Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

The Joy of Defense

Posted December 17th, 2024 | 2 Comments »

The Eagles have a long tradition of great defense. From the pre-Super Bowl era to Gang Green to the Dawk era to the Super Bowl unit of 2017. Philadelphia has been home to some great players and great coaches. The 2024 unit is shaping up to be one of the best Eagles defenses of all time. Right now they are first in the league in points and yards allowed.

Only two other Eagles defenses have pulled off that feat. The 1949 defense was tops in both categories and helped the Eagles win the NFL title, their second in a row. The 1981 defense was also #1 in both categories. That was the year after the Eagles made their first Super Bowl appearance.

Vic Fangio was hired to fix a defense that finished last year 30th in points and 26th in yards allowed. The hope was that he could get the group into the Top 10 or so and help the team win some tough games. Here is something I wrote in the summer.

There are still questions with the defense. What version of Devin White will we see? Will Huff be a good replacement for Haason Reddick? Will the CBs be as good as expected?

I think the Eagles made a great hire in Fangio. I think they made smart moves in the offseason so that he’s got the talent he needs to win. That said, this defense won’t suddenly be 1991’s Gang Green unit. They still have some issues and will struggle at times. Still, they won’t be Charmin-soft like last year and they should do a much better job in coverage with all the changes at DB.

With the firepower the Eagles have on offense, this defense needs to be good enough. And I do think that is possible.

Boy is that dated. White is long gone. Huff has been a non-factor. And this defense is playing at a historic level. This performance shows you just how good Fangio is. His playbook isn’t some magical formula. It is about making the right calls at the right times. It is about knowing who to play. It is about player development.

That’s an area where Fangio and his staff have done a great job.

  • Nolan Smith
  • Jalen Carter
  • Jordan Davis
  • Milton Williams
  • Zack Baun
  • Nakobe Dean
  • Quinyon Mitchell
  • Cooper DeJean

These players are all playing at a high level. Most of them are exceeding expectations. Howie Roseman might have drafted them, but Fangio and his assistants are the ones getting these guys to kick ass every single game.

There was a time earlier this season when Smith was talked about as a bust. Fangio kept teaching and Smith kept learning. Now we are seeing player development in action. The light has gone on and Smith is playing well. He’s got 5.5 sacks and 7 TFLs this season. The bust talk is now a distant memory.

What has put this defense over the top is that the players work so well together. They cover gaps in the run game. They rush the passer under control. They cover as a group. This isn’t just 11 talented guys running around wildly.

The back seven has done a phenomenal job in coverage. They have the physical ability to run with receivers, but they also are disciplined and execute the coverages well. There have been some breakdowns here and there, but that happens to all defenses at times. Since the bye, no QB has thrown for more than 222 yards on this unit. And the Eagles have played with the lead most of the time so teams have needed to throw. They just haven’t been able to do it.

We are used to the Eagles having talented defensive players. This group feels a bit different since they play smart and tackle well. You wouldn’t show Gang Green in defensive clinics. They would see organized chaos from freaky dudes. This defense is a lot more conventional. They are well coached, play as one and execute the calls. This feels like the kind of defense that is made for the postseason.

This defense has beaten mobile QBs, pocket passers, veteran QBs, Super Bowl winners…you name it and they’ve done it. The Eagles have allowed the fewest passing yards in the league. The run defense is darn good as well. They are 7th in yards allowed. Star receivers have struggled against the Eagles.

One of the things I like best about this defense is that they handle adversity well. The Eagles turned the ball over twice on Sunday, giving Pittsburgh short fields. The defense limited them to six points. They’ve had a few injuries to deal with. Backups have stepped up and gotten the job done. There is some drop-off, but the overall unit continues to perform well. And win.

It will be interesting to see what rankings this defense finishes with. They have a legit shot to be finish first in points and yards allowed. That would be special. More importantly, this defense will be judged on how they do in the postseason.

For now, just enjoy watching this group play. There is a lot of young talent on the field so the Eagles have a good chance to keep most of the group together for a few years, but this year feels special. Enjoy it.

The Eagles truly do have a great defense.

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Big Win

Posted December 15th, 2024 | Comments Off on Big Win

Nick Sirianni told the media that his team was focused on the Steelers and not the drama that us on the outside fixated on during the past week. It was easy to wonder if that was coachspeak. Sirianni’s players answered emphatically on Sunday, dominating the Steelers. The score was 27-13. The yardage was 402-163. The time of possession was 39:52 to 20:08.

The Eagles sent a message from the start of the game. They came out throwing. This wasn’t just a message about last week. The Steelers have the #2 run defense in the league so attacking them with the passing game was smart football. Jalen Hurts was sharp, starting 12 for 13. He spread the ball around and his guys made plays. AJ Brown looked like a Top 5 receiver. DeVonta Smith looked like a difference-maker. Even Kenny Gainwell had some key catch and runs.

Hurts finished the game 25-32-290 with a pair of TDs. He did have one fumble, but that was on a great play by TJ Watt. Hurts generally protected the ball well. The biggest thing for me was seeing him be confident and aggressive. That was as good as the passing game has looked in a while.

Give Kellen Moore some credit. He called plays that involved quick reads. That allowed Hurts to play fast and get into a good rhythm. He wasn’t making a bunch of reads and holding onto the ball. There was a lull in the second quarter when the offense ran into some issues and the Steelers pass rush came alive. The Eagles re-grouped in the second half and turned a 17-13 game into a 27-13 win.

The Eagles showed just how good their passing game can be. AJ Brown was 8-110-1. DeVonta Smith was 11-109-1. Both guys made catches in key situations and kept the chains moving. The Steelers just didn’t have an answer for them.

As good as the Eagles offense was, the defense was better. Pittsburgh came into the game with the #9 rushing offense in the league. The Eagles held them to 17 carries for 56 yards. That put all the pressure on Russell Wilson. He responded by going 14-22-128. Pittsburgh was missing WR George Pickens and it showed. The Eagles took away big plays and forced them to put together long drives. The Steelers only had two drives with more than 5 plays. They had two FG drives that came off short fields.

Nakobe Dean led the way with 10 tackles and a FF. I thought he tackled really well. Wilson had to throw some underneath passes and Dean cleaned those up quickly. Zack Baun had 5 tackles and also helped control the middle. Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith each had a sack. Beyond that, they were disruptive and affected Wilson on a regular basis.

This was the Eagles first win against Wilson. He has tormented the Eagles since coming into the league back in 2012. He’s taken years off my life with all his insane scrambles and last second desperation throws that turned into big plays. I’m happy to report that version of Wilson didn’t show up on Sunday. Or the Eagles defense was just so good that it didn’t matter.

The Steelers are a playoff team. They play good defense, run the ball well and usually win the turnover battle. But you could see on Sunday that they are a notch below the Eagles. They just don’t have the same level of weapons. The Eagles have now won 10 games in a row and are tied with the Lions for the best record in the NFC at 12-2.

This wasn’t an easy game. The Eagles did have two turnovers. They had a costly penalty that was a big boost to Pittsburgh’s only TD drive. There were more than a few injuries. Landon Dickerson was replaced by Tyler Steen for most of the game. AJ Brown hurt his ankle late in the game. Saquon Barkley took a hard shot to the lower leg and missed some time. Sydney Brown got hurt on the opening kickoff. There were other guys who were out for just a few plays.

It feels weird to write a game summary and put Barkley at the end. He finished 19-65 on the ground. Pittsburgh sold out on some late runs and took him down for losses so the numbers aren’t as good as they could have been. Barkley was close to breaking a couple of runs. The Steelers are good tacklers and he just couldn’t get by the final guy.

Barkley and Hurts did help the Eagles to close the game out. They had a 21-play drive that covered 88 yards and ate up the final 10:29 of the game. It’s fitting a drive like that came on the weekend of the Army-Navy game. That’s the kind of ball-control drive you expect from a service academy.

The Eagles offense and defense were so good that Pittsburgh only had two possessions in the second half. That is insane.

The Eagles ended a strange week with a big win. This is a damn good team.

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