Doug and the Numbers

Posted: July 10th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

That sounds like the name of an awful band, but it is actually a good thing. Doug Pederson embraces analytics and uses them to help the Eagles win games. There will always be a mixture of feel and facts when it comes to coaching decisions, but Pederson handles that balance well. He trusts smart people.

Rotoworld recently ranked NFL offenses by analytics usage.

6. Eagles (HC Doug Pederson)

4th Down Aggressiveness: 2nd

Pass Rate on Early Downs: 10th

Pass Rate While Trailing: 31st

Play-Action Rate: 7th

Downfield Pass Rate: 23rd

Middle of the Field Pass Rate: 21st

Pre-Snap Motion Percentage: 26th

Outside Run Rate: 3rd

Shotgun Run Rate: 8th

Offensive Pace: 17th

Pederson does a lot of things right. He’s aggressive on fourth downs (2nd), uses play action at a high rate (7th), and lets his running backs find space by rushing to the outside (3rd) and from shotgun (8th). Still, there’s some room for improvement. Of course, the Eagles’ receiver injuries affected this last season, but Philly shouldn’t have been 31st in pass rate while trailing in 2019, nor should they be using pre-snap motion at the 26th-highest rate. With more speed at receiver, Pederson could increase the Eagles’ rankings in both metrics, which would vault them into Tier 1 next offseason.

The Eagles obviously noticed some of these weaknesses.

The downfield passing game needed serious help. The team traded for Marquise Goodwin, spent a first round pick on Jalen Reagor and used mid-round picks on a couple of other speedy receivers. DeSean Jackson will be back (assuming he can avoid saying stupid, offensive things). While the team doesn’t have any elite receivers, that is a fast group of pass-catchers.

Expect Pederson and his staff to dial up more deep shots. They will want to use their new weapons. I’d be shocked if they are still down in the 20’s in Downfield Pass Rate a year from now.

Pre-snap Motion is another area the Eagles want to address. They didn’t add players for this. Pederson hired Rich Scangarello to join the offensive staff. Scangarello rank Denver’s offense last year. They were 8th in the league in pre-snap motion. Scangarello previously worked for Kyle Shanahan, who runs the #1 pre-snap offense in the league.

The Eagles didn’t use motion enough and it sure didn’t feel like they used it very effectively last year. Scangarello should help with play design and also how to use motion. How often do you mix it in? When do you mix it in?

The Eagles banged up and ineffective receiving corps was likely the main reason for the team being 31st in Pass Rate While Trailing. With a revamped group of receivers, expect Pederson to open the playbook up and be more aggressive this year.

I’m not sure why the Eagles were so low in using the middle of the field. It will be interesting to see if they change that this season.

*****

Some other notable rankings:

1 – John Harbaugh
2 – Andy Reid
3 – Bill Belichick
4 – Sean McVay
5 – Sean Payton

14 – Kyle Shanahan
15 – Frank Reich

Reich was obiously hurt by his QB situation. It will be interesting to see how his numbers look this year.

*****

I hate to veer away from football, but…

Ugh.

I understand Farrakhan means different things to different people, but anyone who embraces him needs to be fully aware of his anti-Semitic comments made over many years. You cannot just ignore that.

The Eagles need to have a team meeting. Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman need to make it clear to players that they need to be careful with what they say. Supporting your teammates is a good thing, but if they say something controversial, do not rush to their defense on social media. Malik took down that post so someone let him know it was inappropriate, but not before a lot of people saw it.

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One Comment on “Doug and the Numbers”

  1. 1 Eagles News: NFL insider poll has Carson Wentz ranked as the 8th best quarterback – Bleeding Green Nation – NFL Injuries News said at 1:00 PM on July 10th, 2020:

    […] Doug and the Numbers – Iggles BlitzPre-snap Motion is another area the Eagles want to address. They didn’t add players for this. Pederson hired Rich Scangarello to join the offensive staff. Scangarello rank Denver’s offense last year. They were 8th in the league in pre-snap motion. Scangarello previously worked for Kyle Shanahan, who runs the #1 pre-snap offense in the league. The Eagles didn’t use motion enough and it sure didn’t feel like they used it very effectively last year. Scangarello should help with play design and also how to use motion. How often do you mix it in? When do you mix it in? The Eagles banged up and ineffective receiving corps was likely the main reason for the team being 31st in Pass Rate While Trailing. With a revamped group of receivers, expect Pederson to open the playbook up and be more aggressive this year. […]