I’m not ready to anoint the Eagles defense as world-beaters because they shut down an Atlanta Falcons offense which was playing without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner.
Falcons backup quarterback Chris Redman couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with the football if he was standing next to it. Receivers were open but he couldn’t get the ball to them.
It was much like Jay Cutler in the Chicago game. Receivers were open but he couldn’t get the ball to them.
Two members of the Atlanta offensive line were missing. They couldn’t block for the run or the pass.
I think defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has been doing a solid job. He’s been very creative with his blitz packages and has done an outstanding job of finding way to get pressure on the quarterback.
He’s also done an outstanding job of shuffling middle linebackers depending on the situation. He gets Jeremiah Trotter in there on run downs, Joe Mays on downs when he’s not sure of run or pass and Will Witherspoon if he’s sure they’re going to pass.
McDermott is following in the footsteps of his mentor Jim Johnson by creating roles for all of his defensive players. This is a solid philosophy because it keeps everybody involved.
Players who have a role stay more alert and they’re ready when asked to go in there in a backup role.
Still McDermott and his defense’s most difficult challenges are ahead and they’ve got to prove that somebody other than Trent Cole can get consistent pressure on the quarterback.
Teams are going to double-team Cole and somebody else is going to have to step up.
They’ll be getting Joselio Hanson back and that will help their depth in the secondary.
The Birds have four games remaining and those games will decide their fate.
Win two of them and they will likely find themselves in the playoffs, but lose them and they could find themselves watching the playoffs.
