Eagles Film Review: 3 things to like about the defense and 3 things to improve
I would usually complete a review of the Eaglesā offense and defense during the bye week, but this year is a bit unusual with the Eaglesā bye week being so early in the season. I wanted to write a āHow I would fix the Eaglesā offense and defenseā article, but I decided it felt too negative. So, instead, I will do ā3 things I like about the Eaglesā defense and 3 things I would improveā to speak about some of the good stuff Iāve seen so far this year! You can find the offense version here. This could include a specific player, a positional group, or a schematic thing. Any stat I use is from Pro Football Focus or Sports Info Solutions.
The Good
Zack Baun
This has been the best thing about the Eaglesā defense this year, no doubt. Although he struggled against the Falcons, I donāt even want to think about how much worse this Eaglesā defense would be without Baun. Baun is a unique athlete who can play either as an off-ball linebacker or an EDGE defender. This versatility has helped the Eagles, especially as it has enabled them to get to a 5-man front without bringing an extra defensive lineman. As a reminder, I said this about Baunās performance vs. the Saints.
Zack Baun moved from linebacker to EDGE just before the snap over and over again. This totally changed the Eaglesā defensive front a second before the play, and the Saints could not handle it. When you change the front before the snap, you are putting a lot of pressure on an offensive lineās ability to communicate and change on the fly. I think Zack Baun has been the Eaglesā most important player on defense from a schematic purpose, but he can play various roles well. He can play at EDGE, and off-ball linebacker, and not many players can do both well.
The Eagles did this repeatedly, and it only works because of Baunās unique versatility. If this is done well, it is so useful for a defense. Most offensive coordinators will see the Eagles in nickel and expect a 4-2-5 defense and, therefore, call plays based on that. However, the Eagles can change their front a split second before the snap, making it very tough on an offense.
4) And here’s another example! The Eagles did line up with Milton Williams as ann EDGE a few times which gave them some more stability against the run. This is a fantastic play by Williams against outside zone and Baun also destroys the TE and helps make the tackle. The runā¦ pic.twitter.com/fg89KwbpbF
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 24, 2024
Itās not just the versatility, though. Ignoring that, I still think Baun has had a good year as a traditional off-ball linebacker. This stop against Alvin Kamara stands out as an impressive play, as Kamara is an excellent short-yardage back. Although he is at EDGE here, it takes a lot of strength to make this play.
10) 4th and 1. No problem! How good is this from Zack Baun? Milton Williams and BG do a decent job anchoring but Baun is the one who makes the play. Kamara is a tough runner but Baun makes a fantastic play. It wasn’t just a 6 man front that was exciting, it was the players theyā¦ pic.twitter.com/nSpnigVGQv
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 24, 2024
Iāve said this in previous articles, but I would try to extend Baun to a team-friendly deal as soon as possible. I expect him to have some up-and-down moments throughout the season, but I think heās already proved that he is a player who is a great fit in the modern NFL.
Oh yeah, he can also cover receivers down the field, too, if needed. As I said, a modern NFL linebacker.
5) As if Zack Baun hadn’t done enough, he also carried a WR vertically down the field! Baun is such a versatile player and he is such a good fit for this defense. He does a great job here, but this one is all about Jalen Carter. He was dominating any one-on-one matchup and heā¦ pic.twitter.com/fplIup6384
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 24, 2024
Quinyon Mitchell
Quinyon Mitchell has not been perfect by any means, but I think that cornerback is the hardest position to start as a rookie outside of quarterback. The stats show that he gets beat but he passes the eye test. He looks smooth out there. Heās only given up 1 penalty in 4 weeks which is a good sign too and heās had at least 1 pass breakup every week.
The biggest compliment I can give Mitchell is that he looks like he did in college. I feel pretty good about my scouting report so far.
In terms of scheme fit, he is a match made in heaven for Vic Fangioās defense. You can line him up outside and he should be able to play one-on-one coverage on isolated receivers and has the length to carry receivers vertically down the field. He will love playing off-coverage where he can show off his click-and-close speed and he shows outstanding route recognition in zone coverage already, which is something very important in this defense. What stands out about Mitchellās game, is how comfortable he is when the ball is in the air. A lot of recent draft busts at cornerback have been because teams have overdrafted fantastic athletes who canāt compete at the catch point. Mitchell will not have this issue.
The ability to play top receivers on the outside? Check.
Eagles Defense All22 thread vs. Packers. 1) I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed Quinyon Mitchell’s performance. Rookie CBs always seem to struggle, but he played extremely well. The ability to turn and run with Watson here and the way he just slightly leans into him toā¦ pic.twitter.com/XULddvJXXD
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 9, 2024
Click-and-close speed? Check.
Route recognition in zone coverage? Check.
5) Another outstanding rep from Quinyon. This is so good. He gets just enough depth to cover the deep post but reads the QB and has the athleticism to flip his hips and play the ball in the air. This is another awesome play and he lets the sideline know about it! pic.twitter.com/hLqbY6InmK
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 9, 2024
The ability to play the football in the air? Check.
6) Quinyon Mitchell vs. Mike Evans one-on-one in the red zone. This is textbook coverage against a fade route. Get your hands up when you see the receiver’s hands get up and play through their hands. This is really good! pic.twitter.com/kndAg2uawG
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 30, 2024
Heās been about a beat away from a pick-six after jumping a comeback route, and I wouldnāt be surprised if this is the week he gets his first interception. Cornerbacks will always get beat, and I expect Mitchell to have a few rough games, but I feel good about the Eaglesā first-round78 pick.
5-man/6-man fronts
The Eaglesā run defense has sucked this year. But the Eaglesā run defense has been really good when they use 5-man or 6-man frontsāthe numbers back this up, too.
Eagles Defense Last 2
-1st/2nd down handoffs
-Sweat/Huff only wide 9 if on field
-No kneel down/funky low RZ
-6-1 G front front vs 12/21/>
-5-2 odd front vs 12/21/>
-4DL condensed w/Baun on LOS outside TE if attached
-no line slant/cross face
1.27 yards per carry (15 attempts)
ā wannabGM (@PhillyWannabGM) October 3, 2024
I understand the concern with pass coverage when playing a 5-man front, but there are ways you can get around this. You can drop an EDGE if necessary. You can just rush 5 and play fire zone coverage behind it. You can bring C.J. Gardner Johnson down as a nickel cornerback. You donāt have to play a 4-man front against 11 personnel.
11) The Eagles FINALLY (sort of, anyway) used a 5-man front with Baun stepping up as an EDGE defenders (which they did loads last week?!) and it left Carter with a rare one-on-one matchup where he instantly wins. My concern levels with Carter moving forward are very, very low. Heā¦ pic.twitter.com/3lH7mlm1nn
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 17, 2024
If Iām looking at the positives from this season so far, it should not be hard for Fangio to improve the run defense. The answer is staring him in the face! It doesnāt require a huge amount of projection because we have seen the Eagles succeed with these heavy fronts this season. The Eagles personnel is better suited to playing with 5-man fronts. Jordan Davis is better as a straight-up nose tackle. I hope the Fangio is looking closely at his run fits and has seen the Eagles’ success this year when using these 5-man fronts.
What I would like to see
Improved run fits
OK, so Iāve already spoken about the need for more 5-man fronts. But some of the Eaglesā issues in run defense are not just about playing a 4 or 5-man front. The Eagles run fits have been really poor through two weeks and Iāve spotted two major issues.
Firstly, the Eagles have this bizarre focus on slanting their defensive tackles this year. Itās so aggressive, and when they slant the opposite way of the run, it leads to disastrous results. I would love someone in a press conference to ask Fangio what the plan is when he does this. I give coaches the benefit of the doubt a lot because they know a hell of a lot more than me. But I cannot understand how the benefit of slanting your defensive lineman outweighs the risk.
Eagles Defense thread All22 vs. Falcons. Buckle up. 1) The very first play of the game was a sign of things to come. The first of many under center outside zone runs. The Eagles slant Milton Williams the complete wrong way. The Falcons guard Lindstrom cuts Baun (he did this overā¦ pic.twitter.com/ghklQwTLHk
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 17, 2024
Secondly, the Eagles have frequently had a big gap between their defensive tackle and EDGE defender. You can see it in the clip above clearly. I think the EDGE defenders have been too widely positioned all season. I donāt think Josh Sweat or Bryce Huff are good run defenders, but placing them wide makes it even harder for them. Itās even worse when the defensive tackle (in the image below itās BG) slants inside.
13) Let’s finish here. I’ve had enough. Here’s the downside of slanting the defensive lineman. Just look at the size of the gap between BG and Zach Baun. There is no world in which you want a gap that size in your defensive line.
I’m unsure about the run fits. I hated theā¦ pic.twitter.com/3uLF5beQsP
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 30, 2024
Personally, I would play a lot more Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham on early downs, and I would also stop playing the EDGE defenders so wide in order to make it easier for the defense to fit the run.
More split-safety zone coverage
I hate the Eaglesā single-high coverage. Opposing offenses have repeatedly shredded the Eagles when playing cover 3. It has been a disaster, repeatedly leading to poor matchups and miscommunication amongst the defensive backs.
3) I’m at a loss watching the Eagles’ pass defense. It’s not what Fangio is all about! He always wants to be +1 in coverage. The Bucs only release 3 receivers out on a route here. All to the same side. The Eagles play this awful cover 3 with Blankenship coming down to cover Mikeā¦ pic.twitter.com/rcIAyugAYU
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 30, 2024
I want to see the Eagles go back to an old-school Vic Fangio defense. Itās gotten so bad that I long for the days of the Eaglesā defensive communication under Jonathan Gannon. At least that Eaglesā defense could play quarters coverage repeatedly, and they were fantastic at distributing routes. This Eaglesā defense looks like itās never played together at times. They donāt pass off routes well.
12) Ah, good. Another bit of miscommunication. Maddox/Ringo seem to be unclear over who has who in man coverage on 3rd and 12 which results in a wide open WR. The Eagles rush 5 but Baun ends up almost spying Baker (?) so he ends up in no man’s land. It cuts off but Maddox wasā¦ pic.twitter.com/JHSd5SjDM4
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 30, 2024
I want the Eagles to get back to basics and focus on playing a lot more quarters (quads/cover 4 – whatever you want to call it), as well as some cover 6 and cover 8. Iām a little sick of the single-high stuff because it hasnāt worked at all this year.
I wondered if I was being a bit too critical, so after this rant, I looked up the numbers. The numbers back me up. The Eagles have 67 snaps of MOFC coverage (single-high), which is the 18th most in the league, and they rank 27th in success rate. Conversely, they have played 53 snaps of MOFO coverage (split-safety) and rank 13th in success rate.
Oh, and the Eagles currently rank 32nd in success rate when playing man coverage and 11th when playing zone.
More aggressive coverage
People seem to think that playing more split-safety coverage means you have to be passive. You do not. If anything, having two deep safeties should enable the outside corners to get more aggressive and closer to the receivers. You just canāt win like this.
11) My head is on mars. It’s Sterling Shepard vs. Quinyon Mitchell. 2nd and 12… Why is he giving him 10 YARDS OFF CUSHION?! It’s Sterling freakin’ Shepard not Tyreek Hill! How can you give up throws like this on 2nd and 12 this easily?!
I’ve watched every single Hurts throwā¦ pic.twitter.com/m1eugIbswQ
ā Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 30, 2024
My podcast co-host Shane Haff tweeted these stats, and they have blown my mind. This is genuinely mental. How can you be this passive on defense? And the Eagles still give up explosive plays anyway!
The Eagles’ defense has played 85% of their snaps with 0 defenders in press coverage, which is the highest rate in the NFL.
ā Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) October 9, 2024
How much additional cushion the Eagles have given to opposing WRs compared to the rest of the league:
Romeo Doubs – 24.2%
Drake London – 52.8%
Ray-Ray McCloud – 3.3%
Darnell Mooney – 10.9%
Chris Olave – 17.0%
Rasheed Shaheed – 18.7%
Mike Evans – 27.6%
Overall average – 19.3%ā¦
ā Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) October 9, 2024
You donāt have to play aggressive press coverage on every single snap, but you do at least need to challenge receivers. You canāt allow them to have a free release every time. I was disappointed by Vic Fangioās answer when questioned by the media on this topic because he essentially blamed the players for their alignment. Thatās nonsense. If you want your corners to be more aggressive, then tell them!
The good news for the Eaglesā defense is that many of the changes I am calling for are not radical and do not require a complete system overhaul. They require simple tweaks that should not be too hard to do. I might be in the minority, but I believe this Eaglesā defense has enough talent to be at least an average defense. It is now up to the coaching staff and Vic Fangio to create the situation for them to excel.
Thank you for reading! Iād love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here. We had BLG on this week and discussed a number of the topics in this article.
