Philadelphia Eagles aren’t relying on Boston Scott nearly enough
There is ‘underappreciation’, and then there’s Boston Scott. Here’s some total transparency. We have to ignore the temptation to call around to see if we can determine if Number 35 has done something to irritate someone in the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff and/or leadership structure.
The narrative is slowly drifting toward being one of those discussions that we throw into the area of being head-scratchers. He has more talent than he’s given credit for, so we keep asking ourselves why it is that Philly won’t use this guy. It’s been five years, and the Eagles continue to ignore a potential weapon.
The Philadelphia Eagles might have something special in the form of Boston Scott.
No one seems to remember this, but there was one instance in which Boston was shown a measure of respect. As was the case with another more well-known Bird, Darren Sproles, Philadelphia found Scott while perusing the Saints’ roster.
New Orleans had added the former Louisiana Tech Bulldog to their practice squad after he had initially made their 53-man roster but subsequently had gotten waived. That’s when the Eagles swooped in (pun intended).
Philly added Scott from the Saints scout team on December 10th of 2018, at one point even stating that he resembled Sproles and might be able to take over his role one day. Time has passed, almost five years to be exact, and Boston has been given a grand total of 349 touches on offense during the regular season.
Sure, the Philadelphia Eagles have normally had better backs ahead of him on the depth chart, but he’s been solid when given an opportunity. Strangely, though many of us scoffed at the notion at the time, he does resemble Darren Sproles to some extent.
Sure, most of his success has come versus Philly’s rivals in New York (ten of his 17 career TDs have come versus the Giants), but we’ve seen enough from him over the past half-decade to know two things are accurate.
One, Boston Scott can produce if given a real opportunity, and second, this season, he has been criminally underutilized.
Here are a few arguments for getting Boston Scott more involved in the Philadelphia Eagles offense.
Following the Eagles’ narrow victory over the G-Men in the regular-season finale, one of the narratives coming out of the contest centered around the efforts of Boston Scott. Nine carries produced 54 yards, a six-yards-per-carry average, and the Eagles’ lone TD of the contest.
Perhaps they should have given the ball to him more often. Again, there are the arguments that he’s only found success versus New York, but could that be the result of being handcuffed by his own team?
There are several reasons he should be looked to more frequently.
Boston Scott has a nose for the sticks
Boston Scott has carried the ball 54 times in 15 regular-season games this season. 12 of those carries, nearly 23 percent, have resulted in first downs. Think about that for a second.
At five-foot-six and 203 pounds, maybe the issue is opposing defenses lose Number 35 behind all of those giants on the Philadelphia Eagles O-line. Maybe his success comes from his ability to shift, make cuts, hit the hole, and find openings. Maybe it’s all of those things.
Whatever the case, with knowledge of this, it makes sense to rely upon Scott in third-down and goal-line situations. Had Philly used him more in Week 18, they might have extended a few drives, but here’s something else worth noting. He could be a benefit to RB1.
Using Scott and Kenneth Gainwell more often helps keep Miles Sanders fresh.
The best season of Miles Sanders‘ career hasn’t come without cost. Boobie enters the postseason with more than 1,200 yards rushing and 11 rushing TDs on his resume, but he’s also dealing with a slight knee issue.
NFL teams often rely on a committee system for a reason. We’re talking about the game’s most punishing position, and the Birds and Miles could both benefit from heavier doses of not only Scott but also Kenneth Gainwell.
The latter should have been credited for scoring on a long touchdown run versus the Saints in Week 17. It was called back due to a bogus holding penalty, but here’s what’s strange. Gainwell wasn’t given another rushing attempt after that.
Why?
The Eagles are simply a better offense when the running game is successful.
Games and offensive production don’t need to be choreographed. This is the NFL’s best offensive line when they’re clicking. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There are many ways to drive the point home, but here are the facts, plain and simple.
The only thing that can stop the Eagles’ rushing attack is Philadelphia’s coaching staff and their seemingly never-ending desire to prove they can win in other ways. If they stick with what works, they will be successful, and mixing in a little more of Boston Scott most certainly helps the cause.
Can we think about giving this guy more touches in the return game?
This is obviously a comment that’s more about special teams than offense, but Boston Scott has returned 15 kickoffs for 406 yards this season. His longest return went for 66 yards.
That’s an average of 27.1 yards per return for your quick math studies out there. As you know, that’s slightly better than a touchback, so here’s a serious question.
Does no one believe he’d do a better job as a punt returner than Britain Covey? Hey, we’re just throwing it out there. You can do with that what you will.