The play-action pass.

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Play-action is giving the Eagles’ defense fits With all the talk about lapses in coverage and lack of identity in the secondary Youth Miles Sanders Jersey , the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles have a sneaky problem that has persisted since the Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl, New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady torched the Eagles’ defense and while the leaks were everywhere, they were especially prevalent when play-action was used. On 17 dropbacks, Brady went 12/17 for 248 yards and 1 touchdown for a 132.6 QB Rating. It wasn’t an aberration; if anything, it was a foretelling of things to come.Play-action rates saw a gigantic spike in 2017, reaching levels only touched during the read-option era and beyond.The Eagles were largely spared from this trend, perhaps by sheer luck. They were only exposed to play-action on a fifth of dropbacks, the 26th lowest frequency. Unfortunately, in 2018, they haven’t been so lucky. They’ve faced play-action 25.8% of the time this year, which compared to last year would’ve ranked 4th among defenses.Have opposing coordinators taken the Patriots’ blueprint and used it to crack Jim Schwartz’s code? The stats would suggest it’s a possibility. Over the past two weeks opposing offense have completed 82% of their passes off play-action at an alarming clip of 11.13 yards per attempt. On the year they’re conceding a 113.6 QB Rating to those concepts.We were told for decades that a successful running game set up those fakes for success. If that’s the case, why is the 2nd ranked run defense having fits against it? The first answer to that is because that idea that we were fed has never been proven. It doesn’t mean there isn’t any truth to it; absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but it does show that the correlation between the two, if it exists, is wildly exaggerated.Here’s why I think play-action works so well against this Eagles’ defense:Displaces an aggressive Youth Ronald Darby Jerseys , fast-to-flow defense.Condensed splits exploit large swathes of space against zone coverage.Additional protection.Altered path to the quarterback.The Eagles front four is a terror and the secondary is struggling to cover for more than two seconds. With that in mind, what’s the best way to avoid a buzzsaw pass rush and buy enough time to challenge the deep zones? Move the pocket, leave in six or seven men, and do not let the front four pin their ears back and attack in a traditional manner.This is a three-man route combination with seven-man protection. There are three Eagles on the bottom of the screen are covering grass. Corey Graham is playing single-high/robber and is influenced by the trajectory of Marcus Mariota’s drop to the point where he joins the grass people as a fourth. The extra protection allows Corey Davis, who is working from a nasty split, time to attack Jalen Mills’ cushion and sit in the sweet spot between the flat zone and deep zone for an easy completion.A quick word on what tight formations like this do to a defense. They force zone coverageas a defender playing man against these sets can be run off and can be slow to his read. In zone, defenders are free to read and react more freely against the run. Again, fast-to-flow defense, right?But the Minnesota Vikings are taking that freedom and first step read and using it against the Eagles. Nigel Bradham is influenced by the line flowing to the right and takes three full steps before he realizes he’s far away from home. It doesn’t matter that Michael Bennett is unblocked or that Fletcher Cox defeats his block quickly. All Kirk Cousins’ needs is just enough time to allow Stefon Diggs to sneak underneath the linebackers and across the field.Whether it’s DeSean Jackson flying past the Eagles’ defense while seven men buy Ryan Fitzpatrick enough time, or simple crossing patterns, the defense hasn’t held up against these concepts. It takes what they do well and turns it on it’s head. It exposes what they do poorly and attacks it time and time again.Here’s the problem that the Eagles are up against this Thursday against the New York Giants. Last week Eli Manning utilized play-action on 32% of his dropbacks. They also love getting Odell Beckham Jr. in condensed splits which provides him with a full route tree and plenty of open space.For more on that, this piece on the Giants’ offense by Mark Schofield should provide plenty of context, but here’s a clip of what we have to look forward to anyway.On the plus side, as much as the Giants would love to use play-action to push the ball downfield, Manning has an abysmal 23.5% adjusted accuracy when throwing over 20 yards in the air and he’s been unable to consistently produce after run-fakes.Still Ronald Darby Jerseys Stitched , Schwartz will be tasked with coming up with a game-plan that contains not only Saquon Barkley, but Odell Beckham Jr. and the play-action pass ... and we haven’t even talked about double moves yet. WinnersUsThe season was electric. Every game mattered — often too much, with too close a margin of victory, or too maddening a mistake at the end to give away the win. The players were inspired. Lane Johnson took every slight personally; Jalen Mills brought out a second season-saving mask; Nick Foles did what only he can do in the biggest moments. We watched the Philadelphia Eagles defend their first ever title with heart, with gratitude, and with fearlessness. I could not be prouder to root for this squad.The New Orleans SaintsI’m happy for Drew Brees and Drew Brees alone.Alshon JefferyWe are only one season removed from Alshon — injury-prone and once suspended — playing on a one-year prove-it deal. If you can remember back far enough, Alshon was pretty decently criticized in the early goings of 2017 — I was one such critic — as he transitioned onto the team. Little did we know about the torn rotator cuff. Little did we know about what a security blanket he would become for Nick Foles; what a trusty sidekick he was in the hero story that number 9 wrote. And today — while we knew little about the broken ribs, we knew plenty about heroic sideline grabs, impossible body contortions, dominant play.Alshon became everything the Eagles signed up for, and so much more. An avid Sixer fan, an impassioned force against his ex-team in the wild card round, and a quiet leader. Alshon is a winner, and he was told as such by every member of the team on the sideline after things just didn’t bounce his way.Fletcher CoxCox ends the year with career numbers in sacks, TFLs Black Brandon Graham Jerseys , QB hits, pressures — pretty much every interesting rush stat we have, Cox topped out on this season. The effect of his play against the Saints was obvious — when he was in, he was home-wreckin’. Dude gutted it out with what is likely a significant foot injury, and deserves the lion’s share of the credit for the defensive stop that got the Eagles the ball back down 6 the first time.Cox remains an elite player at the DT position, whose dominance is overshadowed by the otherworldly play of Aaron Donald on the Rams. The delta between the two is likely closer than we realize.Doug PedersonIt’s easy to forget this: Pederson was hired first and foremost because of his relationships with players. His love for Alshon Jeffery on the sideline, telling him how proud he was of him, was a swift and forceful reminder. I don’t think there’s a coach in this league — the dispassionate Belichick, the youthful McVay, the wily Payton, the even-keeled Reid — who could have rallied this team the way Pederson has, twice in two postseasons.We will remember him as a special coach.Jim SchwartzEasy to blame Jim Schwartz for a lot of stuff. We’ve done it all year.But 20 points is the lowest scoring total for the Saints at home this season, and they weren’t wanting for opportunities — they kicked two red zone field goals and got up against a 4th and goal on one touchdown drive.Again, the main complaint must be those close-but-not-quites, as teams continue to convert 3rd and long and an outstanding rate against the Eagles Brandon Graham Jerseys 2019 , and they can never seem to get off the field late. But Schwartz looked down the barrel of yet another starter at CB — practice-squader Josh Hawkins — and didn’t even blink. His run defenses remain tremendously aggressive and his pass-rush creates high leverage plays. Schwartz is comfortably a Top-5 DC in the league.Rasul DouglasCre’von LeBlancNobody better leveraged sudden playing time into a roster spot next year than LeBlanc — and plenty had their opportunities, too! While the early interception was more so the product of a poor throw than anything else, LeBlanc has proven for the past few weeks to be physical in the contact window, aggressive addressing the football at the catch point, and a willing tackler.Where does LeBlanc fit on the team next season? It depends a bit on Ronald Darby, I suppose. An impeding free agent, Darby returning to the team next year would crowd the CB room (Darby, Mills, Jones, Douglas, Maddox) and Philadelphia would need a sixth CB spot to keep LeBlanc on.If Darby walks, however, you can almost pen LeBlanc in for that spot. Jake ElliottEvery time he hasn’t missed a kick this season, I’ve put him up here on the winner list, so.LosersMy lucky Eagles Christmas sweaterNow 4-1 over its careerBrandon BrooksMan. Total devastation for a player who is the quiet stud on this squad. Every team has one and Brooks — so funny in the locker room Black Corey Clement Jerseys , so blunt with the media — played at a level worthy of the recognition he didn’t receive this year. Now, he’s likely to miss out next season on Pro Bowl and All-Pro bids, as his earliest projected return date is October. Brooks popped his right Achilles on a gut-wrenching play early, and the Eagles’ offense wasn’t the same after him. He’s only a loser because he was lost for the contest; in everything Brooks has done for this team, he’s a winner. Nick FolesAs much as I’m loathe to, I actually have to drop some analysis in the column.Foles played a poor game on Sunday, and unlike the Bears game, his weapons weren’t enough to help him out. He pushed the ball downfield into tight windows with too much aggression, when he was previously so good at taking the easy stuff that defenses let develop short. He lost some of his touch outside the numbers, when previously he was magically accurate up against the sideline. He fell out of rhythm and touch every so often, which led to late and inaccurate balls against coverage that had rallied.Foles leaves Philadelphia nothing short of a champion, and deserves better than my feeble loser column. His January legend will be told to children only second to that of the actual Saint Nick in December. His greatest play will always be remembered here, in midnight green, under the lights of the Linc that he loved so much.I dunnosWhat to do with myselfNow that Eagle football is over