After 12 Eagles games, we can more accurately evaluate Jonathan Gannon’s performance this season.
Gosh, this year has flown by. It seems like it was just yesterday when we were debating whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles were in trouble versus the Detroit Lions. Maybe we should blame HBO’s Hard Knocks series. For a month, we watched the Lions try to kill each other while Philly elected to prepare for the regular season by navigating a training camp that wasn’t as physical.
How does Jonathan Gannon build a stout defense if the team doesn’t tackle in practice? It’s hard to believe that was a huge dilemma at the time, but it was indeed a dilemma. Some have carried that conversation into the regular season. When you mention the fact that the Eagles are credited with 59 missed tackles per Pro Football Reference, is easy to see why that’s the case.
We all know how Week 1 turned out. The game arrived. We saw the result. Philly won, which is the most important thing, but Detroit also made a second-half charge that fell short of a come-from-behind victory.
We chalked some of the noticeable fatigue up to early conditioning issues that we haven’t really seen since, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from discussing the Eagles’ defensive coordinator at every turn. After all, it wouldn’t be right if some of the Eagles’ contingent didn’t have something to complain about right?
Questions about J.G.’s defense, one that seemed winded at times, ensued, and frankly, though he’s been given reprieve here and there, the criticism has been constant ever since. The question is this. Is that criticism warranted?
13 weeks of the 2022-2023 NFL season and 12 games of the Eagles’ 17-game schedule are in our rearview mirror. In other words, we have a nice sample size to determine how we should measure our theories on how Gannon has performed as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
Here’s a positive sign. The Eagles were better versus the run in Week 13, limiting Derrick Henry to 30 yards rushing on 11 carries. That’s doggone near cause for celebration. Everyone will continue to monitor Philly’s rush defense to determine if that issue has truly been fixed the fact that the Eagles have to be better versus the run. They’re also credited with
So again, is J.G. as bad as some people are saying? We’re glad that you asked. Let’s see if we can answer that question.
Six of the seven NFL teams that blitz most often all have losing records.
Naturally, we could find reasons to bash Gannon. Sure, he could be more aggressive. Yes, it’s been discussed ad nauseam that the Eagles have been gashed by one rushing attack after another. We’ve even said that he could send the blitz from time to time when Philly is experiencing difficulty pressuring opposing quarterbacks with their defensive front from time to time. Would sending extra players more often fix things? Would fielding a blitz-happy defense lead to more wins?
It might help with some production, but it doesn’t seem to be working for other teams. The numbers suggest that six of the seven NFL teams that blitz most often all have losing records.
Check out the data:
- New York Giants – blitzing on 37.8% of defensive snaps (7-4-1 record)
- Green Bay Packers blitzing on 35.5% of defensive snaps (5-8 record)
- Arizona Cardinals blitzing on 35.3% of defensive snaps (4-8 record)
- Denver Broncos blitzing on 32.7% of defensive snaps (3-9 record)
- Pittsburgh Steelers blitzing on 29.2% of defensive snaps (5-7 record)
- Carolina Panthers blitzing on 28.9% of defensive snaps (4-8 record)
- Detroit Lions blitzing on 28.6% of defensive snaps (5-7 record)
All of these teams had an even higher blitz percentage after Week 12, so even they seem to be blitzing less often in Week 13.
We all have our theories about the validity of the Giants’ turnaround. Some may see them as formidable. Either way, they’re winning, and that’s all that matters. Still, it appears that blitzing more often doesn’t equate to wins, and get this. The Eagles have somehow managed to get to the quarterback anyway.
Despite blitzing 21.5% of the time, the Eagles own the National Football League’s second-highest sack total.
Somewhere Buddy Ryan, Bud Carson, and Jim Johnson are turning over in their graves, but the NFL has changed. The game is about limiting explosive plays, and even though Philly has fallen victim to a few, they’ve also come up big at important moments. Call it the ‘bend but don’t break approach’.
Despite blitzing 23% of the time, the Philadelphia Eagles have the second-highest sack total with 42 quarterback takedowns. Only the Dallas Cowboys (48) have more.
The Eagles and Cowboys have both played 12 games this season. They walked into Week 13 tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (36). The Eagles are also ranked eighth in total quarterback pressures. They’ve racked up 110 of those. They’ve sent the blitz 100 times this season.15 teams have sent extra rushers more often. 14 of those teams have fewer sacks than Jonthan Gannon’s guys.
In total, the Eagles tallied 32 additional QB knockdowns in the first 11 games thanks to 110 pressures. Their pressure rate sits at 23.7%. That’s seventh-best in the NFL. Maybe Gannon isn’t doing as badly as some are saying.
The Eagles lead the NFL in interceptions.
There’s an old saying in the NFL. The pass rush and pass coverage work hand in hand. We’ve all watched enough football to know that one doesn’t work well without the other. Sure, we’ve all asked that J.G. send extra guys at one time or another when the front four (or front five) isn’t getting the job done, but what’s the alternative? Do we want to put more pressure on the secondary? That isn’t going to work out as well as you think.
Remember Week 2 of the 2019 season? Jim Schwartz sent the house at Matt Ryan late in the fourth quarter. How did that work out? Raise your hand if you remember Julio Jones taking on the distance on a screen pass.
Understand something. If the Eagles aren’t taking their current approach, they also aren’t leading the NFL in interceptions, which they do. Philadelphia’s 15 interceptions have them alone atop the NFL in that category. The Pittsburgh Steelers rank second with 14, and the Buffalo Bills are third with 13.
Philly is also ranked third in total pass breakups with 66. The Minnesota Vikings (70) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (68), and Pittsburgh Steelers (61) are the teams that they are trailing.
That’s all been said to say this. If the Eagles increase the frequency with which they blitz, the interceptions and pass breakups will come less frequently. Think about it. No one wants to see that happen.
Tales of opposing quarterbacks’ mastery of the Eagles’ defense may be exaggerated in some cases.
Stats can be misleading. We all know that. It’s hard to ignore the eyeball test. We’re aware of that as well. The Eagles had a nice showing versus the Titans. That’s a good thing. Hopefully, the trend continues because before that, we were discussing their issues with defending the run much too frequently. 59 missed tackles are too many, but statistically, as you can see, Jonathan Gannon’s defensive unit has proven itself to be among the league’s best. That has to count for something as well ( the pun there was intended).
J.G. probably isn’t going to alter much about his approach regardless of what any of us think. By playing a lot of zone and off-coverages, he allows his secondary the opportunity to read opposing quarterbacks and react. They’ve given up plays, but they’ve made quite a few as well. Look at some of these numbers:
Opposing quarterbacks are completing 60.3% of their passes versus the Philadelphia Eagles. That used to be a great number in the NFL, but now, it’s the lay of the land. Only three teams have allowed a lower completion percentage:
- Cincinnati Bengals (59%)
- New England Patriots (59.1%)
- New York Giants (60.3%)
Opposing QBs average 6.0 yards per attempt versus the Eagles’ defense. That’s second in the NFL. Philly is first in interceptions per opposing QB pass attempts (3.7%). They’re second in sack percentage (9.4%). They’re allowing a passer rating of 73.6. That ranks them first in the NFL.
Before bashing J.G., maybe we should take all of that into consideration. Numbers don’t tell the entire story, but they don’t lie either. 12 games into the 2022-2023 Philadelphia Eagles season, the evidence is overwhelming. Jonathan Gannon has been better than advertised.