Prepare For A Top Ten Defense In Philadelphia
By Matt Giraldi
The Philadelphia Eagles defense has not received a lot of praise over the past two seasons. After hiring Jim Schwartz as the defensive coordinator, expect a significant improvement from the Eagles defensively in 2016.
Since the tragic death of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson in 2009, the Philadelphia Eagles have had four defensive coordinators. First there was Sean McDermott, who did not have the same success in Philadelphia as he has in Carolina. After McDermott came Juan Castillo. Needless to say, that experiment did not have a fairy tale ending. Todd Bowles replaced Castillo to conclude the 2012 season. Finally, during Chip Kelly’s tenure, Eagles fans cursed the name of defensive coordinator Billy Davis.
The Eagles finally have a man in charge of the defense that has prior success running a defense. Schwartz, as a defensive coordinator, has led four top 10 defenses in yardage allowed. His last three years as a coordinator have seen three defenses in the top 10 in yardage and points allowed, along with three years being in the top six in takeaways.
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What could ultimately prove to be an even bigger boon to the Eagles defense is the change in pace on offense. Last season, the Eagles offense was last in the NFL in time of possession. The Eagles held the ball, on average, for under 26 minutes per game. In 2014, the Eagles had possession for under 27 minutes, last in the NFL again. In 2013? You guessed it. Dead last again, at 26 minutes and 19 seconds per game.
As a defense, there were few hints of productivity. The Eagles allowed a meager 7.1 yards per pass attempt. The Eagles gave up just 10 first quarter touchdowns over the course of the season. Aside from that, the defense under-performed in a big way during Kelly’s tenure as a head coach. Of course, playing approximately 135 more snaps than any other defense during that time period might account for a diminished performance.
Next: How Good Can Jordan Hicks Be?
The ultimate question is whether the Eagles have enough talent on defense. The front seven is loaded with talent along the defensive line. Jordan Hicks is coming off a rookie campaign that saw a future star in the making at linebacker. That was until he tore his pectoral muscle and missed the final eight games.
The secondary has seen an overhaul of talent this offseason as well. Leodis McKelvin, Rodney McLeod, and Ron Brooks have joined the team. The team ditched Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell in a trade that many Eagles fans praised in the most jovial of ways. While cornerback is still a position of uncertainty for Philadelphia, Schwartz’s wide-nine scheme should enable the defensive linemen to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, resulting in more opportunities for the secondary.
All in all, there’s a lot of room for optimism for Schwartz’s defense in 2016 and beyond. It’s my belief that the improvements are going to come fast and furiously. The rest of the NFC East is on notice. The 2016 Eagles are going to be rolling out a top 10 defense, effective immediately.