recivers than blockers

As far as the FB… do we even have 1?

When they try and throw in the goaline they cant because. They WR’s arent tall enough, They cant because the WR’s are big enough. They cant because everyone knows its going to McCoy.

And the worst part about this is that IT HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR MANY MANY YEARS.

The O is a 1 trick Pony…. air it out… let er fly…. and now they dont have the line to do that.

SONGSRME2
SONGSRME2
November 11, 2012 2:05 am

look for jason witten to have a monster game against this bum ass defense. We don’t have safeties and kendricks is too short against tall strong TE’s.

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
November 11, 2012 9:29 am

Can anyone explain what the befnefits of winning today’s game might be?

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
November 11, 2012 9:44 am

But on a more important note. Today is Remembrance day (or I believe Veteran’s day for Americans)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

– John McCrae

paulman
paulman
November 11, 2012 10:29 am

Cowboy Stars of the Game
3rd WR Ogletree who bets Boynkin all game long
TE Whitten who beats Kendricks,Ryan,Safeties all Game long
DE D Ware gets 4 Sacks and CB Carr gets an INT forTD Retrn

Cowboy 31- Eagles 13

jakedog
jakedog
November 11, 2012 10:57 am

Nice post vinnie, especially thinking about the fact that there have been only three people who have pledged to die so others can live, Jesus Christ, the American soldier and the Canadian soldier

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
November 11, 2012 2:32 pm

TY Jakedog…solumn yet beautiful ceremony today at Canada’s national war monument here in the capitol.

11-11-11

Lest we forget.