The Truth About The Eagles Second Half Defense.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Chip Kelly is a good coach people and his scheme is fun to watch and tough to defend.

 

All things considered, I think the D played just fine, considering 2 Iggle TD drives started in our territory and we gave them a safety. 16 out of 33 points right there.

 

There are serious holes in that pass protection scheme which was an issue at Oregon as well. When a d-line could penetrate (See the Stanford game last year, the LSU game to start 2011, the national championship) the Oregon O had serious issues.

 

The Redskins, for a period of time in the first half, was getting good penetration and sacks. The problem was the offense did nothing.

 

Chip Kelly won't though be able to run that scheme any faster without having his own offense gas out. McCoy can't go at that pace and carry the ball 31 times a game, Vick can't take those hits.

 

The difference Kelly will find is that he has 53 guys instead of 85 and is going up against an NFL defense every single week, which will also wear that O down. It is very tough to run 80+ plays every week vs an NFL defense 

[McMVP]

I realize that. I'm not the nicest guy the day after a loss. You are clearly here to talk football, so apologies for being a jerk...Chip Kelly's mug set me off. You're welcome here, at least by me, anytime.

I get it...trust me. I've been there.

Thanks..

[ADF]

The Eagels blitzed a lot in the second half.  Sometimes it got picked up, other times it wasn't.  Our offense was more successful when it was.

[skins2victory]

I love how McMVP keeps talking about how the Eagles offense slowed down "took there foot off the gas" in the second half. Like they were taking it easy on us, lol. First of all, that is something your team is gonna have to do when they have a lead. Wouldnt you want to slow the pace down and take some time off the clock? They were trying to run the ball, take time off the clock, and get out of there with the win. But the fact is, in the second half our defense played much better, and got many more stops. Our Offense played much better. They stopped handing the ball over, and kept drives alive keeping the ball away from the Eagles. McMVP your offense put on a great show in the first half, it was impressive to say the least. In the second half when we brought  more pressure, it lead to us getting crucial stops. We clearly had the momentum at the end of the game, it was just too little too late.

[McMVP]

I love how McMVP keeps talking about how the Eagles offense slowed down "took there foot off the gas" in the second half. Like they were taking it easy on us, lol. First of all, that is something your team is gonna have to do when they have a lead. Wouldnt you want to slow the pace down and take some time off the clock? They were trying to run the ball, take time off the clock, and get out of there with the win. But the fact is, in the second half our defense played much better, and got many more stops. Our Offense played much better. They stopped handing the ball over, and kept drives alive keeping the ball away from the Eagles. McMVP your offense put on a great show in the first half, it was impressive to say the least. In the second half when we brought more pressure, it lead to us getting crucial stops. We clearly had the momentum at the end of the game, it was just too little too late.

I'm a bit confused...how did I not explain it the same way that you just did?

I never once said they were 'taking it easy' on the skins...off course they were trying to milk the clock...it's football 101

[Gibbit]

After last year, it was easy to take sweeping the eagles for granted.

 

This division just got crazy

[skins2victory]

I'm a bit confused...how did I not explain it the same way that you just did?

I never once said they were 'taking it easy' on the skins...off course they were trying to milk the clock...it's football 101

You were posting about the same topic last night. Maybe I did interpret what you have been saying incorrectly. Your right, it is football 101. I would hope that you dont think your team would "take the foot off the gas", a term I saw last night, to take it easy on any team.

[McMVP]

You were posting about the same topic last night. Maybe I did interpret what you have been saying incorrectly. Your right, it is football 101. I would hope that you dont think your team would "take the foot off the gas", a term I saw last night, to take it easy on any team.

Hell no...they did it to work the clock. Too soon if you ask me...

[skins2victory]

Hell no...they did it to work the clock. Too soon if you ask me...

Okay... Im on the same page with you now. Again, I gotta give your offense props on there first half. It is gonna be interesting to see how well they do through out the year.

[Larry]

I know I'm in enemy territory...so I always try to keep it respectful...while still trying to keep it real. If our roles were reversed today, chip would be the ugliest guy on the planet

 

Actually, I was intending to comment that "hey, you're pretty smart for an Eagle's turd". 

 

Yes, that's grudging respect.  You seem rational and reasonable.  (And you came back, after the game, and it wasn't to gloat.) 

 

Yeah, I definitely noticed that Philly's O really became one-dimensional, along about halfway through the 3rd.  It was like every single play was a handoff.  (That didn't work.)  (One reason I was giving props to our D.  Because earlier in the game, those runs WERE working.) 

 

Somehow, I assume that it wasn't because they were showing mercy on us.  (Although, granted, we did look pretty pitiful, first half.) 

 

I assume that a big part of it was because they wanted to sit on a nice comfortable lead.  (33-7 is pretty comfortable when you're playing a team that only got two first downs in the first half.  And I think didn't get an offensive score till the 4th.) 

 

I also assume that part of it was because Vick had a pretty noticeable limp, by then. 

 

----------

 

As to the OP, and Philly's defense, late? 

 

I fully agree.  They were coming after Griff, hard, on every play.  Griff would take the ball, throw a five yard pass, and immediately get hit. 

 

Yeah, I would have liked it if he could have pulled a 75 yard TD to Moss.  But when you're getting hit on every play, throwing 5 yard passes, then you don't try to throw 50 yard passes. 

 

Long passes would not have worked.  And Philly was really pursuing Morris, so I don;t see evidence that that would have worked, either. 

 

Those dink and dunk passes were all that was working.  And they stood a shot at winning the game.  They were the right call, executed properly.  (Would have been nice if we could have punished them for blitzing by turning a 5 yard pass into a 50 yard gain.  But our receivers weren't having success acting as blockers.) 

[ToaCommander]

I thought Kelly's offense was awesome and that Vick, McCoy and D-Jax are ideal in that offense. I heard about those statements in the offseason but after seeing it, I believe it.

 

In the first half, the holes in our front 7 were frightening and it was mostly pure hustle by our D that McCoy didn't take some of those runs all the way to the house.

 

The way they spread out of defense and how our secondary were 1-2 steps behind the receivers really highlighted the potency of the offense. But credit to our Defense we hung on, everyone is saying they stepped off the gas but to me we stepped up (on D) in the 2nd half. The fumbles and sacks are not the offense easing up, its us taking their feet off the gas.

 

On the issue of Eagles prevent D in the 2nd half, that is the 'default' statement anyone makes when the catch up team puts up yards. Their D Cord just said so himself they blitzed RG3 on one of those TDs so they were not (most of the time) going to sit back and let skins eat up yards.

 

All in all, hats off to the Eagles - great rebound from 2012 and have clearly sent out a message to its remaining opponents that they are no easy beats in 2013.

 

For us, one point in the first half, I feared that maybe RG3 may never be right again after his 2nd knee surgery but the improvement in the second half have alleviated those fears. We will have some early season struggles based on how fast RG3 can regain his knee strength, accuracy and confidence. 

[McMVP]

I thought Kelly's offense was awesome and that Vick, McCoy and D-Jax are ideal in that offense. I heard about those statements in the offseason but after seeing it, I believe it.

In the first half, the holes in our front 7 were frightening and it was mostly pure hustle by our D that McCoy didn't take some of those runs all the way to the house.

The way they spread out of defense and how our secondary were 1-2 steps behind the receivers really highlighted the potency of the offense. But credit to our Defense we hung on, everyone is saying they stepped off the gas but to me we stepped up (on D) in the 2nd half. The fumbles and sacks are not the offense easing up, its us taking their feet off the gas.

On the issue of Eagles prevent D in the 2nd half, that is the 'default' statement anyone makes when the catch up team puts up yards. Their D Cord just said so himself they blitzed RG3 on one of those TDs so they were not (most of the time) going to sit back and let skins eat up yards.

All in all, hats off to the Eagles - great rebound from 2012 and have clearly sent out a message to its remaining opponents that they are no easy beats in 2013.

For us, one point in the first half, I feared that maybe RG3 may never be right again after his 2nd knee surgery but the improvement in the second half have alleviated those fears. We will have some early season struggles based on how fast RG3 can regain his knee strength, accuracy and confidence.

Good post...and I too hope RG recovers fully (mentally too... There is always that part of it). Not every player recovers the way Adrain Pederson did (still in awe over that one). I feel Robert will be fine in time....

[Momma There Goes That Man]

Is the offense really that much faster? Unless i am mistaken,the graph I saw on Sportscenter showed the average snap every 24seconds in the first half and the highest average last year was 26 by the Patriots.

Is it really something that has never been seen before pace wise or is it just the combination of that pace with the option game and screen passes that get the defense in chase mode and further tire them out? If they ran the NE two TE,4 out wide sets with this pace would it still be considered so different?

Just something I was wondering.

[NoCalMike]

I don't think it had anything to do with pace.  It was turnovers leading to short fields, and 3 & Outs by the offense.  Plainly said, everything went wrong.

 

A better sample will be a game where the Eagles play someone that trades scores with them from the get-go. I don't think anyone is assuming that every opponent the Eagles play are going to start out the way the 'Skins did.

[McMVP]

Is the offense really that much faster? Unless i am mistaken,the graph I saw on Sportscenter showed the average snap every 24seconds in the first half and the highest average last year was 26 by the Patriots.

Is it really something that has never been seen before pace wise or is it just the combination of that pace with the option game and screen passes that get the defense in chase mode and further tire them out? If they ran the NE two TE,4 out wide sets with this pace would it still be considered so different?

Just something I was wondering.

All of the above. The pace, the players conditioning level, and the read option taken to another level.

I think many feel the read option is only about the QB reading the DE...or edge OLB. There were a few plays where the read was Fletcher pre/post snap.

[rskin72]

Whether or not the Eagles played "safe" in the second half is not as important to me as how RGIII looked to me from the middle of the third quarter to the end of the game.  He seemed to be regaining not only his touch, but also the game speed timing with his receivers.  Regardless of how he improved, though, he is a sitting duck on to many occasions in the pocket thanks to our Oline which is good at some things, but protecting a pocket passer is not a strength....and was not a strength last season.   To me, however, while his arm and accuracy seemed to be returning by game's end, his elusiveness in the pocket, and therefore to some extent, his playmaking ability is now limited.  Just look at that clip from the Giants game last season that some members have on their post's.....then think about the Eagles game.  I saw none of that magic from RGIII. 

 

So...think this week will be a better display from RGIII....but will be watching his pocket mobility as well. 

[Glenn X]

I've encountered a lot of "typical" Iggle fans in my time online (which is to say "typically boorish"), so I have to give McMVP credit for being level-headed and civil.

 

As to this business about Chip Kelly not being interested in running up the score on the Redskins, why wouldn't he?  When he was at Oregon, he gleefully ran up the score on every Zagnut State he faced out-of-conference as well as the weaker opponents within the Pac-12.  I should know.  I live out west and watch a lot of Pac-12 games.  Now, do I think Kelly is "bad" or "evil" for running up scores.  Nope.  Steve Spurrier, a great college football coach, did the same thing when he was at Florida, bragging about being able to hang "half a hundred on them boys" from Vandy, MS State or Palookaville Polytechnic.  So the idea that Kelly "took his foot off the pedal" against the 'Skins?  At D.C.?  In the season opener?  On MNF?  Not bloody likely.  Moreover, Kelly even admitted that he wanted to score more during his press conference the following day.  What do you think that quote regarding "bad second-half pacing on offense" (or some such) was all about?  Running more plays to...?  Punt more often?  Riiiight.

 

Chip Kelly is a good coach people and his scheme is fun to watch and tough to defend.

 

All things considered, I think the [Redskin] D played just fine, considering 2 Iggle TD drives started in our territory and we gave them a safety. 16 out of 33 points right there.

 

There are serious holes in that pass protection scheme [of Kelly's] which was an issue at Oregon as well. When a d-line could penetrate (See the Stanford game last year, the LSU game to start 2011, the national championship [vs. Auburn]) the Oregon O had serious issues.

 

...The difference Kelly will find [in the NFL] is that he has 53 guys instead of 85 and is going up against an NFL defense every single week, which will also wear that O down. It is very tough to run 80+ plays every week vs an NFL defense 

 

Bingo.  Fundamentally, Kelly's offense is like any other: if the defense can get consistent pressure on the QB largely via the D-line, then it becomes very difficult for the offense to do what it wants to do.  And if a defensive coordinator wants to get exotic, he can run a bit of the 5-2 defense (which requires a bunch of LBs and can be mixed with, say, a "base" 3-4 defense) that Cal used to slow down Oregon in that famous 2010 grudge match that the Ducks barely won, 15-13, before going on to play Auburn in that season's National Championship Game.

[NewCliche21]

TL;DR -

 

McMVP is a gracious Eagles guest.

 

The Eagles didn't let up on ****; nobody does that when their 26-point lead is dwindling down to 6.

 

Talking about injuries happening to players, regardless of teams, is for idiots.

 

EDIT:  Learned that donkey holes is not picked up by ES's censors.

[Burgold]

I love how McMVP keeps talking about how the Eagles offense slowed down "took there foot off the gas" in the second half. Like they were taking it easy on us, lol. First of all, that is something your team is gonna have to do when they have a lead. Wouldnt you want to slow the pace down and take some time off the clock? They were trying to run the ball, take time off the clock, and get out of there with the win. But the fact is, in the second half our defense played much better, and got many more stops. Our Offense played much better. They stopped handing the ball over, and kept drives alive keeping the ball away from the Eagles. McMVP your offense put on a great show in the first half, it was impressive to say the least. In the second half when we brought  more pressure, it lead to us getting crucial stops. We clearly had the momentum at the end of the game, it was just too little too late.

Yeah, but how much of it is one versus the other.  Did the slow down allow our defense to rest, sub, and get better plays called?  Did the slow down mean the Eagles were calling their game more conservatively.  I'm not sure that we really did that much better.  I think we improved some and they lost intensity some.  If they kept up the pace and their aggressiveness (if they could have) I suspect they could have scored more.