Eagles Formula For Winning Part 1

Even though we talk much more about the Eagles offense than the defense, the Birds have been a defensive-oriented team over this past decade.

During that time, it was the defense which was the most consistent part of the football team.

The offensive lit up the sky in 2004 but in the other years, it was the defense that led the way.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has always had a goal of keeping the opposing offense under 17 points.  That number one goal was the focal point of everything he did and that's why it's written on the blackboard in the team's defensive meeting room.

The second goal they always have is causing turnovers because it's the number one factor is deciding whether teams win or lose.

The strongest parts of those defenses were his great third down packages with his productive blitz strategies and an outstanding secondary. They came up with big plays on third downs by stopping the offense and causing turnovers.

Their defensive line and linebacker groups have been good but never great. The defensive line was always on the smallish and quick side.

Yes they've had Hugh Douglas and Trent Cole but their defensive line and linebackers were never dominant. They were never like the Giants, Steelers or Patriots, who could get pass rush without blitzing.

Most of the time they had great secondaries, with people like Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, Al Harris, Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel. All of those guys went to Pro Bowls except Brown.

They always ranked up amongst the top five secondary groups in the league.

Johnson valued staying away from big scoring plays more than being at the mercy of grinding running games.  He and Andy Reid always believed that you lose the game in the air and not on the ground.

On the the offensive side, the formula for winning was Donovan McNabb throwing the ball a lot and effectively, but being able to stay away from interceptions.  He has the first or second lowest interception to pass ratio in the history of the NFL.

Let me repeat that, he has the first or second lowest interception to pass ratio in the history of the league.

In 2004 with Terrell Owens upgrading the receievers, McNabb was the first quarterback in the history of the game to throw more than 30 touchdowns with less than 10 interceptions. 

It is the main reason I believe it has been utter stupidity to not have invested in speedy, quality receivers for McNabb during this time.

His ability to stay away from interceptions has allowed Reid to call as many pass plays as he has wanted to, yet still allow the Eagles to win consistently despite not having a high-scoring offense much of that time.

His rule was simple, if in doubt don't make the throw.  It required a great deal of discipline but it worked.

There's a widely accepted football rule that whomever wins the turnover battle usually wins the game.

Of course this reliance on the passing game has meant that the Eagles don't lean on their running attack.  They run sparingly which means the brunt of the offense rests solely on the shoulders of McNabb.

The other component in that formula has been Reid's game planning ability. I emphasize game planning which occurs during the week before the game, not the play-calling in the game. 

He has developed a version of the west coast offense which is very consistent at finding weaknesses in defensive pass coverages. This allowed the Eagles to win and go to the playoffs with receivers like Torrance Small, Charles Johnson, James Thrash and Todd Pinkston.

He can take some mediocre receiving talent and find a way to move the ball and score twenty to twenty-four points in a game in the regular season on a consistent basis.

Reid, Johnson and McNabb even showed that you can win playoff games with that formula, but is it a formula for winning championships.

We'll deal with that in part 2.