• March 19, 2024

Can The Eagles Defense Lead This Football Team?

FletcherCoxOne of the keys to the 2015 Philadelphia Eagles football team is the play of their defense.  How good can this group be?  Can they be dominating to the point where they win a couple or a few games on the defensive side of the ball?  Can the Eagles defense be good enough to lead this football team?

A number of years ago, the Eagles went to the playoffs year after year and everybody talked about Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb, but it was Jim Johnson, Brian Dawkins and an outstanding Birds defense that made them a constant Super Bowl contender through that period.

Can this Eagles defense be that good?  I think this is a more talented group than the Johnson-coached defenses, but can they be as good.

We know their defensive front seven was outstanding a year ago against the run, but can they be the type of defense that dominates offenses and intimidates opposing quarterbacks.  Can this Eagles defense create turnovers and make life easy for the team’s offense? They have some outstanding players, but can the defensive coaching staff led by Defensive Coordinator Billy Davis take this group to a level that’s near the top of the NFL.

Chip Kelly’s squad is considered to be a team that is led by its offense, but many of the young, most talented and potentially dominant players on the roster are on the defensive side of the ball. Can this Eagles defense lead this football team?

Defensive end Fletcher Cox is one of the best defensive lineman in the league, but he’s young and  has plenty of room for improvement.  He hasn’t gotten anywhere near his ceiling.  Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso are two of the better young promising inside linebackers in the league. They each have tremendous potential as big time playmakers and they haven’t reached their potential.

We got a glimpse last year about how good Connor Barwin can be, as he established himself amongst the best pass rushers in the league with his first trip to the Pro Bowl, while leading the NFC in quarterback sacks with 14.5.  Can we put him in position to get a sack with the game on the line?

In the secondary, recently acquired cornerback Byron Maxwell has been one of the better corners in the league for the last couple of years.  He’s capable of getting better.

Maybe the former Seahawks defensive back can bring some of the same “Pursuit of Excellence” attitude that he saw in Seattle, here to Philadelphia.  That Seattle defense leads the Seahawks football team and they’re the reason they should have won the last two Super Bowls.   The Seahawks defense is intimidating and dominating.  The Eagles defense needs to start taking on some of that persona.

I would like to see the Eagles defense continue to shut-down opposing running games, but I would also like to see them pressure and pound opposing quarterbacks until they crumble under the heat.  They should be working to have teams respect them like they do the Seahawks defense.  They can defend the run on the same level as the Seattle, but can they get better against the pass.

I’ve been very open about the improvement I expect to see in the secondary with the addition of defensive backs coach Cory Undlin.  The better coverage should give this front seven a chance to get to the quarterback.  It could greatly improve this football team, but they need to start talking this way.  The competition in training camp needs to be top level.

Cox wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl in 2014 because he didn’t have enough sacks to draw the attention of enough NFL people.   Getting to the quarterback is what outstanding defensive linemen do in the NFL.  It’s the way they take over the game.  I want to see the Eagles put Cox in position to be a dominating player against the pass, especially in the second half of games.

How great a player can Cox be?  We’ll never find out, unless he’s given the chance to show us how good he can be.  Cox has been great against the run, but the NFL is a passing league and you must make plays against the passing game, if you want to have a dominating defense.

Cox along with defensive end Cedrick Thornton and nose tackle Bennie Logan are great at taking on double-team blocks in the 3/4.  They anchor themselves at the line of scrimmage and allow the linebackers behind them to run around and make plays.  I would like to see all of them Cox, Thornton and Logan improve their pass rush.

To Be Continued With A Closer Look At The Linebackers

GCOBB

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paulman
paulman
July 30, 2015 1:28 pm

No, The Eagles Defense cannot Carry this 2015 Eagles Team.. Not with Billy Davis running the Defense and a Head Coach/GM in Chip Kelly, who similar to Andy Reid, knows very little about the Defensive Side of the Ball..
Eagles Defense is improved but needs a Stud in the Middle, a Top Notch Safety and maybe another Outside Pass-Rusher & CB to ever become an Elite Defense, but they should be improved over Kelly’s/Davis first 2 Seasons

haveacigar
haveacigar
July 30, 2015 4:34 pm
Reply to  paulman

paul, i have an idea how bout you andy and chip sit in a room for an hour-I guarantee they would talk so much defense that your head would spin- you make these blanket statements that are totally baseless.– don’t know defense, I know the meth labs are popular down there in the sticks but you should quit.
as for Gm cliff– that was a predictable response….

gmcliff
gmcliff
July 30, 2015 10:21 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

and an accurate one as well Ciggy….

gmcliff
gmcliff
July 30, 2015 2:56 pm

NO!!…..We have no one that can provide a real consistent pass rushing threat from the OLB Position.

The Eagles whiffed on an opportunity to improve their overall Team Defense by not firing Billy Davis, and pursuing Ken Norton Jr to replace him.

Xevious
Xevious
July 30, 2015 4:54 pm

Mr Cobb, I have a question. Do you have Paulman on your payroll? I mean there is hardly an article, let’s say 95% Where dude doesn;t have the first say..Then change his mind later. I’m just wondering if he is getting paid to do this all day or it’s just him. Paul if you are on the payroll, Sorry brother. If not, seriously bro get counseling. I’m just fed up reading your expert opinion on everything. I wanna see some credentials that say you have a clue. There are other wanna be’s on here, but damn man 95% of the articles. I have to vent because football season is so close. Time to get back to commenting more.

paulman
paulman
July 30, 2015 5:32 pm
Reply to  Xevious

I am not on G-Man’s Payroll for the Record…
How many New Articles are on here a Day Xevious ? 4 or 5 at most ?
I keep open the Cobb page and check it sporadically so when a new Article pops up that interest’s me than I comment on it just like the other regulars on here do whether its HAC,Mhenski,Zilents44,EHL,GMCliff,Vinnie,Stevo, Daggolden, Patrick, Coldbrewski, etc,etc…
and I sure once Camps gets rolling, many more will return with active Comments…

Xevious
Xevious
July 31, 2015 4:12 pm
Reply to  paulman

yeah yeah yeah, just every article dude? Meh I’m a grumpy person till Sunday. Peace Brother.

mhenski
mhenski
July 30, 2015 5:21 pm

Sounds to me like we finally got a smash your God damn face in player on defense. Hope he can back it up but I got a feeling he can. Excerpt from article about Kiko:

Jermel Ladd first noticed the transformation just before the start of their senior year of high school.

He and his best friend, Kiko Alonso, decided to strap on the pads and hit the field for a little one-on-one work prior to the start of fall camp. Alonso was the ball carrier, Ladd the defender, and when they popped, Ladd was overtaken by a force — and a ferociousness — that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“I did not know that existed in him,” he said.

The rest of his Los Gatos teammates would soon make the painful discovery themselves.

“It was shocking because I had never seen it before. It was just a whole new level. I remember we were just out there in shorts and a shirt (during practice), no pads, no nothing, and he was just out there tackling people,” said Ladd. “He is reckless in that sense. He would literally just take someone out that wasn’t really expecting it – they were expecting it, but they weren’t expecting him to finish the play. I don’t know where that comes from, honestly. It was new to me, but I know he carried that through Oregon.”

There are a host of Ducks that can attest to that. Josh Huff was a year behind Alonso. He remembers his first football encounter with the middle linebacker quite well.

“Freshman year of college,” Huff recalls. “He was just like, ‘Don’t come across the middle. I’m going to have your head.’ …I’m just glad he’s on our side of the ball this year when we play the Bills and not on the other side.”

Kenjon Barner was asked if he had any similar run-ins with Alonso in Eugene. Barner said forget that — we only had to go back in time an hour or so for such an anecdote.

“We can just go today. He walked by me and said, ‘I hope you’re ready. I’m going to hit you today.’ We didn’t even have pads on,” the running back said with a laugh. “That’s just the kind of guy Kiko is. He’s always trying to get in your head, always trying to get the upper hand mentally.

“I tell the guys all the time: ‘Kiko’s not all the way there.’ When it comes to hitting, man, he doesn’t care. He’s going to try and smash you. You guys will see that once we get pads on, get to see this guy play up close and personal. The way he hits guys makes you think twice.”

mhenski
mhenski
July 30, 2015 5:41 pm
Reply to  mhenski

Keep an eye out for Gary to copy and paste excerpts of this excerpt and write an original sentence or two of his own

Mac Dolo
Mac Dolo
July 30, 2015 7:35 pm

Can The Eagles Defense Lead This Football Team? The answer is absolutely not they didn’t improve that much to where you can even make a thread like this. Kelly had the chance to fire that stubborn good for nothing Billy Davis and hire an improvement in Vic Fangio who was just sitting their for months jobless when Harbaugh left the 49ers. Fangio is a native of Pennsylvania so coming to Philly is coming home and their was no doubt in my mind he would jump at the chance to become defensive coordinator for the Eagles. Their has been improvements on the defensive side at certain positions it’s just not enough to say that you can lean on the defense for wins.

haveacigar
haveacigar
July 30, 2015 7:47 pm
Reply to  Mac Dolo

The old ‘come on home’ argument that leaves ‘no doubt’ i love it!

Mac Dolo
Mac Dolo
July 30, 2015 8:15 pm

Other than the time he brought in Juan Castillo at least Reid had enough sense to bring in Jim Johnson and Bob Sutton. What the fuck kind of coach who has any damn sense whatsoever brings in a fucken Billy Davis. It’s not about what Kelly knows about defense Paulman because it’s obvious he don’t know shit hence he’s an offensive man just like Reid. It’s about hiring the right guy who has a strong defensive acumen to run your defense. Andy Reid/Bob Sutton, Jim Caldwell/Teryl Austin, Gary Kubiak/Wade Phillips, Mike McCoy/John Pagano.

haveacigar
haveacigar
July 30, 2015 8:40 pm
Reply to  Mac Dolo

bet you thousands of dollars that you wouldn’t understand a word in a defensive meeting of the eagles or any club. put it to you like this take the level of football that you would be ‘competent’ as a d coord and multiply it by 100 and thats the level chip or andy could d coord.

Mac Dolo
Mac Dolo
July 30, 2015 9:51 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Have you ever been in a defensive meeting for a professional NFL team? You would have had to been in one to try to make somebody else feel inadequate, but you haven’t your just a gcobb poster like everybody else so shut the fuck up. What the hell does Jim Johnson’s terrible defenses have to do with anything. They may have been bad before the Eagles, but they weren’t when he took over.Billy Davis defenses were bad before the Eagles, and they are still bad now lol what the hell is your point.

haveacigar
haveacigar
July 30, 2015 10:05 pm
Reply to  Mac Dolo

no i haven’t but i’ve been a hs coordinator and sat in on college meetings… and i was completely out of my league…. thats kind of my point. people on here make definitive statements and have no freaking idea

haveacigar
haveacigar
July 30, 2015 8:41 pm

you guys do know (or maybe you don’t) that jim johnson’s defenses were horribly rated before the eagles…look it up… they blew by the numbers.

deserteagle
deserteagle
July 30, 2015 10:47 pm

Dominant defense and Bill Davis in the same sentence…please…

deserteagle
deserteagle
July 30, 2015 10:49 pm

Hac. Did you sleep at aaholiday inn too?

deserteagle
deserteagle
July 30, 2015 11:09 pm

I’m not a firm believer in trends ,but ,here’s one that seems indefensible (no pun intended) Bill Davis as defensive coordinators resume San Fran in 2005 391.2 yes per game dead last ranking in the NFL. Here in Az 2009 346.4 per game Eagles 2013 season 394/game ranked 29th ..2014 375 ranked 28th..Before philly he never kept a job for more than two consecutive years with any organization..times yours

paulman
paulman
July 31, 2015 8:54 am
Reply to  deserteagle

The old “Bend don’t Break” Philosophy with DC Billy Davis..
Give up Yards between the 20’s and hold Teams to FG’s is his Plan.. The key to his Defense, as most NFL Defenses, is to be able to generate Turnovers,Negative Plays & Sacks at Opportune Times… His Defenses have never been the the type of just shutting an opponent down and being dominant.. He plays it safe to the Vest and hope his Players can come up big when needed the most.. Today’s NFL is about Big Plays on Offense and Big Plays on Defense’s including Special Teams.. I am not sure the Eagles Defense will ever be a Top 10 in the NFL with Billy Davis at the helm, I just don’t see it based on his track record over the last 10-15 Years in the NFL
If you want to be a SB Champ you have to much better than what the Eagles have shown on Defense over the last 6-7 Years or so

gmcliff
gmcliff
July 31, 2015 11:27 am
Reply to  deserteagle

Beautiful argument Deserteagle!!!

deserteagle
deserteagle
July 31, 2015 9:54 am

Exactly so Pman.ive seen him plenty here in the desert .His schemes are often flawed and his focus on details are often mind boggling.Unlike Chip ,on the other side of the all who looks to creat mismatches with formations ,B Davis creates mismatches with his ineptitude.

deserteagle
deserteagle
July 31, 2015 9:57 am

This year he is operating without a safety net (again no safety pun intended) ..if he doesn’t yield positive results after the organization concentrated on his side of the ball ,he’s in the rear view mirror…news NFL Russel Wilson is signed to a new deal..in Sam I am we now trust

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
July 31, 2015 10:22 am

Seahawks commit to their guy as Russell Wilson signs contract, 4 years for $ 87,000,000.00 . Nice piece of change!

paulman
paulman
July 31, 2015 11:47 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

4 Years for $87 Million ($21.75 Average) with $60 Million in Guaranteed Dollars ..
These are the Type of Deals we will like see in the Future with shorter Years and more in Guaranteed $$$.. R Wilson will be only 30 Years Old when this Deal is up meaning he can surely get another monster Deal by playing well, staying healthy, etc,etc…