Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Subtle Improvements That Must Be Made for 2011
There are five subtle areas that the Eagles must improve upon for the 2011 season that aren't being talked about too much this offseason.
Most of the focus has been on the need to improve their defense as well as the offensive line. They've begun to address those areas with some key coaching changes and acquiring some new talent via the draft. Plus, eventually they will have free agency to help fill the remaining holes on the team.
However, let's take a look at five specific things that need to improve but do not require any new players or coaches.
Too Many Penalties
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In 2010 the Eagles were the third-most penalized team for the second-highest yardage total. They committed a whopping 129 penalties for a total of 1,101 yards and gave up 33 automatic first downs. That's some undisciplined football right there, folks!
Penalties are momentum killers for an offense, back-breakers for a defense and can ultimately impact the outcome of a game. To put this in perspective, the Super Bowl champion Packers had only 78 penalties for 617 yards.
This is an area the coaches need to put extra emphasis on in practice this year.
Red Zone Defense
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The Eagles had a historic year in 2010 in this area. Unfortunately, it's in the same history book where you can read about the Detroit Lions' epic winless season.
The Eagles' defense gave up a completely unacceptable scoring rate of 97.7 percent in the red zone last year. Out of 43 total possessions by opponents inside our 20-yard line, they scored 33 TDs and nine FGs. There was only one time where a team didn't walk away with points once reaching this area of the field. The 77 percent touchdown rate is particularly alarming.
Hopefully Juan Castillo has an answer for this.
Getting Off the Field in 3rd-and-Long Situations
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How many times last year do you remember giving up a first down when the defense had an offense in a 3rd-and-long? Too often for my liking.
Out of 50 plays last season where the opponent was in a situation between 3rd-and-8 and 3rd-and-10, the Eagles defense gave up a first down 18 times for a 36 percent conversion rate. That's giving up a first down a little more than one out of every three attempts.
That's also not counting how many times they gave up a first down on 3rd-and-long via penalty. Obviously we need to stiffen up in this area.
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Run the Ball More...with Our Running Backs
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Yes, this is about the good ol' pass/run ratio that Eagles fans love to beat on Andy Reid about. However, this is a slightly different twist.
Stats will show the Eagles as having a pass/run ratio of 57 percent pass to 43 percent run and ranked as the fifth-best rushing team in the NFL. That is very misleading though.
Out of 428 total rushes by the offense, 134 of them were by Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. That means only 68 percent of our running plays actually went to a running back when we have the uber-talented LeSean McCoy at our disposal.
Additionally, if you remove the Vick and Kolb rushes (because they were mostly called pass plays), our run/pass ratio is actually 70 percent pass and 30 percent run.
In contrast, here are the pass/run ratios and percentages of running plays that were by a running back for the past three Super Bowl champions: Packers (57/43, 85 percent), Saints (54/46, 92 percent) and Steelers (52/48, 89 percent). Obviously they don't have Michael Vick as their quarterback, but it does show that when they run the ball, it's mostly a true called running play.
Replay Challenges
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This one really drives me crazy. Andy Reid seems to have too much trouble deciding what plays to challenge and what plays not to challenge. I'm not sure if the problem is with Reid or with a designated assistant watching instant replays in the coaches' booth. Or maybe there isn't anyone dedicated and that's what the problem is.
Reid's record on replay challenges for the past five years is eight reversals out of 26 challenges. That's about a 31 percent success rate. Where that ranks among other coaches is unknown to me at this point since these statistics are difficult to find.
Replay Challenges
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But what there is not a statistic for is how many times Reid didn't challenge a call when it seemed clear that it would have been overturned. You can only know this if you watch the games and pay attention.
Over the years it has become quite evident that Reid needs help in this manner. I think I'll send him my résumé because I can't understand how I can judge whether or not to challenge a play in the matter of 20 seconds yet a "professional" cannot. I'm available, Andy—let's talk!
The Diferrence Between Good and Great Is in the Details
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Okay, some of these may not be exactly "subtle" changes depending on how familiar you are with the Eagles. A few may even be sore spots for some folks. But just as adding talent to the roster and coaching staff is critical in fielding a competitive team, the teams that can fine-tune the details seem to make the difference between being good and great.
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