Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
ROB MAADDI
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles keep blaming their defensive woes on bad tackling and poor execution.
The problem might be personnel.
A once-feared unit that used to be known for its aggressive, hard-hitting style has struggled mightily the last two seasons. The low point came in Sunday night's 45-21 loss to Indianapolis before a national audience.
While Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts' high-powered offense have made some of the league's best defenses look ordinary over the years, they dominated the Eagles and exposed all their weaknesses. It's clear Philadelphia can't stop the run and hardly pressures quarterbacks.
Indy was the third team in four games to run for over 200 yards against the Eagles as rookie Joseph Addai gained 171 of the team's 271 yards on the ground. When Manning dropped back to throw, he had plenty of time because the pass rush was typically nonexistent. The front four barely touched Manning and didn't register a sack. Philly has just six sacks in the last six games after getting 23 in the first five.
"We didn't do as good a job as we need to do tackling and playing downhill, taking the proper angle and so on," coach Andy Reid said, a comment he's made often in recent weeks.
The defense certainly has not tackled well. It was such a concern that Reid made the starters wear full pads in practice against the scout team last week.
But the tackling issues and failure to carry out assignments are merely excuses. The reason the defense has declined so dramatically could be the players simply aren't good enough.
The defensive line - ends Darren Howard and Trent Cole and tackles Darwin Walker and Mike Patterson - lacks size and often gets manhandled by blockers. The linebackers - Jeremiah Trotter, Dhani Jones and Matt McCoy - also are too small and none of them, including the four-time Pro Bowler Trotter, are playmakers.
The secondary - cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown and safeties Brian Dawkins and Sean Considine - is better than average, but no longer ranks among the elite ones.
"We've had problems the last couple of years," Trotter said. "It dates all the way back to last year. We were having problems stopping the run, on and off. We weren't consistent. Obviously, the last few years, we had a good offense that would get up a couple of touchdowns on people and offenses would have to get out of their run game. We'll see how things play out."
Losing Jevon Kearse to a season-ending injury in Week 2 has been a devastating blow for the defensive line, even though the Eagles drafted three players at that position in the first round in the last four years.
Kearse's injury has forced Cole, who is best-suited for spot duty, to play nearly every down and former first-round pick Jerome McDougle is on the verge of being considered a complete bust.
Patterson, a first-round pick last year, still needs to improve and fellow tackle Brodrick Bunkley, a first-round choice this year, has been ineffective and was deactivated against the Colts after missing the team flight Saturday night.
"We need more production out of him when he is out there," Reid said of Bunkley, who has nine tackles in 10 games.
Reid could've said the same about nearly every other player on defense.