More on the Improved Offense

The Eagles offense has been better over the past four weeks. In my previous post, I gave some credit to Doug Pederson and Mike Groh. Both guys have been under a lot of heat this year and I was simply trying to point out they’re better than some realize.

The offense is better due to several factors. No one person should get all the credit.

I think the biggest key is the O-line. Those guys have done a better job of blocking in recent weeks. Lane Johnson shut down J.J. Watt, one of the best defensive players in the league. Watt was basically a non-factor. Compare that to earlier in the year. Johnson was beaten for strip sacks by rookie Harold Landry of TEN and Vikings role player Stephen Weatherly. The ball was returned for a TD in the loss to the Vikings.

If Johnson is 100 percent in those games, he likely doesn’t give up those sacks and the season could be very different. We can’t do anything about that, but I do think we have to acknowledge the fact that the line is healthier now and playing better.

The return of Darren Sproles has made a difference. He’s scored 3 TDs since coming back and has made some impact plays.

Coaching has made a difference. Earlier on, the coaches were trying to take advantage of everyone. Go re-watch a game and you’ll see players coming and going off the field on every play. It seemed like there was a different personnel package for every play. The coaches decided to simplify things and that has helped the offense to play better.

Nick Foles has made a difference. His ability to hit on deep balls has been very important. Carson Wentz struggled on those throws and the offense needed more plays to move down the field. Chunk plays are critical and Foles is connecting on those.

The return of Avonte Maddox to the defense has helped the offense. The defense can occasionally get a 3 & out now, which gives the ball back to the offense. Having a functional starting corner would have made a huge difference in the last Dallas game.

The offense was dynamic in 2017 because a lot of different people did their jobs very well.

The offense struggled much of 2018 because a lot of different people weren’t doing their jobs well enough. Things are coming together at the right time. That’s a good thing and people should be happy about it. Too many still seem to be focused on playing the blame game for why things weren’t working.

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My reactions to some comments.

I don’t give Frank Reich enough credit.

Reich was a terrific assistant for the Eagles in 2016 and 2017, but I think his sudden rise to Football Genius is a bit overdone. Reich was an assistant coach in the NFL for a decade. No one made a big deal out of him. He never stood out in any way. Reich was a solid NFL assistant.

Reich helped the Eagles have a great year in 2017. He was also part of the staff in 2016, when OL issues, no WRs and a rookie QB made the offense mediocre. People obsess on 2017 and just gloss over the struggles of 2016. The point is that when he’s got the right pieces, he can do good things.

I just don’t see Reich as some X’s and O’s guru that people will be studying for the next decade. He was part of a great coaching staff in Philly. He’s done an excellent job in Indy. That doesn’t mean he was secretly the key to the 2017 Eagles. If the Colts prove to be a juggernaut for the next five years and the Eagles are inconsistent, I’ll change my opinion.

I do wonder if Pederson misses Reich as a friend/confidant as much as anything. Those two were close. It can really help the coach to have someone to talk to. Pederson and Jim Schwartz aren’t close. Groh is younger and not as much of a peer.

If I had a choice of Reich or Groh, of course I’d take Reich as the OC. He helped us win a Super Bowl and I do think highly of him. I just think there is a bit too much hype around Reich this year. I hated losing him to the Colts from a selfish perspective, but I’m very happy for him. He’s made the most of his opportunity in Indy.

If the Eagles miss the playoffs, I’ll be pulling for Andy Reid or Reich to win the Super Bowl.

Why wait until Week 15 to simplify the gameplan?

The offense has been changing all year. Foles started the first two games. There was no Alshon Jeffery. Sproles got hurt early on. Mike Wallace, too.

Then Wentz came back. Jeffery came back. Jay Ajayi got hurt.

Corey Clement played hurt. There were OL changes and issues.

The Eagles traded for Golden Tate.

Josh Adams emerged. Clement got hurt. Sproles came back.

The coaches have been trying different things all year. Eventually they got to…let’s simplify things. It is absolutely fair to be critical of the offensive coaches. They needed to do a better job before this. I think many of us agree they should have been using 12 personnel more for most of the year.

Pederson had some reason for going with three-receiver sets as much as he did. It could be a personal preference. It could be an analytics thing. Maybe that’s what Wentz prefers. Pederson had some reason. He finally embraced 12 personnel and it’s helped the offense in recent weeks.

What happens if Wentz comes back in the playoffs and the offense struggles?

We need context. The Eagles could potentially face the Bears, who have the best defense in the NFC. Struggling against them would not be a good way to just Wentz or the offense. If it happens against a team with a mediocre defense, then we have a different situation.

No matter what happens, Wentz is still the future of this franchise and a great QB.

Good Foles is about as good as any QB in the league. The problem is that there is also Awful Foles, and he can be about as bad as any QB in the league. Right now we’re seeing Good Foles. Enjoy that and hope he’s able to get the Eagles into the postseason.

We’ll worry about who starts once that happens.

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