Post by EagleDomiKnation on Aug 11, 2013 10:36:57 GMT -5
Hiring a new coach is a unique opportunity for any team. Administrations are swept out for new people. The incoming coach brings in their own coordinators and assistants. And when the Eagles hired Chip, the pure potential of the offense had the city and Eagles fans everywhere fired up. We saw glimpses of that Friday night with Michael Vick and Nick Foles.
When Kelly picked Billy Davis as his defensive coordinator, it left people(including myself) scratching their heads. We saw this Friday night also. I know Davis needs time, but after watching the entire game, the time to worry is now.
The offense played well and showed hints of what to expect in the regular season. The special teams unit improved their play. They covered returns, tackled well and had a few big returns on their own. Donnie Jones looked solid as the punter and Alex Henery showed no issues. The defense was the only area of the team without improvement.
It looked like we were watching a replay of last year. Pick a 2012 game and you’ll see the same performance. They had issues tackling and playing the run. The secondary, though in fairly good coverage most of the time, was torched by rookie receivers. Bradley Fletcher looked horrible and he is supposed to start week one. How could Davis field his unit and have it look so bad? Kelly/Pat Shurmur and Dave Fipp had their groups ready to play. Davis looked unprepared and over matched.
We knew the secondary would be an issue. It would be a challenge to recover from a brutal 2012 campaign. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem to have players ready to tackle, take good angles on ball carriers and break up passes. Kelly should start live tackling in practice this week. There is no time for another performance like this when the Carolina Panthers come in for the next preseason game. Davis must improve or we will be in for a long season. Lots of teams don't do Live tackling at all in any practices, such as the Steelers across the state in Pittsburgh. But the Eagles need to build an Identity and hitting in practice may be the way. I doubt Chip changes his ways though.
I do take into account that we were playing against an Elite QB on Friday night, and I will also point out that Vick shredded the Pats DBs as well. Still, the defense needs major work in my opinion.
When Kelly picked Billy Davis as his defensive coordinator, it left people(including myself) scratching their heads. We saw this Friday night also. I know Davis needs time, but after watching the entire game, the time to worry is now.
The offense played well and showed hints of what to expect in the regular season. The special teams unit improved their play. They covered returns, tackled well and had a few big returns on their own. Donnie Jones looked solid as the punter and Alex Henery showed no issues. The defense was the only area of the team without improvement.
It looked like we were watching a replay of last year. Pick a 2012 game and you’ll see the same performance. They had issues tackling and playing the run. The secondary, though in fairly good coverage most of the time, was torched by rookie receivers. Bradley Fletcher looked horrible and he is supposed to start week one. How could Davis field his unit and have it look so bad? Kelly/Pat Shurmur and Dave Fipp had their groups ready to play. Davis looked unprepared and over matched.
We knew the secondary would be an issue. It would be a challenge to recover from a brutal 2012 campaign. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem to have players ready to tackle, take good angles on ball carriers and break up passes. Kelly should start live tackling in practice this week. There is no time for another performance like this when the Carolina Panthers come in for the next preseason game. Davis must improve or we will be in for a long season. Lots of teams don't do Live tackling at all in any practices, such as the Steelers across the state in Pittsburgh. But the Eagles need to build an Identity and hitting in practice may be the way. I doubt Chip changes his ways though.
I do take into account that we were playing against an Elite QB on Friday night, and I will also point out that Vick shredded the Pats DBs as well. Still, the defense needs major work in my opinion.