Bunkley and Patterson Should Be Used At Times On Third Downs

I can understand why the Eagles rotate at the defensive tackle position and take starting tackles Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley off the field on third down but I think both of these tackles are capable of being good pass rushers.  I would like to see them shake up the rotations and have Patterson and Bunkley on the field sometimes on third downs.

NFL games are won and lost on third downs.  If an offense keeps a drive going by getting the first down or a defense gets off the field, it’s a huge factor in the game.

You want to have your best football players on the field when the game is on the line.  The Eagles feel former number one draft picks Bunkley and Patterson are two of their better football players.  They should be on the field sometimes on third down.

Last year they played Bunkley and Patterson on first and second down, then took them off the field and brought in defensive ends, put them inside and had them pressure the quarterbacks from there.

Rotating is wise because there’s nothing more physically taxing than playing the defensive tackle position in the NFL.  Most of the time, you’re trying to battle two three-hundred pounder offensive linemen whether you’re defending the run or rushing the passer.

Numerous times during training camp I’ve watched the Eagles offensive and defensive linemen go at it in their one-on-one drills.  I’ve seen the quickness and great body control of Patterson.  He’s one of the team’s best pass rushing tackles.

Likewise I’ve seen the brute-like strength and pure speed of Bunkley.  I haven’t seen an offensive linemen on the football team, prevent Bunkley from pushing them back into the pocket.

Still I’d like to see, Patterson and Bunkley get the chance to rush the passer on some of those third down situations.  With Trevor Laws and Antonio Dixon as the backups, the Birds have second-teamers very capable of plugging the run, which would allow the Eagles to give Bunkley and Patterson some third down chances.

Dixon, who is the biggest defensive tackle on the squad, is a good run stopper and during this training camp, Laws has shown the ability to do a good job against the run.

All I’m saying is that I think mixing it up would be a good idea.  They don’t always need great pass rush pressure from the inside, they need the tackles to prevent passers from moving up in the pocket.  Bunkley is the best bull rushing tackle they have on the football team.

His power and explosiveness would be beneficial on third downs, when you want to make sure that the quarterback can’t step up and avoid the outside pass rushers, Trent Cole and Brandon Graham.

With the drafting of Graham, I feel confident the Eagles will be getting pass rush pressure from outside, now they need the defensive tackles to not allow opposing quarterbacks to step in the pocket.

If they get that, they’ll be able to pressure the quarterback  without relying on the blitz.  This will play a huge role in how good the Eagles defense will be this year.