Philadelphia Eagles: 7 Players on Defense Who Need to Step Up in 2011
The NFC East is notorious as the toughest, most smash mouth division in football. For this very reason, fans with an outsider perspective often mistake this hard- hitting style for great defense. In reality, it’s the defensive side of the ball that’s preventing the East’s current champion, the Eagles, from establishing itself as a bona fide Super Bowl contender.
For 10 years (1999-2008) under late defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, a blitz-happy, playmaking defense was Philly’s calling card. From 2000-07, Johnson’s units ranked first in the NFL in sacks (342), second in third-down efficiency (34.3%) and red zone touchdown percentage (43.0%) and fourth in fewest points allowed per game (17.6).
Between September 2000 and January 2001, Johnson’s defense went 34 straight games without allowing more than 24 points, the second longest such streak in NFL history (Minnesota Vikings went 45 straight games from 1968-71). His defenses also gave rise to the most popular Eagles players of the team’s most successful era like Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter, Hugh Douglass, and Troy Vincent.
But since Johnson’s passing in July 2009, the Eagles suddenly explosive offense has replaced their fledging defense as Philly’s primary strength.
In two seasons under Sean McDermott, Johnson’s successor, the Eagles lost that attacking mojo that enabled them to make good on Johnson’s most prevalent philosophy: minimizing an opponent’s point total no matter how many yards the defense gives up. Between 2009 and 2010, they finished no higher than 19th in total defense and gave up over 21 points per game. In 2010, they finished last in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage.
But McDermott’s most alarming weakness was his inability to tailor game plans around the strengths and weaknesses of his personnel. For example, Andy Reid and team President Joe Banner have always had a preference for smaller, quicker defensive lineman. Johnson overcame this size disadvantage by using a rotation of up to eight defensive lineman in most years to keep his marquee players fresh throughout the season.
As a result, rotation players like Sam Rayburn, Darwin Walker, and Derrick Burgess often got just as much playing time during the grunt snaps towards the middle of a game. This regular dose of playing time enabled the rotation players to be almost as effective as the marquee starters in terms of applying pressure and winning the trenches. It also made for a seamless transition when a marquee player went down with an injury.
Last season, Trevor Laws and Darryl Tapp were virtually the only backup lineman to see even a hint of consistent playing time once Antonio Dixon was forced to step into a starting role. As a result, the Eagles pass rush and run defense got progressively worse as the starters got tired. For instance, just three of ace pass rusher Trent Cole’s 10 sacks came in the second half of the season.
For Eagles fans, it’s frustrating to consider just how dominant the team might have been during it’s prime contender years earlier in the decade with the type of offensive weapons they have now. The one time Reid gave Donovan McNabb a dominant receiver alongside Brian Westbrook, Terrell Owens in 2004, the offense became just as formidable as the defense and the Eagles enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons in recent NFC history (won all but two NFC games by double digits during a 13-1 start before resting starters for the final two weeks).
But the Owens experiment ended prematurely without a ring. It would be downright painful to watch the Eagles make the same mistakes this time around on the other side of the ball. Here are seven defensive Eagles who need to step up in order for the most successful NFC franchise since the turn of the millennium to finally be the last team standing in early February.
7. Brandon Graham-Defensive End
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Johnson’s best defenses always provided its marquee pass rusher with a respectable complement on the opposite side of the line.
Hugh Douglass had ND Kalu. Jevon Kearse had Derrick Burgess. Trent Cole has never had that guy.
Yet he’s averaged over 10 sacks a season since 2006 against consistent double teams. He could be the next Dwight Freeney if Graham, a first round pick in the 2010 draft, becomes his Robert Mathis.
6. Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley-Defensive Tackles
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In the early ‘00s, defensive tackles Hollis Thomas and Corey Simon were the unsung heroes who opened up offenses and exposed them to the Eagles exotic slew of blitz packages.
Since they teamed up to replace Thomas and Simon in 2007, Patterson and Bunkley have failed to live up to their first round billing.
But there’s hope for the underachieving pair with the off-season hiring of ex-Titans defensive line coach (1999-2010) Jim Washburn.
In Tennessee, Washburn was the master at getting most out of all of his subjects, regardless of talent. Heck, Kyle Vanden Bosch even became a two-time Pro Bowler under his tutelage.
5. The Other Cornerback
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Next to Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu, no secondary player in the NFL can swing the momentum of a game faster than Asante Samuel.
But he’s just as prone to giving up a 50-yard touchdown as scoring one himself.
Whoever ends up across from Samuel, and it could be anyone from Namdi Asomugha to Ellis Hobbs at this point, needs to be that sure-handed, cover corner that the Eagles lacked last season after trading Sheldon Brown to Cleveland.
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4. Jamar Chaney-Weakside Linebacker
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Chaney showed flashes of star potential in his first NFL season. After recording 16 tackles against the Giants in his first start in place of an injured Stewart Bradley, Brian Baldinger remarked that the Mississippi State product was “already one of the best middle linebackers in the league.”
With Bradley back, the 2010 seventh round draft choice will likely move back to his natural position on the weak side.
This gives Chaney a chance to use his combination of size and speed to play a leading role in fixing the D’s prime weakness: covering the tight end.
3. Nate Allen-Free Safety
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No departure during the Andy Reid era hit Eagles nation harder than losing Brian Dawkins in 2009. From an on-field standpoint, “Dawk” was the rare safety who was versatile enough to make plays downfield and around the line of scrimmage.
A blitz-happy 4-3 defense needs this from its free safety.
Through the first three months of last season, the Birds appeared to have found a rising young replacement in Allen, the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month in September. But a torn patella tendon landed the 2010 second rounder on injured reserve for the remainder of the season in mid-December.
For the defense to thrive, Allen needs to recover and pick up where he left off in the role that made Dawkins a Hall of Famer.
2. Juan Castillo-Defensive Coordinator
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There have been murmurs throughout the off-season that Castillo may try to take advantage of the team’s speed and switch to a 3-4 alignment.
That would be a great way for the ex-offensive line coach to prove himself on a side of the ball he hasn’t coached since he was at a Texas high school in 1989.
Either way, considering that Andy Reid likes to leave defensive responsibilities solely in the hands of his coordinator, perhaps no assistant in football will be operating under more of a microscope.
1. Stewart Bradley-Middle Linebacker
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Every great defense starts with a dynamic middle linebacker.
During the Eagles scintillating run to the 2008 NFC Championship game, defense was the catalyst and Bradley drew comparisons to a young Brian Urlacher.
In the last two seasons, the Nebraska product has struggled with injuries and the D has suffered.
Besides Michael Vick, no player is more pivotal to Philly’s Super Bowl chances.
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