Inside the Iggles
FanSided

Look Out NFL, “The Nobodies” Are “Hungry For Success”

By Anthony DiBona

facebooktwitterreddit

Heading into the Philadelphia Eagles match-up against the Dallas Cowboys last year, nose tackle Bennie Logan claimed the team’s defensive line had “a lot of nobodies up front.” Logan was tired of the praise the Cowboys’ offensive line was getting and felt the Eagles’ unit up-front on defense deserved more notoriety. Therefore Logan and defensive end Fletcher Cox dubbed the team’s defensive line as “The Nobodies” and they’re quietly becoming one of the best units in the NFL.

Under the tutelage of defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro for the past two seasons, the unit has improved each and every year. Heading into their third season under “Coach Azz,” the players seem to be excited about the potential of the Eagles’ defense, especially up-front. But at the same time, the defensive linemen are staying level-headed and keeping the same approach they’ve adapted as a severely underrated, unheralded group despite numbers saying otherwise.

Earlier this week when defensive end Vinny Curry was interacting with his followers on Twitter, I sent him a question regarding his thoughts on “The Nobodies” heading into the upcoming season. His response? They’re “hungry for success.”

Although the Eagles haven’t spent a whole lot of resources on their defensive line since head coach Chip Kelly has come to town, the team’s unit continues to get better and better. Part of that is because of coaching but the other part is the tireless work ethic and approach of the player’s along the defensive line. Outside of defensive end Brandon Bair, the unit is ridiculously young with an average age of 23.9 years old. Led by 24-year old All-Pro defensive end Fletcher Cox, who many believe was a Pro Bowl snub this past season after finishing the season with 61 tackles, 4 sacks and a forced fumble.

Despite still being one of the younger players along the defensive line, Cox has become the group’s leader and is taking on the responsibility that comes along with it. During a recent interview on PhiladelphiaEagles.com, Cox discussed how he is working with the younger players on the defensive line. “I break it down to them. I say ‘hey man, let’s be coachable, let’s not be stubborn about it. Go out, repetitions is gonna be the main thing.’ And hey, those guys have been doing it man. You can tell the difference from day one to day three,” Cox said.

Having that type of leadership from a unit’s best player is incredibly important in the NFL. Players with less experience such as Taylor Hart, Brian Mihalik and Travis Raciti can work with Cox to get better both on and off the field. Too often in the NFL, a player will reach a certain milestone in his career and then feel they have “made it,” but that isn’t the case with Cox. He understand that there is always room for improvement and the team’s entire defensive line has adapted that mindset as well.

But that is exactly what makes “The Nobodies” so scary. They’re a young, humble, talented group of defensive linemen that just bring their hard hat and lunch pails to work and look to get better each and every day. Look out NFL, another offseason of work for “Coach Azz” and “The Nobodies” only means that the unit is going to get that much better, one step closer to making a real name for themselves.

Next: Eagles: Which Current Players Could Be All-Time Greats?

More from Inside the Iggles

Home/Eagles News