The De-Evolution Of Philadelphia Eagles Cornerbacks In The Andy Reid Era

Once upon a time, back in the Ray Rhodes era, Philadelphia Eagles cornerbacks were much different than today's.  They were bigger, physical, willing to maul you at the line and equally willing to run stride for stride in coverage.  They were guys like 6'3", 220lb Bobby Taylor and his mate 6'1" 210lb Troy Vincent.  They covered receivers, tackled running backs, and just generally earned their paychecks.

Step forward to the Andy Reid regime, who inherited the above mentioned CB tandem.  Andy, along with Jim Johnson, drafted the successors to the perennial Pro Bowlers Taylor and Vincent.  In stepped Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.  Both players stood about 5'10" tall and weighed about 200lbs.  They were obviously much smaller physically, but they learned how to play the game and be aggressive from Jim Johnson and their veteran teammates.  Sheppard made two Pro Bowls as a pretty good cover corner, while Brown did more of the dirty work, racking up highlight hits along the way (just ask Reggie Bush and Steven Jackson).

Flash forward once more to today, when Sheppard and Brown are no more, and instead we are stuck looking at guys like Dimitri Patterson.  The regression has continued.  Just when you thought the Eagles couldn't find any smaller cornerbacks, they scrounge up Ellis Hobbs, Dimitri Patterson and Jorrick Calvin. 

All three stand about 5'9" in cleats.  None weigh more than 185 lbs soaking wet.  The physicals skills have eroded considerably, really not even being comparable.  No press coverage skills.  No bubble coverage skills.  No coverage skills period.  Hobbs taught Patterson everything he knows about being a human turnstile, while the only thing Calvin excelled at was making our special teams worse.  Not ONE of these players should be starting, scratch that, playing in the NFL.  Not now.  Not ever.  Somehow we have all three players on one roster, making mistake after mistake after mistake.  I have a bad feeling that this is going to come back to haunt us in the postseason.  Oh wait, it did!  I never thought I would miss Macho Harris...