Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Changes Andy Reid Must Make

Sunday's heart-wrenching collapse marks the third consecutive game in which the Philadelphia Eagles have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Andy Reid and company have stumbled to a 1-3 start and find themselves in sole possession of last place in the NFC East.

There were reasons to believe the 2011 Eagles might be slow out of the gates. Despite big name acquisitions and sky-high expectations, most people understood that it takes time to develop the necessary team chemistry.

However, a 1-3 record falls short of even the most conservative forecasts.

Now let's leave all of the trite "Dream Team" puns behind us and look forward to what changes need to be made.

1. Lean on LeSean McCoy

In the season opener against the St. Louis Rams, the Eagles used a balanced attack of 32 pass attempts and 32 rushes.

Anyone who has followed this team during the Andy Reid era knows that this distribution will be the exception, not the norm.

In Sunday's loss to the 49ers Reid was back to his old ways as the Eagles attempted 46 passes while only running the ball 20 times.

LeSean McCoy, the teams lead running back, received a grand total of nine carries in the game.

A simple glance at the box score might suggest that McCoy received so few carries because he was ineffective, averaging only 2.0 yards per carry.

It's true that Shady struggled to find space against a tough San Francisco run defense. However, after extending the lead to 20 points in the third quarter, the Eagles gave McCoy exactly two carries the rest of the game.

That is inexcusable.

Just look back to the Rams game to see how McCoy turned it up in the second half.

The box score also shows that Michael Vick finished the game with eight rushes for 75 yards.

Vick's attempts came as scrambles from the pocket rather than designed runs. So, if you take away Vick's carries, the Eagles had only 12 rushing plays in the entire game.

That looks like the run-pass distribution of a team trailing by 30 points, not one that is leading by 20.

McCoy has developed into one of the finest backs in the league and must be the focal point of the offense week in and week out.

2. Red Zone Offense Play Calling

The Eagles red-zone offense has been atrocious.

This team lives and dies by its ability to hit the big play. Unfortunately, once the field is shortened to the last 20 yards, the Eagles offense struggles to cash in.

Eagles fans let Andy Reid hear it when the team failed to convert two fullback dives and two quarterback sneaks against the Giants.

The red zone woes continued this week against the 49ers. The Eagles' seven offensive red zone opportunities resulted in: two touchdowns, three field goals, a goal-line fumble and a missed field goal.

Reid and Marty Mornhinweg must find ways to convert inside the red zone, especially at the goal line.

3. Blanket Opposing Tight Ends with a Cornerback

To say that the Eagles linebackers have struggled thus far would be putting it kindly. It would be great to see a change at linebacker, but there simply isn't one to make. The Eagles just don't have the personnel to improve this unit.

Even though we are stuck with what we see at linebacker, Reid and Defensive Coordinator, Juan Castillo, cannot allow opposing tight ends to continue to shred this defense.

The Eagles wanted to use corner, Nnamdi Asomugha, to cover Tony Gonzalez when playing the Falcons but were unable to because of injury issues with Dominique Rodgers-Cromarite.

Their line of thinking is on the right track.

The next thing the Eagles should try is Rodgers-Cromartie against the tight end. This leaves Asomugha and Asante Samuel in their natural places on the outside.

Rodgers-Cromartie is a long, quick cornerback who should be able to cover bigger receiving threats.

4. Use Jaiquawn Jarrett in 8 Man Fronts

The Eagles defense currently ranks 30th in rushing yards against and 31st in yards per carry allowed.

Frank Gore came into Philadelphia averaging 2.5 yards per carry and then managed to rush for 8.5 yards per attempt on a balky ankle.

Stop me if you have heard this before, but the linebackers are not getting the job done. The Eagles are going to have to stack the box in order to stop the run.

Second round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett was inactive for the first three games as he struggled to get the defensive schemes down. However, he is a big, physical player who could bring some much needed thump to the soft Eagles defense.

Insert Jarrett at strong safety on running downs and dedicate him solely to stopping the run.

This is a desperation move and will leave the cornerbacks in man coverage a lot of the time, but the Eagles' ineptitude has reached the point of desperation.

Even though Asomugha and Samuel have been unspectacular thus far, they are making the money and have to be trusted to lock down the outside.

5. Coaching Staff

First-year defensive coordinator Juan Castillo has been under a microscope ever since Reid promoted him from offensive line coach.

Through the first four weeks, Castillo has done nothing to silence his critics.

The Eagles' defense has yet to look like a solidified unit. There is confusion and miscommunication on an alarmingly high number of plays.

New defensive line coach, Jim Washburn, implemented the wide nine technique on the defensive front. It has worked wonders in getting pressure on the quarterback from the four down linemen.

The issue with the wide nine is that it leaves gaping holes in the run game.

We must take the good with the bad. While Jason Babin has racked up a league-high seven sacks, the Eagles have gotten torched on the ground.

Washburn is doing an fine job getting his linemen to execute, but Castillo must find a way to make up for the scheme's deficiencies with the back seven.

It is unfair to replace any coach four games into his tenure, but Castillo certainly has his work cut out for him to fix this defense and prove his own capability.