Credit to Jetmaxx for posting this in the Eagles thread. It's written by Ray Didinger, a HOF sports writer - not a random Eagles fan blogger with an axe to grind.
Eagles Film Study
The Dallas Cowboys played virtually the entire game Sunday in a nickel defense. No surprise there.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan knows who he is playing against when he comes to Philadelphia. As long as Andy Reid is in charge, it will be an air show.
So Ryan started the game in a nickel defense, usually with two linebackers and an extra defensive back. Sometimes he lined up with just two linemen, three linebackers and six defensive backs. It was clear Ryan had one thing in mind: playing the pass.
It was an open invitation for Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg to hand the ball to LeSean McCoy. Last season, they did that and McCoy had the best game of his career -- 30 carries, 185 yards, two touchdowns -- and the Eagles routed Dallas, 34-7.
Ryan was betting they wouldn’t do it again Sunday. He was right.
On the opening drive, McCoy had three rushing attempts. He had just 13 more rushes in the 13 possessions that followed. That’s an average of one per possession for one of the top backs in the NFL. Two of those carries came as the Eagles were running out the clock before halftime so, really, they don’t even count.
There are many reasons why the Eagles are 3-6 and going nowhere. The defense is in a tailspin, the special teams are the worst in the league and the offensive line is a jumbled mess. But the thought process of Reid and Mornhinweg is a big part of the problem.
Watching tape of Sunday’s game, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger and former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook hit the stop button a dozen times and said, “Look at this …”
Most often they were pointing at a Dallas defense that was set up for a McCoy run. The linemen, especially DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer on the edges, were ready to rush the quarterback. The linebackers were set to drop into coverage. The cornerbacks were one-on-one outside and the safeties were 20 to 25 yards deep.
Combine that soft look with the fact the Eagles were playing rookie Nick Foles at quarterback and the O-line was vulnerable to pressure, it seemed to make sense to hand the ball to McCoy. But play after play, series after series, Reid and Mornhinweg refused to do it.
One particular sequence stood out …
With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, the Eagles started a drive at their own 22. Dallas had just taken a 10-7 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Dan Bailey. On first down, Ware beat Demetress Bell cleanly and hit Foles from the blind side just as he was releasing the ball. Somehow Foles managed to get off an accurate throw to Clay Harbor for a seven-yard gain.
Now it was second-and-three at the 29 …
“This is a running down right here,” Baldinger said. “Your quarterback just took a big hit. You’ve seen that your tackle (Bell) can’t block Ware. As coaches you have a choice. You can either protect the rookie (quarterback) or not protect him. They don’t protect him.”
The Eagles came out in an I-formation, which suggested they might run the ball, but they did not. They went with a play-action pass -- Foles faking a handoff and throwing a pass to Brent Celek for eight yards. However, the overmatched Bell was caught holding Ware on the play. The penalty cost the Eagles 10 yards. Second-and-three turned into second-and-13. Foles threw two incomplete passes and the Eagles were forced to punt.
It seemed so wrong-headed, especially since the game was close through three quarters. Often, the Eagles’ coaches use the excuse they were way behind so they had to throw the ball to catch up. Games like the one Sunday are proof that the score really doesn’t matter. Reid and Mornhinweg throw because they want to throw, simple as that.
“They play like they are losing by 10 points all the time,” said Westbrook, who played in this offense for eight seasons.
The Eagles were ahead 14-10 in the third quarter, yet when they got the ball with 10:42 left, Reid and Mornhinweg called six consecutive passes. The Eagles were able to retain possession only because Dallas defenders committed penalties on back-to-back third downs -- Orlando Scandrick holding DeSean Jackson and Morris Clairborne interfering with Jeremy Maclin.
In the fourth quarter after Tony Romo hit Dez Bryant with a touchdown pass, the score was tied, 17-17. On the first play, Foles tried to throw a swing pass to McCoy but Spencer was in the way. Spencer intercepted the ball, but the Eagles were saved by a holding penalty on Claiborne. McCoy ran the next play but Foles passed (incomplete) on the next two downs.
Forced to punt, the Eagles’ coverage broke down and Dwayne Harris returned it 78 yards for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead. On the next possession, Foles threw a pass that tipped to cornerback Brandon Carr and turned into a 47-yard touchdown. Ball game.
“Dallas has six men in the box and you have maybe the best running back in the league,’ Baldinger said. “I’ll never understand why they don’t just put a hat on a hat (blocking) and let Shady run. It’s so frustrating to watch, but it’s the only way they know how to coach.”
Other observations off the tape:
• Baldinger and Westbrook gave Foles good marks for his regular-season debut. He made some mistakes but that’s not unexpected given the circumstances. His first pass hit Jason Avant in the face as he stumbled. “Jason is surprised to see the ball right on top of him,” Baldinger said, “but that’s how it is supposed to be thrown. (The ball) is right there as he comes out of his break. Mike (Vick) didn’t do that.”
• Both men were puzzled at the third-and-four call in which Vick ran a quarterback keeper around right end. Spencer and Jay Ratliff tackled him for no gain. Celek missed a block on Spencer. “If you want to run it, let McCoy run it,” Baldinger said. “He might make somebody miss. This (play) makes no sense.”
• The defense did a poor job of reacting to Dallas blocking on the edge. Twice the Cowboys had tight end Jason Witten put crack-back blocks on Brandon Graham and they turned the corner for good yardage. The second time, Witten knocked the Eagles’ defensive end to the ground. “One of the other (Eagles) has to tell him that is coming,” Baldinger said.
• There was no excuse for allowing Felix Jones to score on the 11-yard pass in the first quarter. Baldinger and Westbrook counted five missed tackles. “This should be a two-yard gain,” Baldinger said. “Wow, that’s bad defense.”
Coaches around the league should take notes from Kubiak on how to use a premier RB to help you win games.
<< Needs to be happening from now on in at home games. They can't drown out the paper bags by turning the PA system up to max.
