Despite overseeing the NFL's worst statistical defense, Bill Davis remains confident in his scheme as well as his personnel. Photo courtesy: Philly.com
Popular opinion is that the Philadelphia Eagles defensive personnel is better suited to run a 4-3 scheme.
First-year defensive coordinator Bill Davis Jr. doesn't agree.
"I believe we're a 3-4," Davis told the assembled media at the Novacare Complex Tuesday morning. "We're moving in the direction and I'm standing in front of you and I have the 3-4 we've installed and we're taking some punches right now but trying to push through to the other side. We just have to get through the transition part and the hard part right now and the 3-4 is who we want to be."
In four games the Eagles defense is dead last in the NFL in total defense, allowing a staggering 446.8 yards per game. What's worse is this defense has yet to hold an opponent under 25 points and hasn't recorded an interception since opening night against Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins.
With personnel that has been in place for the past several years and brought to Philadelphia as 4-3 players, changing schemes is certainly not something that is going to happen overnight for this defense. Still, this season needs to be about progress for the
"When we took this project on of putting a new technique and defense in the first thing we said was we were going to run to the ball," Davis explained. "Next we were going to stop the big plays, we are going to try to take a way the big plays to play a tighter defense. Now, it's about tightening some of zones if needed without sacrificing some of the big plays."
"We are not where we want to be, the results are not there. But the fundamentals, the technique and the players playing with each other are moving forward. The guys know through the daily techniques that it will turn. It's not where we want to be but it will turn."
Despite such a poor showing through the first quarter of the season there are unlikely to be any lineup changes on either side of the ball.
“You don't have a whole [lot of] other guys," head coach Chip Kelly said Monday. "Like, ‘Let's put these guys in.’”
What is perhaps most troubling is there does not appear to be any cavalry waiting in the wings to bail Davis out at this point. It seems as though the defense simply must work through this transition before revamping personnel this offseason.
After playing two teams that are currently undefeated in the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles catch a break this week against the New York Giants who limp home to Metlife Stadium at 0-4. However, even Victor Cruz presents a matchup problem for a secondary that is giving up 325 yards per game and likely will be without Patrick Chung for the second week in a row.
"Earl Wolff is moving in the right direction," Davis pointed out. "But he's still making his rookie mistakes. Patrick Chung is day to day and we're preparing to be without him [this week] but that's just how you have to prepare schematically in this situation."
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.
