Why The Eagles Linebackers Will Excel In 2015
The Philadelphia Eagles are working their way to developing a solid defense. In 2014, the team had a very solid defensive line with defensive ends Cedric Thornton, Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry and with emerging talent Brandon Bair and Taylor Hart book-ending nose tackles Bennie Logan and Beau Allen.
Meanwhile, the team was desperate to find a pass rush. So desperate in fact, that they pulled a prospect with potential off the board early – by some estimates two rounds too early – in drafting Marcus Smith. After realizing they didn't end up with NFL starting talent, Billy Davis called in a favor and brought in special coaching in the form of Kevin Greene. The results for the Eagles on the edge were significant. So significant, in fact, that they had some of the best pass rush in the NFL, second only to the Buffalo Bills. The rush was led by jack of all trades outside linebacker Connor Barwin. But the player who made the most of his opportunities was Brandon Graham. The team is confident that both players can repeat or even improve on the 2014 results, and extended both to long term contracts.
While the pass rush came from the edge, the rush also emerged from the interior as well. Inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks shook off an early season injury to match his career high in sacks. The team also benefitted from strong off the bench performances from Emmanuel Acho and now Minnesota Viking Casey Matthews. Special teams standout Bryan Braman continues to develop, while the team gets the benefit of returning inside linebacker Najee Goode and defensive leader DeMeco Ryans, as well as outside linebacker Travis Long.
Rounding out the roster so far is 2014 practice squad member Brandon Hepburn and newly acquired former Green Bay Packer Brad Jones. But the wildcard in 2015 is the player acquired from the Buffalo Bills for running back LeSean McCoy – Kiko Alonso.
If you look at the Eagles roster, you see the team boasting twelve players while having four starting positions. Before the draft, the roster looks pretty crowded. But before the thought forms that this Eagles team will be dealing players from the roster for a run to move up in the draft, let's explore why that is unlikely.
Billy Davis is in year three. This is longer at defensive coordinator than he's ever had in his previous two NFL assignments. Why does this matter? It's taken him three years to finally have his impact on the roster. Before now, the team has been transitioning from the 4-3 defense he had inherited, and was competing for roster moves with the offense. Unfortunately, that offense is also the calling card of head coach Chip Kelly.
But 2015 is different. You could see it in the off season coaching moves. Former defensive backs coach Cory Undlin was hired on. The Eagles also added assistant linebackers coach Brian Smith from the New York Jets. He will work under outside linebackers coach Bill McGovern as well as under inside linebackers coach Rick Minter.
The off-season free agency moves confirm the difference. The team did not sit on Eagles players, even if they were adequate or had career years for the team. There is a plan now, a "let's do this" mentality that has shaken the Eagles roster from top to bottom. There was no way to anticipate that the Eagles defense would be facing 1,100 snaps a season. There was no way to anticipate that the Eagles efforts to bend but not break defense would break in 2014. There was no way to anticipate that the offense would be so adept at moving the ball that it would put the defense onto the field so often. But now that Davis knows, he is adapting.
Adapting to the demands of this defense is not simply stopping the opposing team. It's outlasting them. It's a long distance sprint, and the only way to keep pace is to have fresh eyes, ears, and most importantly, legs. The 2013 defense did not have such a luxury, and forced Ryans to take more snaps than nearly everyone else in the NFL on defense. To sports science, that is when problems develop.
On a defense with 1,100 snaps, the 3-4 roster must absorb 4,400 snaps in the 2015 season. How?
Depth. With a starting roster of Barwin, Alonso, Ryans, and Graham and rotating in Smith, Kendricks, Acho, and Jones (but several positions will be hotly contested in training camp), the team will limit the starters to a much more manageable 700-800 snap count. With many of the linebackers returning from ACL injuries, the team will be monitoring snap counts on each player.
Rehabbing Buffalo Style
We know from reports that DeMeco Ryans is doing well on rehab. But what about that young man from Buffalo?
Kiko Alonso is doing well. In fact, he's already made quite the impression on me. While rehabbing in 2014, amid a snow storm that was dumping up to six feet of the white stuff, Alonso decided to take advantage of the opportunity and sat into a snow bank, shirtless and in shorts, and buried himself up to his waist in snow.
Seriously, up to his waist in shorts in a snow storm. Yes, we need this guy.
But rehabbing to what exactly? Well, in his one year in the NFL, he pretty much was a show stopper. He had 159 tackles, two sacks, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He had a low in that season of four tackles, but his upside was a 22 tackle performance against Cincinnati. His production is incredible, but it's one year. Can the Eagles replicate that same output?
They've bet that they can. But it will not all be on his shoulders. His teammate Kendricks had 108 tackles, despite missing 25% of the season due to injury. In 2013, the same year Alonso was piling up 159 tackles, Kendricks was piling a nearly as impressive amount of 139 tackles, three interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
But the "big daddy" of the defense continues to be the impressive DeMeco Ryans. While he had a season ending injury in game eight of 2014, his 2013 dwarfs the other inside linebackers as he piled up a very impressive 177 tackles for the year.
So with pocket collapsing pressure coming from the outside, and nearly 500 tackles of defense in the interior between them, is there any reason why the Eagles should be considering trading anyone? I don't see one.
