Why Reddick is confident he's about to bust out

[time2rock]

Why Reddick is confident he's about to bust out

By Reuben Frank, Eagles Insider • Published September 28, 2023

 

Haason Reddick knows exactly what the stat sheet says.

Sacks: 0.

Tackles for loss: 0

Tackles: 1.

Quarterback hits: 1.

A year after his breakthrough 16-sack Pro Bowl season, Reddick is 0-for-2023. But he’s optimistic things are about to turn. He's sure of it.

For a couple reasons.

"I try to stay positive, you feel me?” he said. "I'm big on vibes and energy so I try to make sure that the negative energy doesn't creep in because you know how that goes. Once things start turning negative, your whole auro, everything could go downhill fast. So making sure I don’t get in that mindset. Don’t let that negative energy creep in.”

For the first time, Reddick practiced Thursday without the bulky cast he’s been wearing since returning to practice on Aug. 28, 11 days after undergoing surgery to repair a broken right thumb.

Reddick said he doesn’t want to make excuses, but it was obvious the cast he wore was affecting him on game days.

“(It affected me) a little bit more than I thought it would,” he said. "I couldn't really grab with my hand as much as I would have liked to. But I'm finally out of it now. Won't have to wear it this week or moving forward, which I'm extremely happy about. … Free to use my hands at will, and it's going to be really, really good for me.”

Reddick was so good last year.

His 16 sacks were tied for 2^nd-most in the NFL behind Nick Bosa’s 18 ½ and then he added 3 ½ in the postseason.

But even last year Reddick didn’t record a sack until Week 3 and didn’t really get going until the second half of the season, when he had 14 sacks in his last 12 games.

"Last year was kind of the same way for me,” he said. "Once I started getting them, then I started rolling, it seemed like it was every game. Which is why I'm positive right now. 

"Right now, our DTs are eating. They're doing extremely well, especially some of our younger guys. They're doing way better than I expected them to. I think better than anybody expected them to, which is an amazing thing for everybody. 

"Because they just start opening up opportunities and (the edges) will start getting 1-on-1 matchups just because we have so many guys on the front and you can't block everybody. You can't double team anybody at the same time.”

Reddick said he expected opposing offenses to begin the season by making it a priority to account for him, thanks to his huge year last year, when he made his first Pro Bowl, was named 2^nd-team all-pro and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year balloting.

"I expected it but didn't know it would be like this,” he said. "I didn't know it would be like this. But now I've seen it for three games, I see what most teams are trying to do, what style of ball they want to play against us. 

"Good thing is, for the most part, we've been able to shut their game plans down and able to win these games.”

The Eagles’ edges have only 1 ½ sacks in three games – all by Josh Sweat - after recording 38 last year. But the interior linemen have 4 ½ - 1 ½ each by Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, one by Marlon Tuipulotu and half from Fletcher Cox. 

Reddick said all the edges remain confident and upbeat because they know the sacks are coming soon.

The Eagles face a Washington team Sunday at the Linc that’s already allowing 19 sacks in three games. That’s six more than any other team and 5th-most in NFL history through three games.

And Reddick will be going up against Andrew Wylie, the same guy he faced in the Super Bowl on a field that was unfit for NFL play.

"Our time is going to come,” Reddick said. "We have a defensive front where you can't watch everybody all the time, you know? So people are going to get their chances, their opportunities. 

"Not only that, the sacks, the stats, they come in bunches. When they come, they're going to come multiple at a time. 

"When things are going good, they're going good. Right now, our DTs are making a lot of plays. So you'll start seeing this switch back and forth. Edges will make plays, DTs will make plays, because you can't account for everybody the whole time. You can't double team or chip somebody the whole game. 

"You'll have to give somebody 1-on-1’s eventually, and that'll cause a lot of opportunities for us.”

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/why-reddick-is-confident-hes-about-to-bust-out/538055/

[UK_EaglesFan89]

He’s going to come good eventually. It may not be to the level he was at last year but that was always going to struggle for him. But he’ll get sacks and pressures and he’ll impact games. He’s too good a player not too.

[Eagz]

He's come alive again. I hope he picks it up from here. Easily my favorite Eagle and I remain super stoked he's a bird.