On a Philadelphia Eagles defense that is struggling statistically, Fletcher Cox continues to improve. Photo Courtesy CBSPhilly.com
Finding a positive aspect of the Philadelphia Eagles woeful defense would be akin to finding a needle in a stack of needles.
Statistically speaking Bill Davis' unit is a mess.
The Eagles rank 32nd overall in total defense, are allowing 106 yards per game good enough for 19th in the league and are being shredded for 315 yards per game through the air.
However, beneath the surface there has been improvement along the defensive line, namely in the from of second-year tackle Fletcher Cox.
After a slow start to the season, in which the Mississippi State product has been thrust into learning and adapting to a 3-4 scheme for the first time in his career, Cox has steadily improved in recent weeks.
Cox has picked up two of the team's 13 sacks (good enough for second on the team) and accounted for 15 tackles.
On Sunday the 22-year old corralled three tackles and drew multiple holding penalties along the Buccaneer offensive line.
"Fletcher had his best game of the year," Davis said Tuesday. "We needed it and it showed and he put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, disrupted the throwing motion of the quarterback often. A lot of those holding calls [occurred] where they couldn't block Fletch, so we benefitted from his game that he had. We get him to play like that every week, we'll keep moving forward."
Fox Cox, it comes down to comfort in the scheme.
"We mixed a few things up on defense and that really confused them a little bit," Cox explained was his key to success Sunday. "The main thing is execution and you have to be willing to two-gap when you're asked to. You're two-gapping for a reason."
Already facing the likes of Peyton and Eli Manning this season, Cox has Tony Romo in his cross hairs this week.
"I think Dallas is a real good football team," Cox said. "They play hard and Romo knows when to scramble, he does a good job at the line of scrimmage when it comes to changing plays and doing what a quarterback has to do."
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
