Second to None

Posted: October 18th, 2022 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

The Eagles have had some great defensive backs and secondaries over the years. That hasn’t really been the case for the last decade. Even the Super Bowl winning team in 2017 had issues. You may remember they gave up 500 passing yards SB LII.

Things have changed this year. Right now, the Eagles have the best secondary in the NFL.

1st in opposing passer rating – 66.0
2nd in completion percentage – 56.8% (CIN is first)
2nd in passes defensed – 38 (JAX is first)
2nd in interceptions – 9 (BUF is first)
2nd in pass DVOA (DEN is first)

It is truly mind-blowing to think about how different this is from last year. Jonathan Gannon didn’t have an ideal set of DBs and decided to focus on limiting big plays. He had his CBs play soft and kept his safeties in the next county. The Eagles were able to make this style work against inferior QBs, but talented QBs ripped them to shreds.

23rd in opposing passer rating – 95.4
32nd in completion percentage – 65.4%
28th in passes defensed – 56
21st in interceptions – 12
25th in pass DVOA

Yikes. Keep in mind those numbers were even worse at midseason. The Eagles got a boost when facing Trevor Siemian, Mike Glennon, Taylor Heinicke, etc.

Gannon has weapons this year and the results are worlds different.

Big Play Slay is an outstanding CB. He can shutdown opposing receivers. He’s got good ball skills and is an instinctive playmaker. His game against Justin Jefferson was really impressive. Slay is physical and generally tackles well.

James Bradberry is at his best playing off and then breaking on the ball. He is really smart and has outstanding ball skills. He leads the NFL in passes defensed with 9. He lacks ideal deep speed and that could be an issue in some matchups. He doesn’t tackle well and that’s hurt the defense a few times. You live with that because of his coverage skills and the plays he makes in the passing game.

Avonte Maddox has really settled into his role as the nickleback. He has the skill set to handle playing inside. That means covering different types of receivers and not having the benefit of the sideline to help you. He also is a physical player and good tackler.

All three of them have at least one INT this year.

Safety was a big mystery back in August, but the Eagles now have a good duo. Marcus Epps started three games last year and the Eagles saw enough to trust him as a full time starter this season. Epps has played well. He’s fourth on the team in tackles and gives the Eagles a real physical presence, whether playing in the box or the deep middle of the field. Receivers coming over the middle know to look out for Epps and his big hits. And don’t overlook his coverage skills.

[NOTE: click on link to article to view video]

CJ Gardner-Johnson was a late add to the team. Thank you, Saints. CGJ got off to a bit of a slow start this year, as he was transitioning from slot to safety. He played safety in college so it isn’t completely foreign, but playing there in the NFL is a different beast. We’re still getting a feel for just how good CGJ is in his new role. We saw that he can be an impact player on Sunday.

CGJ is second on the team in tackles. He had a pick against Arizona so he’s now made big plays in consecutive games. He could end up being a really important piece for this defense.

Gannon has talked about how he wants interchangeable safeties. With Epps and CGJ, he’s got that. They aren’t exact matches, but both are talented and versatile. They can play up or back. Man or zone. Run or pass.

When you have three good corners and two good safeties, you’re going to make life very difficult for opposing QBs. Cooper Rush and Kirk Cousins combined for 6 INTs against this group. In the other nine games of the season, those QBs have thrown just 2 total INTs.

You have to go back a long way to find the Eagles secondary playing at this level.

2008 – Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, Joselio Hanson – Brian Dawkins, Quintin Mikell

2004 – Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, Rod Hood – Brian Dawkins, Michael Lewis

2002 – Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, Al Harris – Brian Dawkins, Blaine Bishop, Michael Lewis

It feels good to once again have a defense that is strong on the back end. That is especially critical in today’s world, where the passing game rules the NFL. If you can’t cover, you won’t beat good QBs. You can get by against mediocre or bad players, as the 2021 Eagles did. Once they got to the playoffs, it was game over.

Now that the Eagles have the best secondary, this season could be very different.

http://igglesblitz.com/2022/10/second-to-none-2/

They've got to take advantage of having this secondary because it really isn't going to be together next year. Bradberry is going to get PAID!