Breaking it Down: Kolb to Jackson

DeSean Jackson makes a catch during practice on Sunday.

The Eagles couldn’t have opened their preseason in a smoother fashion. Kevin Kolb took a quick drop and hit DeSean Jackson in stride on a slant that went for 21 yards, and just like that the Eagles offense was cruising against the Jaguars.

Each week here at ITI, we’ll review the film on a key play and break it down to show you what went right or wrong. This week’s play really went right for the Eagles before the snap.

As they broke the huddle with two receivers left, incliding DeSean Jackson lined up in the slot, the Jaguars were in a difficult spot to defend the speedy wideout.

Jacksonville was in a zone defense, made evident by the fact that they kept only one cornerback (Rashean Mathis) to Jackson’s side of the field and lined him up over Jeremy Maclin. This left DeSean Jackson to be covered over the middle by linebacker Russell Allen, a sure mismatch.

Kevin Kolb then sent LeSean McCoy in motion to the right. Offenses often use motion to confirm whether or not a defense is in man-to-man or zone coverage. If a player follows the man in motion, it indicates man-to-man coverage as he must stay with his matchup. If nobody follows the motion, it is often zone coverage.

Nobody chased McCoy, and the running back was covered by Jacksonville cornerback Derek Cox. As he was preparing to take the snap, Kolb likely had a great deal of confidence that Jackson would draw a linebacker he could easily get a step on, thus making his decision quick and easy.

After Kolb made the fast, accurate pass to Jackson, the slant might have only gone for a short gain. However, Jacksonville free safety Gerald Alexander had been pulled deep by Jeremy Maclin running a go route down the left sideline.

Jackson saw the patch of open field and used his speed to turn a short slant route into a 21-yard gain. In the end, it was strong safety Anthony Smith who had to come all the way across the field to help bring down Jackson.

Another thing that makes this play so interesting is that the Eagles would have had a mismatch either way. With Jacksonville in a base 4-3 defense, had they changed their coverage scheme to line a corner up on Jackson, McCoy would have drawn a linebacker when he went in motion. While less of a mismatch, that still would have given the speedy halfback an advantage.

That’s why the Eagles offense can be so difficult to slow down – they’ve got a ton of weapons who can be used in a variety of ways.