Developing

Posted: October 21st, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

One of my favorite parts of football is the development we see. This can be player development, coach development and also team development. It can happen over the course of a season or even a year or two.

Think about the 2024 Eagles. We’ve seen players develop since the beginning of the season. Nolan Smith is just in his second year, but there was a lot of talk about him being a bust just a month ago. Vic Fangio said good things about Smith. Fans wanted big plays and weren’t seeing them. He has played good run defense all year. He’s gotten to the QB two games in a row. You’re seeing him grow as the year goes along.

Smith is undersized, but can generate good power with his burst and pad level. He just destroyed that LT. You love seeing that. This doesn’t mean Smith is suddenly a great player. We’re just seeing a young player start to figure things out. That has given him the ability to make plays.

Bryce Huff had a terrific season for the Jets in 2023. He was an impact player even though he wasn’t a starter. Huff had 10 sacks and 21 QB hits for one of the best defenses in the league. The Eagles paid him big money in free agency, even though they knew he needed work. Huff had to adjust to being a starter, which meant playing the run as well as going after the QB. He would have to learn OLB instead of just being a DE.

The Eagles thought this was a smart gamble because of Huff’s talent and age. That gamble looked bad after the first month. Things have changed in the last two games. Huff has improved as a run defender. That seems to have improved his overall confidence and he’s starting to be disruptive as a pass rusher.

Huff actually had half a sack against Cleveland, but he got his first full sack on Sunday. There was another play where he flew into the backfield and forced the QB to step up. Nakobe Dean flew in and got the sack on that play. It was Huff’s penetration that created the opportunity for Dean.

Huff still has more work to do. It is encouaging to see him developing into a disruptive edge presence. If you don’t get pressure from your edge rushers, your defense is going to struggle. When those guys make plays, the defense suddenly can shut people down.

Let’s shift from the players to the overall defense. Vic Fangio is a good defensive coordinator with a great track record. That doesn’t mean he can walk through the door and deliver instant results. Sometimes that happens, but other times it can take a while for a unit to gel and play good football.

The Eagles were one of the worst defenses in the league in the first month. They have now gone two straight games without allowing a TD. They have played well for 3 of the past 4 games. We are seeing this unit come together and show what they can do. It is fair to point out that the competition hasn’t been good. Still, did you realize the Eagles are now 7th in points allowed and 9th in yards allowed? That’s pretty impressive when you consider where they were a few weeks back.

Part of this is the players getting better as individuals. Josh Sweat, Huff and Smith have played their best football in recent weeks. We’re seeing a backup DL like Moro Ojomo be disruptive. Nakobe Dean just played the best game of his career. Cooper DeJean has been a revelation in his two weeks as a starter. Quinyon Mitchell continues to play good football.

We can also see the defense playing better as a unit.

Make sure you give Jonny a follow on Twitter. He does great game breakdowns every week.

The Eagles got 8 sacks in part because the back end of the defense covered well. It can take time for the back seven to figure out how to cover. That requires individuals executing their assignments, but also working together. You have to pass a receiver on to the next defender in some coverages. You need to know how to double team when that’s called. You need to all see the same things so there isn’t confusion about who should be doing what.

Finally, think about Fangio. He’s coached a lot of defenses, but they’re all different. Just because something worked for the 1996 Panthers, 2012 Niners or 2018 Bears doesn’t mean it is right for the 2024 Eagles. All of those other defenses finished Top 5 in points allowed. Fangio figured out how to get good results from different groups in different eras. That gave me faith that he would figure things out with this defense.

One of the keys to being a good coach is understanding that the NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t panic after a bad game. If you truly believe in your system and your players, you give the defense time to develop. You fix issues each week and keep pushing the players to be better. We are seeing good results from Fangio’s unit. They need to be tested by better offenses before we can get too excited, but it feels good to see them play well. Last year the defense was painfully soft no matter who they played.

I know I’ve focused on the defense so far. I also want to mention Kellen Moore and the offense. Be patient. Moore and Jalen Hurts are trying to figure things out. Injuries have affected the offense quite a bit this year so they need some time to get to the level where they need to be. Where they should be, based on the talent they have.

Let’s also understand the offense is erratic, but not nearly as bad as some would have you believe.

They need to figure out how to get off to better starts. They need to sustain drives more consistently. But this offense has also looked really good at times. The potential is there.

http://igglesblitz.com/2024/10/developing/

Smith has certainly started to show signs that he could end up being a good player. I’m not sure he’ll be a star in the league but if he’s can be a good starter on the one side then I think most of us will take that.

People are WAAAAYYYYY too quick to start throwing around the B word when it comes to young players that don't shine immediately.  For some it definitely ends up being true (Jalen Reagor, Marcus Smith, etc.), but for others it just takes a couple years to develop.  For players like Dean and Smith, they have not been coached under the same DC for more than a season since they came into the league.  The whole defense seems like they were a bit confused when this season started but now that we are several weeks into it they (**knock on wood**) look like they are finally starting to develop some chemistry playing with each other and coming together as a unit (something I've said since the offseason that the slow start should be expected  with the hopes of things coming together as the season progressed ... hopefully that is what we are seeing here).  Dean and Smith both appear to be pointing up as is Bryce Huff.  Hope they continue to build on this.