Eagles: What’s to be expected from Pederson’s “PONY” offense
Coach Pederson may have found a way to get the most out of a suddenly crowded backfield.
We’re all starting to piece things together. Well, we’d all like to think so anyway. OTAs have given us a few glimpses. That’s allowed us to speculate. We’ve seen LeGarrette Blount look pretty decent in offensive drills. We’ve seen Donnel Pumphrey line up as the slot receiver on more than one occassion. A suddenly crowded Philadelphia Eagles backfield has led to questions about reps, responsibilities and rotation. Now, it appears head coach Doug Pederson has given us something.
It’s called the “PONY” offense. We may be hearing that term tossed around quite often as the 2017 NFL season rolls on.
Here’s, basically, how the “PONY” works:
The “PONY” basically looks like a base offensive set. There are just a few wrinkles. There are two wide receivers and a tight end (probably Zach Ertz) that lines up next to the right tackle Lane Johnson. Here’s where it gets interesting. From what we can tell, quarterback Carson Wentz lines up in the shotgun formation, and he’s flanked on his left by Blount and on his right by Pumphrey or Darren Sproles.
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Blount is your primary ball carrier in the formation. Sproles or Pumphrey can be used as a ball carrier or a threat to run. If Pederson and company want to get tricky, they can motion Sproles or Pumphrey out of the backfield and into the slot position between tight end and the right flanker. That allows them to be used in pass patterns. It doesn’t sound too complicated, but it’s been giving the Eagles defense a few headaches during team OTAs
Eagles fans are hoping it will give opposing defenses threats once the 2017 season starts and the games count for real.
To make long stories short:
It was believed that Wendell Smallwood wasn’t exactly the teacher’s pet when Coach Pederson stated earlier in the off-season that he would have a “role” in the Eagles offense. We’ve also believed that Philly would employ a “committee” approach, but now, with the addition of Blount, that may no longer be the case.
Pumphrey may be the biggest unknown in the Eagles backfield heading into 2017. Being the NCAA Division One all-time leader in rushing yards isn’t anything to sneeze at regardless of where he played his college ball or who he played against. The Eagles are itching to get him on the field. There just may not be enough carries to go around.
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The “PONY” gives Wentz another weapon in the passing game. It allows the Eagles to utilize both Sproles’ and Pumphrey’s ability as a receiver. It will hopefully create mismatches or open up things for Ertz and the other tight ends. That’s music to the ears of any Eagles fan who was bored to death by what happened on offense a season ago.
It appears things are coming together on the offensive side of the ball.