Doug Pederson can’t stop obsessing over LeGarrette Blount’s game film
Eagles head coach, Doug Pederson can’t stop watching LeGarrette Blount’s highlights.
What a season it was for the Philadelphia Eagles‘ new running back, LeGarrette Blount, last year. He gained 1,161 yards on 299 carries and scored the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL with 18. Mostly known for his bruiser style, Blount was most effective when his team reached the red zone. 15 of his 18 total rushing touchdowns were in the red zone, which was an area where the Eagles struggled last season.
Although Ryan Mathews had some solid rushing games, his history of injuries has caused Philadelphia’s to lose some faith in him. When the season wrapped up last year, the Eagles front office decided that it was time to bring in another veteran. They signed LeGarrette Blount to a one-year deal to have him come in and be the workhorse back.
The signing was a bit of a shocker considering there were little to no reports about Blount talking with the Eagles. That doesn’t mean that the signing was random though. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has been very vocal about his interest in Blount’s abilities. In fact, he said that he finds himself continuously going back to Blount’s highlight tapes from last season. See what he said here:
"“He’s a big, physical, downhill runner. I saw that yesterday in some of that inside-run period, the explosiveness,” Pederson said. “He’s got great vision, great vision to make the jump cuts and read defensive linemen. But just that big body in the backfield I think can, for a defender, present a big problem, from a one-on-one tackling standpoint.”"
It’s all coming together…
Blount’s role in the Eagles offense has been uncertain, but it sounds like Pederson would like to have him serve as the work horse. With Darren Sproles serving as a mentor for Donnel Pumphrey, the Eagles have a very diverse backfield when it comes to running styles. This will be the third running back the Eagles have signed from free agency in three years. What is different about this time though, is that this is the running back that Doug Pederson wanted.
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Obviously, it is good that the head coach is comfortable with the player that he suggested. Now it’s time to sit back and watch it all come together. Blount brings a smash mouth running style to the offense which will really help out in the red zone and third down situations. When it comes to the running game, the Eagles have surely improved in areas they were struggling with. Expect Blount to be a major upgrade in the run game.