You can see that the ineffectiveness of the Eagles #1 defense on that first drive against the Ravens, really bothered Jim Johnson. I think he feels he has stopped up the leak in the team's run defense, so he was pained to see the 93 yard drive.
The last couple of years have been tough ones for Jim because his defense has performed up to speed. But this year things should be different for the Birds. They have a former All-Pro at Will linebacker, and a good Will backer can clean up all kinds of leaks in a defense. Takeo Spikes promptly went in there and missed an easy open field tackle.
For some reason it seems like Johnson took some of those mistakes personally, or Andy Reid may have let him know that he wasn't pleased by the defense's performance.. He had called the perfect blitz against the Ravens and handed first time starter Chris Gocong a sack of Steve McNair on the one yard line. But a veteran like Jeremiah Trotter dropped the wrong way on the coverage and left the tight end open. Other elementary-type mistakes allowed the Ravens to drive the length of the field for an opening touchdown.
I think the Eagles is going to come out on Friday night with some sharpened fangs in their mouths. I don't think Jim got a thrill out of watching Rex Ryan blitz the Birds offense until they got in the fetal position. I could see Jim coming after the Panthers a few times. Coaches tend to be very predictable. All of them have a behavioral pattern when they get backed into a corner, we all know what Johnson's is when he wants to make a statement. The Panthers should go over their blitz protection assignments before they get on the bus to go to Lincoln Financial Stadium.
