Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg are singing the praises of interim defensive coordinator Sean McDermott in a Philly.com article by Bob Brookover.
Reid had this to say about the young defensive coordinator.
"I think Jim did a great job of teaching Sean. Sean was in Jim's hip pocket all the time, and he developed into somebody that Jim could bounce things off and talk to. I don't have a concern from a coaching standpoint or a leadership standpoint at all. Sean will be different than the way Jim went about it. But Sean has studied Jim, and Jim has opened up so much to Sean that I don't think Sean will have a problem."
"Jim opened up to Spags, but I think he opened up to Sean even more"
That's easy to say now, but it might not be so easy later on in the season. If the Eagles aren't able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks without blitzing it's going to make things very difficult for McDermott.
Blitzing is an artform and can be very dangerous. If McDermott becomes predictable and gets caught in blitzes the Eagles defense will get hit for big plays.
Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg thinks McDermott is ready to get the job done.
"Jim is a tough, aggressive, well-versed coach and one of the best ever. All of those things are great attributes that can be relied on every day. Youth, however, can be a huge positive, as well as far as the excitement that guy can bring to the table. The other thing is, Sean knows the defense inside and out, and he also may have an idea or two that moves the defense forward and allows it to evolve."
I don't use the fact that current St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo was very successful with the Giants as a reason to believe that McDermott will have no problem making the transition.
Remember Spagnuolo didn't have to blitz in New York. He sent Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck after opposing quarterbacks. He didn't have to take chances with bltizes.
It was personnel more than anything else that got Spagnuolo his head coaching job in St. Louis.
The key to McDermott's defense will be the ability of the defensive line to get pressure on the passer without blitzing.
