Don’t Forget About the Guys in Green
Posted: January 3rd, 2019 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »Yesterday I took some time to praise the Bear defense. That group has had an amazing season.
This is insane #DaBears pic.twitter.com/FMbQ9HtWBn
— Justin Twell (@JustinTwell78) January 3, 2019
The Eagles do not have nearly as impressive a resume this year.
Top Red Zone Defenses for 2018 Season#FlyEaglesFly #Titans #Vikings #Seahawks #DaBears #FightForEachOther #DallasCowboys #Jaguars #Redskins #Jets #Bucs pic.twitter.com/D7GqU5mltE
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) January 3, 2019
That’s it. That’s the one area where the Eagles defense led the league. It’s important to be sure, but just not as impressive as the Bears list.
Still, the Eagles defense isn’t to be taken lightly. The guys in green know how to play. They have been improving in recent weeks and the defensive line has been outstanding. Those guys were dominant on Sunday. Fletcher Cox is playing the best football of his career.
Fletcher Cox was the NFL leader in total pressures over the final four weeks of the season. pic.twitter.com/TMUBXGzCX0
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) January 1, 2019
#Eagles Fletcher Cox & Michael Bennett: 19.5 sacks & 64 QB Hits#Bears Akiem Hicks & Khalil Mack: 20 sacks & 34 QB Hits
— Kyle (@IgglesNest) January 2, 2019
The Eagles just pitched a shutout. They gave up 89 yards, the lowest total in a game in the last eight years. And that’s for the whole league.
Put on the tape. You’ll see Tim Jernigan and Haloti Ngata playing their best football of the year. Nigel Bradham is peaking. Jordan Hicks is still getting back in the swing of things.
One of the real keys is Avonte Maddox. Since his return, the Eagles are 3-0. Maddox won’t be mistaken for Troy Vincent anytime soon, but he’s brought stability to the secondary and that has real value. Oh yeah, he’s pretty darn good as well.
The Eagles have questions to answer about how they’ll move the ball on the Bears great defense. The flip side of that is that the Bears have questions about how they’ll move the ball on the Eagles.
The stats don’t look good for the Eagles, but the team that gave up 546 yards and 48 points to the Saints and 576 yards and 29 points to the Cowboys is gone. This defense is different now. This team is different now. I think people will see that on Sunday afternoon.
Watch the DL in this video with coach Chris Wilson.
#Eagles defensive line coach Chris Wilson breaks down the dominating effort up front on this edition of Tape Study.
Catch the full episode of Eagles Game Plan, presented by @Toyota, here: https://t.co/IZdog9otmz pic.twitter.com/poVjw3whHx
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 2, 2019
Fletcher Cox is so good. I know Aaron Donald is a great player, but I don’t think enough people appreciate how good Cox is. I think he’s got a legitimate chance to be the second best defensive lineman in Eagles history when it is all said and done.
I remember watching the Eagles play Dallas in the playoffs in 1995. LG Guy McIntyre, who I loved, stood no chance against Leon Lett. It was depressing to see the way Lett would just overwhelm McIntyre. So Ray Rhodes went into the offseason knowing he needed someone to block Lett. That led to the drafting of Jermane Mayberry.
Having a dominant interior player like Cox gives you a chance in any game. He can overwhelm blockers and affect the QB up the middle. A huge performance from him would go a long way to helping the Eagles win in Chicago.
It really helps that Cox isn’t alone. The rest of the DL is kicking some serious butt.
Shot 2 – Cox wasn't the only #Eagles DL that crushed it on Sunday. I thought Michael Bennett, Brandon Graham and Chris Long all played very well. Loved what I saw on some of these reps #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/loCka6sUaJ
— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) January 1, 2019
*****
One other reason to feel good about the Eagles defense, they have now had a takeaway in six straight games. Takeaways are always important, but they can be monumental in the postseason. The biggest play of the NFC title game last year was Patrick Robinson’s pick-six. The play that sealed the Super Bowl was Brandon Graham’s strip sack.
The Eagles must protect the ball on offense, but also need to take the ball away on defense.
*****
There is a lot of talk about the Eagles advantage in experience. I’m not so sure about that.
Last year the Eagles hosted the Falcons. The Eagles hadn’t been in the playoffs since 2013, and that was just for one game. The Falcons had gone to the Super Bowl the previous season. That was a battle-tested team. Who won?
It wasn’t the more experienced team, it was the better team. The Eagles.
I think winning the Super Bowl last year helps the Eagles out, but I don’t think it is as significant a factor as some would like to believe.
Of course, I hope I’m dead wrong.
*****
Mike Wallace is practicing today. #Eagles
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) January 3, 2019
He was limited. Doesn’t seem like he’ll play on Sunday, but Wallace is getting closer. Might be available if the Eagles can advance.
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[…] Don’t Forget About the Guys in Green – Iggles BlitzThe Eagles just pitched a shutout. They gave up 89 yards, the lowest total in a game in the last eight years. And that’s for the whole league. Put on the tape. You’ll see Tim Jernigan and Haloti Ngata playing their best football of the year. Nigel Bradham is peaking. Jordan Hicks is still getting back in the swing of things. One of the real keys is Avonte Maddox. Since his return, the Eagles are 3-0. Maddox won’t be mistaken for Troy Vincent anytime soon, but he’s brought stability to the secondary and that has real value. Oh yeah, he’s pretty darn good as well. The Eagles have questions to answer about how they’ll move the ball on the Bears great defense. The flip side of that is that the Bears have questions about how they’ll move the ball on the Eagles. […]