Cheatin’ Eyes

I watched the MNF game between the Titans and Texans. At one point, the Houston front seven came with a well-executed blitz and just engulfed Marcus Mariota. Later, the Titans used a blitz to collapse the pocket on Deshaun Watson.

After seeing those plays, I did stop and think for a moment…maybe the Eagles ought to consider switching defenses. They could go with someone more multiple, more aggressive. But who? Any time you start thinking about outside coaches, your first thought is whether the guy has any postseason success. Winning in January/February is the key to everything.

So then I immediately thought…who were the defensive coaches in the last Super Bowl? Oh yeah…the Eagles already have the winning defensive coordinator from the most recent Super Bowl.

It is easy to want the shiny new object when what you have is broken. And clearly the Eagles defense has some issues this year.

Jim Schwartz stuck with his primary looks for most of the season and got mixed results. He blitzed more against Dallas and it didn’t work. He rushed three DL on a regular basis vs the Saints, hoping to help the coverage. Didn’t work. He played lots of safe zone vs the Giants. Very mixed results.

The defense got a lot better in the second half. We know the players asked him to simplify some calls so all the new guys could think less and play faster. It looked to me like the veteran players were the ones who really stood out, but whatever…the defense was worlds better. One of the biggest complaints with Schwartz is that he’s too simple. And yet, his best in-game adjustment this year was getting even simpler?

What that should tell you is that this really is more about the players than the scheme.

The Eagles were 4th in yards and points allowed last year. Fletcher Cox was elite. Brandon Graham had his best year. Chris Long had his best year in a while. Nigel Bradham played like a Pro Bowl LB. Patrick Robinson was great in the slot. The outside corners made their share of plays.

The players made plays.

This year the players simply aren’t making those same plays. Chris Long had 4 FFs as a backup DE last year. The entire DL has two of them this season. Graham and Cox combined for 15 sacks last year. They have 7 so far this season. No player has more than one interception.

The Giants blitz a ton. They love to mix things up and attack. They are 23rd in total defense. The Eagles are 24th. Bill Belichick, Mr. Multiple, has the Patriots at 22nd. Todd Bowles, another creative, aggressive defensive coach, has the Jets at 21st. Wade Phillips, one of the best DCs in modern history, has Aaron Donald and the Rams at 20th.

We need better defense down the stretch. We need better defense in 2019. Jim Schwartz and his staff have not done a good enough job this year. The results show that. But he and the staff did a great job last year and were able to win in January/February. Schwartz can be part of the solution.

Bringing in a new coach and system is a complete roll of the dice.

Be careful about chasing the shiny object.

_