How Will The Eagles Defense Look In September?
BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, News Saturday, February 16th, 2013
The question still remains for Eagles fans about what the team’s defense will look like when the season finally rolls around.
Chip Kelly held a press conference on Monday afternoon to discuss his new staff made up of 21 assistants. He hinted multiple times at the defense but was still noncommittal, or at least publicly, about the defense remaining a 4-3 or being switched to a 3-4. The 3-4 is becoming the new norm in the NFL as many teams are switching to that scheme.
“I’m not caught up with labels,” Kelly said. “I think it’s going to be a defense that creates a lot of turnovers and gets the ball back to our offense.”
Turnovers would be a welcomed change for the Eagles defense who finished tied for last in the league in takeaways (13) and turnover differential (-24).
Kelly said that he would implicate an adaptive defense, one that could look entirely different on third down than it did on second down. He also slipped when he said “I like the 3-4 better.” He covered himself by saying that it helps special teams by having more linebackers on the roster than defensive linemen.
A move to the 3-4 would fit Chip Kelly’s whole ideology towards football perfectly. Speed. In the 3-4 defense, once passed the defensive line, the linebackers are much quicker and more athletic than in the 4-3 counterpart. With DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks already on the roster, both of whom have 3-4 experience, the Eagles may be ready for the switch with just a few more roster moves.
Trent Cole, one of the most athletic players on the Eagles defense, has ideal size (6-3, 270) for an outside, rushing linebacker in the 3-4. Toward the end of 2011, then-defensive coordinator Juan Castillo set Cole and Jason Babin in the two-point stance on certain packages and Cole seemed to thrive. No stranger to tackling the quarterback, with 71 career sacks, Cole had his first season since 2005, his rookie season, with fewer than eight sacks in 2012. The Cincinnati grad would fit nicely into the role of a pass-rushing outside linebacker with a full offseason of work in the system.
The defensive line, which the Eagles currently have 13 defensive ends and tackles, faces more questions. With such a committee, it will not be hard to find a group of defenders who can make up the line. While many players such as Brandon Graham, Cullen Jenkins, and Fletcher Cox, could fit into the 3-4 defensive end position, there is no standout candidate for the nose tackle position. When looking around the league, names like Haloti Ngata, Casey Hampton, and Vince Wilfork are guys that dominate the nose tackle position. Currently on the roster, Antonio Dixon is the player that most closely fits the physical description (6-3, 322) of an ideal nose tackle, but lacks the talent that the previously named behemoths have shown in their careers.
Free agency yields no standouts as far as nose tackles and very few 3-4 linebackers. Pre-Combine and free agency, the Eagles could answer one of those questions with their 4th overall pick. Georgia’s Jarvis Jones, whose stock seems to be falling, could be had at 4th overall if the Eagles choose to go in that direction. Utah’s Star Lotulelei is likely to be a high pick as well and could be the middle force at nose tackle. Moving back a few picks with a team looking to move forward might best help the Birds who are, admittedly or not, in a rebuilding mode.
The Eagles new staff, while remaining noncommittal, has given the media all the signs towards a switch to a 3-4 or some version of it. The defense for 2013 will have plenty of new faces and tons of new looks different from the 2012 crew. Heck, from the sounds of it, the defense will have new looks from first to second down.
The defensive situation is very fluid and we will be hearing new things in regard to scheme, personnel, and packages as the offseason progresses. With free agency looming and the draft quickly approaching, more and more questions will be answered. Fasten your seat belts fans because this offseason is going to be exciting!
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Posted by Brenden Peddigree
on Feb 16 2013. Filed under BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, News.
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I agree Paulman.
GM, I dont believe he will get 13 sacks with the birds. I was saying, if he went to the GMEN, he would have 13 sacks. He would get those sacks just tp spite us. Also playing along side of JPP would give him some added help.
What paulman said is the exact reason I would not cut him. He showed marked imoprovement toward the end of the season, when healthy. He also did not QUIT on his teamtes like most did. If I were Kelly that is exactly what I would be looking at.
Paulman is my ace, buddy, and friend, and I totally disagree with him, as I do at times. I respect his opinion, but I respectfully disagree on both Graham, and Watkins. GMCliff feels we should move on from mediocrity.
I hear ya cliff, and you might be 100 percent correct in regards to them. I just think its to early to give up on these first round picks.
It’s never too early to move forward towards a SuperBowl, and you need both players, and talent to do that.
1st Round pick or not, he’s none of those.
Graham and Watkins are not going anywhere..
Now Trent Cole, Todd Herremans, Mike Patterson, Cullen Jenkins will all be packing their bags..
Graham should be trade bait……….suckering a team; capitalizing on a year he played over his head. My reasoning was the same way last off-season, when I said we should trade Babin….Its time to bring some closure to this non- sense. He’s average.
Watkins ia waste of oxygen & Graham is nothing special. Other than last years draft class, I’d trade everyone!
One would have to think Watkins gets one more shot with Southland to see if he can turn it around,
Not when he stinks. He hasn’t done one thing to prove he is worth on this roster.
He has most definetley stunk the last two years. I still think the brass wants to rectify this and will give him every opportunity to start.
Watkins will work this year because he wants his pension and if he gets cut there is the chance he does not make a team somewhere else. His whole fireman gig depends on that pension so he is very motivated to make sure he can stay in the league another year. As far as ever being good, I can’t see it. But he may be servicable for this year if the coach can simplify things for him. I hate Herremans at RT though so I think that the O line is not going to be as good as people hoped if we don’t end up taking Joekel or Fisher. If the line is JP, Mathis, Kelce, Herremans, Joekel I am pretty happy. If it’s JP, Mathis, Kelce, Watkins, Herremans I am pretty concerned.
Let’s be honest here for a moment..
Who on this Eagles Team has looked good over the last 2 Seasons
Look at both sides of the Ball and tell me 1 player who has performed at a High-Level Consistently over the 2011 & 2012 Seasons .. .
I come up with one Player, RB McCoy..
QB Vick,TE Celek, WR’s all Underperformed anf the OL was poor to overmatched once the injuries mounted but Herremans was playing like shit before his inmjury, Him and Watkins were in a funk all season long and never overcame the loss of their Good Friend Garret Reid in my opinion…
The entire Defense was a joke oustide of Fletcher Cox & Brandon Graham last Season.. LB’s Ryans and Kendricks really faded the 2nd half of last Season,in my opinion and the Secondary was brutal all Season long as it was in 2011, 2010 and 2009..
Bottom line here, lots of rebuilding needs to be done which is why I say cut the chord with the players over 30 Years of Age now and rebuild,obtain more Drafat Picks and count on the 3-4 Year Vets as being Coached up and hopefully stepping up for the Future .. players like Graham,Cox,Thornton,Curry, Kendricks,Boykin,Allen, Marsh and if they can’t cut it, then you replace them.. but keeping Players like Trent COle,MIke Patterson,C Jenkins,Asmo,A Jordan, D Tapp just doesn’t make sense to me at this point of these players Careers and the needs and rebuilding that needs to be done by the Eagles.. .Maybe JEnkins hangs in this Years since he’s played and had success in the 3-4, but Patterson,Tapp,Cole,Jordan all must go for they are not Fits for the 3-4 Scheme
Paul….I still think Cole can play DE in a 3-4. A Jordan was our second best ST player so I would keep him. Patt, C Jenkins, Asmo, Tapp need to go. I think they end up sticking with Allen out of necessity. I would not be surprised if they franchise DRC until they can figure something out on the corners. I could see a secondary next year that looks like this:
CB-DRC
CB-Xavier Rhoades
CB-Boykin
FS-Nate Allen
SS-George Wilson
I hear what your saying jbird about Cole but I think he’s at the end of the line and he;s probably the only Defender who can return Value in a Trade which is why I move him this Off-Season while hi’s value is High..
Eagles need a BIG Strong Side OLB and can utlize Graham/Hunt/Curry for that Pass Rusher OLB while Flet Cox/C Jenkins slides out at DE once they get a big NT.. COle at 260lbs is too small to anchor a DE Position in a 3-4 for their assignments and reposibilities are much different than the 4-3 he’s been playing in for his entire Career with the Eagles..
I rather get a 3rd or 4th Round Pick and use the time it will take for the Learning Curve for the 3-4 Scheme for Younger Players who will be around the building blocks for the next 3-5 Seasons and Trent Cole to be honest, just doesn’t fit this at his stage of his Career..
Paul do you watch eagles games? Apparently not but I can guarantee you tha real GM’s do…. Cole does not have any significant value… Maybe a 6,7
I disagree, Trent Cole and Jeremy Maclin probably have the highest Trade Calue based on their Age, Production, Current Salary’s..
If the Eagles are to nake a move for additional 3rd or 4th Rd
Picks, these are the Players that would have to moved in order to do so..
There would be 6-8 Teans who would want these 2
For their Teams in 2013..
I agree Paul……..
I do lie George Wilson JBird
Paul…it sounds like you see the core being Shady, B Brown, Kelce and maybe Maclin right now on offense. And defense it would be Cox, Curry, Boykin and Kendricks and everyone else can go. That is sad. The cupboards really are bare aren’t they?? That shows you how much Reid ran this thing into the ground. In 33 years I can’t remember having this little talent on the roster since the Swamp Fox days.
Paul…..I think Curry will turn out to be a waste of a 2nd rd pick. He seems to lack elite pass rushing qualities at this level and seems more a run defender. A good fit to play LDE in a 4-3 scheme. Can’t see him standing up as a 3-4 OLB. Maybe he can bulk up and play DE.
I have Reservations about Curry making an impact.. probably more of a Roational Pass-Rusher.. It was a shame we didn’;t see more of him the last half of last season when the Eagles would have Darryl Tapp activated and sit CUrry which didn’t make sense to me…
Actually I never know why DE Darryl Tapp, DT Mike Patterson , RB Chris Polks were even on the 53 Man Roster.. All wasted Roster SPots, Tapp/Patterson don’t contribute on Special Teams and Polk hardly was heatlhy with a season long “Ankle Injury” which I thought was unusal.
By keep this 3 Players, Eagles were unable to have any Quality back-Up Safety or a 3rd TE on the Roster and Quality back-up OL and we all saw the result of a poor Roster once the Injuries began
IN 1 late game the Eagles lost to the Redksins .. Eagles had to bring in a TE (Evan Moore) off the Streets with 2-3 Pracatice to suit up and play which is inexcusable adn he Drops a sure TD Pass which could have made a Difference in the Game.. but instead the Eagles carry 5 RB’s (when they pass 65%-70% of the Time) Carry 7 DE’s and Short at Safety Position
The Overall Roster Management for this Eagles Team the last Few Years has had a lot of head scratchers.. Was it Reid, Was it Roseman or Both.. who knows.. Hopefully Kelly, Roseman and Player Personnel Tom Gamble will be on the same page and maximize the bottom 1/3 of the Roster as solid Back-ups with potential and Strong Special Teams Players atr the minumum..
One thing that concerns is the Tom Gamble, I believe has a different Philosophy than Chip Kelly does about Players and I am not so sure how well they will mesh….
I think Kelly is similar to Andy Reid in being enamored by the small, super fast players while Gamble tends to prefer the bigger,strong,still Athletic Physical Players..
This should be an interesting dynmamic to look out for and become more apparent in Free-Agency/Draft to see what Players the Eagles bring in..
If Kelly contines the small but fast philosophy in his Players, then look for Gamble to be a short-term Player Personnel Director with the Eagles which would be a shame ..
Cole is too small, to play DE in a 3-4.
In another Aquisition by the EAgles
Free-Agent OT Ed Wang (a former 5th Round Pick of Buffalo BIlls in 2010)
He played in 6 Games in 2010 when he took over for Demtrress Bell who got hurt.. Then was on injured reserve all of 2011 and then was released and signed by the Raiders and did not make the final cut last year so another player who saw no action in the NFL in 2012.. This is the 4 Signee this Off-Season with a Player who was not on a NFL Roster last Season…
It appears noting has changed with GM Roseman..
One last side note, when a OT cannot play for the Buffalo BIlls or Orakland Raiders who are desperate for quality OL, then they probably can’t play for anyone … (See Demetress Bell as an example)
Paul, just think, if we sign S Pat Chung, we can have Wang Chung! BWAHAHAHA!!!! What a joke!
Ha ha
The Eagles going to be the First NFL Team with a complete Roster of Asian-Americans.. another brilliant Marketing & PR move by Lurie & Smolenski as they go after the growing Asian Population.. Word is that Eagles will play 1 to 2 home games a Season in China to Promote the “Eagles Brand”
(1 a Pre-Season game, 1 a Regular Season Game) The Die-Hard Regular Season Ticket Holders will be footing the bill for the Eagles to play oversea’s.
Bradon Graham is incapable of playing 16 games — his is too short, his arms too small to prevent 300 lb. OL from injuring his fragile little body
If dingbat Joe or Howie didn’t give him a foolish 5 and half year guarantee contract worth a staggering 5 million a year he would already be gone