Does A.R. Know "5" Well Enough To Stop Him?

  I think we can all agree that Andy & the Eagles Brass would not have traded McNabb in division , unless they felt very confident they knew how to stop him. That brings up two major questions for me. First, are they right? Second , if they are right , what's the plan? How will the Eagles shut down & hopefully beat their long time Q.B. . Success would men doing this twice, not once. This guy knows their defense better than most of the players who will start for the Birds "D" this year? Or does he?

   I don't believe the 2010 Eagles defense will look anything like the 09 team. I feel certain the pass "D" could have a completely different look. The personnel the Eagles have brought in combined with a few comments Defensive Coordinator Sean McDermott made , tells me the Birds are going in a different direction. When asked by expert anylist Ray Didinger "will the Birds be running a little more 34 this year" Defensive Co. Sean McDermott responded without hesitation "yes , absolutely" and that's fine by me.

   I for one, think this is long over due. Combine McDermotts comment with the fact that most of the defensive additions the Eagles snagged this off season scream 34.  I believe Eagles fans will get the change the they have been longing for. Can they make it pay off this year? That remains to be seen.

  Given the fact that they don't have the Nose Tackle to play it against the run, expect to see the  new Eagle"34" ,in most cases, against the pass. Of course running a 34 & adding some new faces won't be enough to shut down a guy like McNabb. He has been well schooled by A.R.. McNabb has seen pretty much everything. So the how do you stop Donovan McNabb? , ? What part of McNabbs game will the Eagles try to exploit? What is it makes the Eagles feel confident enough to trade their franchise , pro bowl Q.B. to a division rival. The Birds must believe that he has holes in his game. They also have to believe that they can force McNabb to do the things he is least comfortable doing  Are they right?

  First, what are his weaknesses. This is obviously my opinion & can be argued but his number one weakness is hitting guys in stride. More to the point, guys who are running crossing routes. Second, accuracy at closer ranges. Third , and now we might be getting a little picky , not getting rid of the ball quickly. Holding on to the ball to long is also the reason he did not turn the ball over. Some would say he is not clutch. While I might tend to agree , I don't want to game plan for a close game to test out that theory. Maybe putting McNabb in as many crucial 3rd & 4 or 5s as you can would exploit this.

   Although McNabb is not a threat to run anymore, he moves well in the pocket. He throws the long ball well & I think in most cases , he hits guys who are not moving or sitting between zones very well. He is also a veteran who will not try to be the hero and force throws. He will let his teammates make the plays. In fact I think he would prefer it & I believe that was one of the reasons he and the Philly fans never really clicked.

  I guess from here we need to do is devise a game plan that will help the Birds to dictate the kind of situations we want to put McNabb in. Taking into account Mcnabbs perceived flaws, one at a time, starting with him "knowing the Birds defense better than most of the players". Well if the Pre Season information is correct, this years pass defense won't look like last years. I would guess they would change some signs and calls. Most likely it won't even be an issue. Andy is no dummy , he won't give McNabb any freebies. Shanahan is no dummy either and therefore I don't think he will expect any. Trying to figure out the Eagles "D" based on last year is a waste of time.

  Next question , Man or Zone? How do we force McNabb into throwing a high percentage of short crossing routes? Forcing McNabb throwing a lot of of short crossing routes is easier now than it was when he was younger. In McNabbs early years , if you played man to man , he would run. You had to play zone or he would take off and he had a lot of success doing it. After his injury , all that changed. Now that threat is at least minimized , playing man to man whenever possible is the way to go.

  Over the last couple years McNabb has struggled against teams that did this. Of course when DJax came along he made teams pay for manning up. The addition of Maclin has made it even tougher to man up against the Birds.

  The good news for the Birds is I don't think the Skins have a threat who even comes close to Jackson or Maclin but some late rumors have mentioned that the Skins have interest in Charger Vincent Jackson.  Keep an eye on this because that would not be good news for the Birds.  V.J. makes a guy like Devon Thomas look like a good #2 . For now we go with what we know.

  As of today the Eagles could easily man up with the Skins. So I believe playing 6 yards off the ball & outside position would force McNabb to throw a lot of short crossing routes.  If you force him to do this for long sustained drives , he struggles. Running a 34 on passing downs & even more often than that if it is working well, would also help. Various zone blitzes & bringing pressure to force quick decisions would also play to the Eagles favor. The pressure would force quick releases & the zone blitzes would drop defenders into the crossing lanes.

The fast & athletic defense that the Eagles hope to put on the field could (IN THEORY) force the whole game to be played with in 7 yards of the line of scrimmage. If you remember this is similar to what the Skins did to McNabb at there place in 08. McNabb struggled & the Skins won. Highlights> http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2008122108/2008/REG16/eagles@redskins#tab:watch < This doesn't tell the whole story but the basic game plan is also reflected in one key stat. Third Down Efficiency >3 for 14 = 21%. McNabb would prefer to strike down field & throw at stationary targets between zones.

  If you can force McNabb into long sustained drives, it does not play to is strength. McNabb did get his shots down field in this game & in most cases he hit them. So I guess the big question is, are our DBs able to match up & can we apply enough pressure to execute this game Plan.