Here Are Four Things That Need to be Fixed Right Now
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A very old saying states, “If they don’t bite when they’re puppies, they’re not usually gonna bite.” While not always 100 percent accurate, in general, you can predict future behavior by analyzing present and past behaviors. Taking that analogy and applying it to the Eagles win over the Rams in Week 1, let’s look at four things that need to be fixed immediately. If they’re not, 15 weeks from now this fan base will be looking back at the opening win over the Rams and saying, “It was obvious from the start they had problems with X, Y, and Z, so it’s no surprise the Eagles struggled with it all year.”
1. Calling pre-snap defensive adjustments– On the Rams’ first play from scrimmage, Casey Matthews failed to call a pre-snap adjustment where he should have moved the weak side linebacker and the strong side corner up a yard or two closer to the line of scrimmage. The end result of this was the Rams O-line formed almost a perfect wall of blocks that allowed Steven Jackson a huge running lane that he exploded through, allowing him to go untouched into the end zone.
Looking at the picture above, you can see the Rams blocking assignments and where Matthews should have moved the players to in green, which is ultimately where the point of attack ended up being on this play. Of course, Matthews didn’t know if this was a run or pass play, but the alignment of the wingback in the slot should have tipped him off that it was a running play, especially since film study would have revealed that the Rams like to run up the gut out of that formation. Obviously, I’m not in the film room and I haven’t studied the Rams’ offense in depth, but it’s a fair assumption given that Juan Castillo and Andy Reid both admitted Matthews failed to make a proper adjustment on that play. These types of adjustments almost always come from film study.
2. Forming a solid pocket for Vick to throw from – We all saw the game. We saw the hits Vick took. Vick’s scrambling saved the Eagles from what would have and should have been a disastrous offensive line performance. If we had an immobile QB back there, who knows how many sacks the Rams might have had. One thing we know from years with Reid and Donovan McNabb is that this offense, while explosive at times, is predicated on timing. You can’t have good timing without a pocket. It really is as basic and obvious as that. So let’s not say that in general the O-line needs to play better. Let’s be specific and start with one thing at a time. Right now, they have got to get better at creating and maintaining a pocket for Vick to throw from.
3. Route running – A second viewing of the game revealed some instances of sloppy route running. In particular, Jeremy Maclin and Desean Jackson both seemed off on some routes throughout the game. Chalk that up to time missed in preseason if you want. Fact is, in an offense predicated on timing and quick deliveries, routes have got to get tighter. How can you tell when a route is not run properly? Watch the receivers hips and hands. The hands should always follow the hips. Your hips always control what direction you face and go. Thus, your hands should follow your hips. When you get your hands out away from you while running, it can cause instability in your core muscles, which translates into wasted energy and very inefficient muscle movements. When running routes, you’ve got to maximize efficiency in order to create separation, get that needed step on the defender, and get your body in position for the catch and run after the catch.
4. Sideline to huddle communication – It was classic Andy Reid at his best, as the Eagles wasted timeouts, failed to get calls in; there was confusion in the huddle, etc. It’s become a broken record of sorts over the last decade, but it bears repeating: THIS IS ON THE COACHES. Bottom line. If the coaches can’t communicate with the players effectively, the domino effects can be disastrous. Let’s hope this doesn’t come back to haunt the Eagles later in the season. If history is any indication, however, it probably will.