• March 28, 2024

Eagles D’ Must Be Physical To Stop Running Back Eddie Lacy

eddielacyWhile Aaron Rodgers’ absence will certainly make a victory in Green Bay a much more realistic task, the Eagles defense is still going to have their hands full when they try to stop the running game of the Packers.

The Packers have been primarily a throwing team over the last few seasons, but in 2013 their running game has become a key element in their offense once again. Right now Green Bay is running well with their top two backs, Eddie Lacy and James Starks.

Lacy, a second-round pick from last spring’s draft, is a powerful physical runner who won’t be easy to bring down. He runs hard on every play, and isn’t afraid to take on contact. He reminds me a bit of former Dallas Cowboy running back Marion Barber, who was also a fierce physical runner who used to give the Eagles fits in his prime.

The Packers have given the ball to Lacy at least 22 times in each of the last five games, and the rookie has gained no fewer than 82 yards in each of those contests. He’s coming off of his best performance of the season, where he ran for 150 yards and a touchdown on Monday night.

With Rodgers out of the picture, the Packers are going to rely heavily on the impressive rookie and make him the focal point of their offense.

The Eagles’ defense needs to match Lacy’s powerful running style with some strong physical play of their own. Fletcher Cox, Cedric Thornton, and Bennie Logan need to be disruptive on the defensive line, and clog up as many running lanes as they can. Cox has been steadily improving over the last month, and is beginning to adapt to playing as a 3-4 defensive end. Thornton has been one of the team’s most consistent defensive players all season, and he needs to carry that success over to this week. Logan will make his second start of the season since taking over for Isaac Sopoaga. Trading Sopoaga in part signifies that the Eagles have confidence in how Logan has developed this year, and he needs to go out and prove the coaching staff right.

I’m not sure how much of Vinny Curry we’re going to see this week. The Eagles have said throughout the season that they don’t like Curry’s run defense, and in a game that they figure to see a heavy dose of the ground attack, it seems likely that Clifton Geathers will see more snaps in the rotation.

Another key is going to be inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans. Ryans has been rising up as a leader on this unit, and as the field general he’s got to make sure that his teammates are lined up properly and prepared for whatever blocking schemes/formations the Packers will try to throw at them.

As a unit, the defense needs to be aggressive and be prepared to spend 60 minutes playing some smash mouth football. If they can’t match the intensity that Lacy and the Green Bay running game will bring to the table, the Packers have a chance to win the time of possession battle and wear the defense down as the day goes on, and perhaps open things up for Seneca Wallace and the passing game.

Denny Basens

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eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
November 7, 2013 7:45 pm

Kendricks and Allen lead this team in tackles and Lacy looks bigger than both of them combined, LOL, understand Denny’s concern —

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
November 7, 2013 7:48 pm

Espn reports the Eagles coordinators know more about Seneca Wallace than the whole Packer coaching staff since he was on their Cleveland Brown team for 2 years running this packer west coast offense. –

RegalEagle
RegalEagle
November 8, 2013 5:34 pm
Reply to  Denny Basens

Did NOT see that coming. LOL

paulman
paulman
November 7, 2013 9:05 pm

On Obvious passing downs, The Eagłes Pass Rush needs to force Seneca Waklace to his left.. He’s a decent passer when rolling out to his right,
Keep holim in Pocket or to his left and he should toss some Int’s.. He will be passing Cary Williams way all game

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
November 7, 2013 9:55 pm

And in other news: Water is Wet.

lol

daggolden
daggolden
November 8, 2013 5:42 am

Suckers bet this weekend. The line is telling me something. Rogers going down and Foles epic performance. The line has dropped 8 points. Everyone is all over the Eagles. This is telling me that GB wins by double digits. I hope Im wrong and wont bet this game because I wont root against the Birds but look for GB to rally around Wallace for this one week and cover pretty easily. Just sayin.

Canttakeitanymore
Canttakeitanymore
November 8, 2013 11:36 am
Reply to  daggolden

The line going from 9.5 to 2.5 right after Rodgers was declared out is not as telling as what has happened the last two days (still swinging in eagles favor) that means Joe public is betting eagles which, I agree, does not typically bode well for the birds. However, the odds makers have been wrong on the birds all year. In each if our wins we were dogs and in all losses but Denver we were favored. So we can take some solice in that.

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
November 8, 2013 9:32 pm
Reply to  daggolden

Damn Dag have a little faith. lol.

paulman
paulman
November 8, 2013 6:30 am

Oregons QB Marcus Mariotta is not ready for the NFL
He will stay in school for another year and cone out in 2015
He needs to get stronger if he is going to play in the NFL
Was not impressed with him at all last evening against a decent
Colkege Defense in Stanford

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
November 8, 2013 8:26 am
Reply to  paulman

I think that’s a bit premature..did mariota have a good outing last nigt? Nope…he looked rather pedestrian,however, his O line nor receivers did not help him out. Fumbles and the jail break made Mariota perform under duress all game long. David Shaw has mastered how to defense the Oregon Offense and his playersmatch up very well. You can’t judge players on one outing, he has played exceptionally well in the other 8 games or so he has played in to the point that he does look NFL ready. One game can not be used as the measuring stick as to whether or not heis ready for the pros.

Biglion821
Biglion821
November 8, 2013 6:16 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Forget Mariota, David Shaw belongs on a NFL sideline today!!!!

IrishEagle
IrishEagle
November 8, 2013 6:45 pm
Reply to  Biglion821

Yep… I bet he has turned down some jobs already. He is a great coach. His father, Willie, interviewed for the Eagles job back when Reid was hired in 1999.

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
November 8, 2013 8:32 am

I actually agree Pman. He is a lot more raw than people think looking at his stats. He is a product of that system more than anything else. He as a ton of natural talent and ability, but I am still not convinced that his game will translate. I am not sure that he can make all of the throws.

I have watched him a lot Eagles because I am a big fan of the Pac 12 (CA roots/UCLA fan).

paulman
paulman
November 8, 2013 10:21 am
Reply to  bugsyhawk

I think Huntley Projects much better as a NFL QB as will derek Carr of Fresno State and Stanfords Hoagan who is only a Sophomore and will likeley stay his full 4 Years at Stanford so he has 2 Years left to improve ..

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
November 8, 2013 10:33 am
Reply to  paulman

I used to think that Paul, but Hundley has pretty much choked in big games. Oregon and Stanford this year. Stanford 2 x last year plus their bowl game. He is not strong throwing the ball downfield, because they don’t make him do it a lot. He stares down his WRs.

I do think that Hogan has a lot of potential. If all of these guys stay in school, then the PAC 12 will have a lot of national attention on their QBs next season.

gmcliff
gmcliff
November 9, 2013 5:10 am
Reply to  paulman

Hundley reminds me of Josh Freeman……just saying.

Some GM, is going to lose his job, I’m telling you, overvaluing these QB’s in the draft that are not ready, or skilled enough to play in the NFL…

btc24
btc24
November 8, 2013 9:15 am

As much as I like Oregon, last night’s game against a pro style team showed why they are frauds and a product of their system. They have struggled with Stanford every year it seems.

daggolden
daggolden
November 8, 2013 9:44 am
Reply to  btc24

Yeah they suck. Oregon is 50-6 over last four years and lost by 3 in overtime and by a td this year to Stanford. Oregon sucks what frauds, dismantle the program.lol

btc24
btc24
November 8, 2013 10:07 am
Reply to  daggolden

Yeah, against the pathetic PAC10. I’m not saying they suck but I think they get majorly exposed against legitimate teams like Stanford who play heads up football.

daggolden
daggolden
November 8, 2013 12:01 pm
Reply to  btc24

It was 2 good games and last year Oregons kicker missed a chip shot to win the game so stop acting like Stanford ran away with it. 2 good games that could of went either way.

paulman
paulman
November 8, 2013 10:26 am
Reply to  btc24

Which is why I didn;t like the Chip Kelly HIre.. This gadget, fast paced with small nad fast players doesn’t hold up in the NFL..
The Stanford model is excellent which is very similar to what the 49ers Run..
Lots of smash mouth football, big physical, smart players and still have the speed/athleticism at the skills positions..

Jon Hart
Jon Hart
November 8, 2013 11:41 am
Reply to  paulman

You expose yourself so much. Your still flip flopping Fraudman? You start off hating the signing of Chip Kelly, then just before the season opener you fell in love with Chip and the new front office moves and roster adjustments. You said and I quote “I’m going to back this coach and this team, the past is the past, I like the moves they’ve made and changes they’ve made” yada yada yada.. Now your back to saying you didn’t like the hire, this after Oregon loses to Stanford? What a joke.. Make up your mind Fraudman Fraudfan. After the Eagles go on a win streak I guarantee you’ll change your tune.. Again… Get a clue Fraudman

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
November 8, 2013 9:49 am

I want to be clear that I don’t think that Oregon stinks. I think that Mariotta stats are inflated because of their system and because of the overall level of defense within the Pac 12 (outside of Stanford). I do think that he has potential (how could you not?), but I am not sold that he is the next big thing in the NFL. Even if Kelly recruited him and he “looks” like a perfect fit for the offense, can he make NFL level throws with much smaller windows to get the ball through?

RealTalk777
RealTalk777
November 8, 2013 10:14 am

Really there’s finally an article about the defense, and this is what we get….of course without Rodgers, GB is going to lean on the running game and short quick passes, screens.

The Eagles haven’t been too bad against the run. We definitely haven’t seen the big play runs of the likes of last season. The thing is even with a strong running game at some point you’re going to have to throw the ball.

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
November 8, 2013 10:36 am
Reply to  RealTalk777

Agreed Real. That game against the Raiders was an aberration because they were up so much in the game. Good article on Philly.com I think yesterday about Logan at the point of attack.

They are going to have to be fast to the point of attack because one dude is not going to easily bring down Lacey. Clog up the middle and force them into 2nd and long and 3rd and long. D-line is gonna have to be disruptive, but the LBs are gonna have to come to play this week.

Erog
Erog
November 8, 2013 10:23 am

Mariotta needs to get stronger an dmore polished.He’s not ready for the league.

Send MK on some run blitzes early. Just gang tackle Lacy and Starks. Someone made a great point,get Wallace rolling left(also a good point that water is wet) and force him to make a mistake. Our dline has improved weekly and Trent Cole actually showed up last week.

Can we get the run game goin this week? I think we can take advantage of Hawks inability to play in space.

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
November 8, 2013 10:38 am

Depends, but it would be nice. GB is pretty strong against the run with their monsters in the middle. It would be nice if they cheat towards the pass because of what the offense did against Oak, so that Shady/Brown have more space. That plays to the strength of the O-linie and the offense in general.

Erog
Erog
November 8, 2013 11:19 am

Start fast and its a W. All these experts picken the Pack with Seneca Wallace at the helm.ITS AN OUTRAGE!!!

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
November 8, 2013 12:11 pm

Hopefully bulletin board material.

armyprince
armyprince
November 8, 2013 12:22 pm

Paulman Chip inherited these players. His first motto was big people beat up little people. Give him another draft and off season to get his players!! Then this offense and defense will really take off. With these modest he has a top 5 offense and rushing attack. You may not like Kelly but he is getting results.

Stevo
Stevo
November 8, 2013 4:01 pm
Reply to  armyprince

yes.

Going to take time…. Paulman… you are great with your stats but you DO flip flop all over.

Stevo
Stevo
November 8, 2013 12:53 pm

Its almost Sunday…. here we go…

On D-
Simple really- contain the run game and make the Pack beat you in the air. This is where our DB’s have to be up for the chall. Our Dt’s have to get several sacks this week because the DE’s need to get outside and make room for the LB’s to blow up the gaps.

On O-
Looking for Foles to really steal the show again… Is Cooper is fav target? One thing I will be watching for is an improvement in the run game . I want to see them find away to get mccoy some space.

If the Eagles win this game (they should) and if they beat the Skins…. I think the Div will come down to the last game of the year against the Cowboys.

Lets go eagles!!

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
November 9, 2013 5:41 am
Reply to  Stevo

Of course Cooper is his favourite target. He’s watched film of the Dallas game and saw Mesean half-assing it all game when he was in troubs.

Not surprising to me at all that Desean wasn’t in on the Raider’s action till the game was already over.

Theone1
Theone1
November 8, 2013 2:07 pm

Flacco hasn’t done much to earn that kind of praise. He’s got a lower passer rating than the likes of E.J. Manuel and Mike Glennon and he’s thrown more interceptions than all but five quarterbacks, a level of play that many have pointed out is out of whack with the lavish contract extension that Flacco signed during the offseason.

Those issues have been exacerbated by dismal offensive line play, shortages at receiver and a non-existent running game, creating a situation that Flacco said he can’t overcome all by himself.

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
November 8, 2013 9:32 pm
Reply to  Theone1

Look anyone who heard about that contract knew the Ravens would IMMEDIATELY regret the contract. Flacco was as good as he was b/c of the TEAM he was on. He had receivers who could come down with the ball if you just threw it in their general vicinity. And of course their defense. Flacco was never as good as his numbers suggested and anyone who ever watched a Ravens game (who wasn’t a fan) could see that. Once that team was dismantled, it was a wrap.

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
November 9, 2013 5:45 am
Reply to  tsjohnson5

Of course everyone knew that contract was a joke, and that the team would go on to regret it. (much like a couple other 100 million dollar deals I felt the exact same way about)

But at least they dolled out the 100 million AFTER he won a superbowl.

Theone1
Theone1
November 8, 2013 2:10 pm

When the former Heisman Trophy winner started discussing the perception that Dolphins’ players felt Richie Incognito was blacker than Jonathan Martin, and that Incognito was thought of as an honorary black man in the locker room, Howard delivered ether to all those involved.

‘What level of coonery is goin on in the Dolphins lockerroom that Richie is “honorary blk man” who uses the n word that way?”

IrishEagle
IrishEagle
November 8, 2013 2:29 pm

Since there was so muck backlash when Riley Cooper used the “N” word – my guess is that he is not an honorary black man like Incognito. Maybe he thought he was honorary and was mistaken.

pheags88
pheags88
November 8, 2013 2:31 pm

I think Raji, Pickett, and Jolly will give our Oline problems..Those guys are just too fat and big for guys like Kelce. Mathews wont need to be 100% to get by Peters/Johnson either..Did anyone see the MMQB midseason awards? This is what they said on Evan Mathis:

“Mathis is simply the best guard in the game, and it’s not even really close. Just a phenomenal athlete and top-notch technician”

He really is having a good season. Hard to think of better guard play in the league right now. And I think the entire Oline would have been better with a pocket passer throughout every game this year. Its just makes their lives easier when you know where your QB will be.

For the Eagles defense, this should be easy. GB’s offense should be one dimensional (thats what happens when you have a short inaccurate scrambler). GB with Senaca Wallace has no business scoring 20 points in this game.

Even though the Pack are favored, on paper we should win this game. But in the past those are the exact type of games the Eagles lose. Kelly will need a good game plan. Foles is the starter of this team so we should not see 1 play with that read option crap.

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
November 8, 2013 5:26 pm

“I think Raji, Pickett, and Jolly will give our Oline problems..Those guys are just too fat and big for guys like Kelce”

HA! This made me laugh out loud.But yeah, Kelce has had problems with bigger offensive lineman all year.

jakedog
jakedog
November 8, 2013 7:47 pm

Hey big why have a chubby over a coach, although Shaw looks like he is a very good one, but damn there are other things to get you going I hope