It’s time for Chip Kelly and his offense to show and prove. All season long I have called Chip Kelly’s system a gimmick offense at best, and every good defense the Philadelphia Eagles have come up against this season they’ve lost to. Today will be a measuring stick for Chip Kelly, and if the Eagles can come out and play well against the Arizona Cardinals defense then I will start to believe Chip Kelly is the genius Eagles fans hope he is. But Nick Foles and Shady McCoy will have to bring their A+ games today.
Lesean “Shady” McCoy currently leads the NFL in rushing with 1,009 on 213 attempts. He’s an amazing running back and his movements and cutting ability are reminiscent to the legend Barry Sanders. Chip Kelly’s offense creates enormous lanes that allow a running back with the skills’ McCoy possess’ to excel. All McCoy needs is an inch of daylight and the rest is history.
In order to stop McCoy you must have a defensive line that is capable of causing disruption early and getting into the backfield as soon as the ball is snapped. Look no further than the Cardinals defensive line. Calais Campbell and Darnell Docket are both incredible lineman and Campbell is having a pro-bowl type season from his defensive end spot with 5.5 sacks and 41 tackles. He is a great edge rusher and can get into the backfield with amazing quickness which helps against a face-paced offense like the Eagles run.
Darnell Dockett got off to a slow start this season, but he starting to find his footing much to the chagrin of Eagles fans everywhere. In a down season so far Dockett has 4.5 sacks and 25 tackles, but Dockett is a savvy veteran that knows how to stop running backs, and moving lineman out of his way. The Eagles offensive linemen will definitely be doubling Dockett all game long, which sounds like a smart idea, but in actuality may be their downfall.
Doubling Docket and putting an extra set of eyes on Calais Campbell sounds good on paper, but then what are you supposed to do about Karlos Dansby and Darryl Washington? Dansby has 88 total tackles this season, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and 14 pass deflections; he’s a monster. Doubling up on Calais and Dockett will just leave one less man to cover Dansby who will get to the ball holder at all cost.
Daryl Washington has only played in 7 games this season but in the games he has played in he has been a very productive linebacker: 30 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions and 8 pass deflections. The Cardinals have playmakers all over the field and these Cardinals players are in top shape. So running multiple plays in a short amount of time, which is what Kelly’s offense is predicated on, may get his guys killed today.
The reason for that is, by this point in the season every NFL player is in top game shape, the defenses the Eagles play now won’t be as winded as the defenses they played in September and October. So without fatigue setting in against their opponents, there really is no advantage running this hurry up offense all game long. If anything, Kelly’s offense will make their own offensive linemen tired leading to missed assignments, and a very long day for Nick Foles.
Shady McCoy will need a big game today but it will be interesting to see what Foles and his receivers will be able to do against Patrick Peterson and the Honey Badger. Patrick Peterson is a pro-bowl caliber corner, and Tyrann Mathieu is on his way to becoming the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, this tandem is absurd. Foles and Desean Jackson are going to have to be in top form to get over on these two.
Patrick Peterson will undoubtedly be blanketing speedster Deasean Jackson all game in a must see match up. Not many players can match Desean Jackson stride for stride in the speed department but Patrick Peterson is fast, and built like a Mack truck. Jackson is going to have to use his elusiveness to try to create as much space as possible today, and Jackson is always a threat from anywhere on the field so Peterson will have his hands full.
Matheiu will undoubtedly be hovering all over the secondary waiting to either pounce on a Foles mistake, or to keep an eye on Riley Cooper and Desean Jackson in the event they use their speed and route running to get past the Cardinals Corners. Matheiu’s ball hawking ability and game awareness are proving to be second to none similar to his time at LSU.
Foles cannot make any mistakes throwing the ball today, or it will be a pick 6 fiesta in Philly. Today will show the world everything they need to know about how viable the Eagles offense really is. If the Eagles control the game and run riot on the Cardinals then there is no denying there is something to this system.
But if the Cardinals completely dominate the Eagles from start to finish then everyone will know this offense is nothing more than the 2013 version of the Wildcat. Chip and Foles…no Pressure…
Oz says: