Dominating Defense Carrying The Eagles
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- What a difference a year makes.
Last season, the Eagles' defense was scorched by enemy offenses and criticized throughout the region. The defense received a partial face-lift in the off-season, with a host of new faces in the secondary. the newcomers along with the returning standouts have turned the Eagles into a fearsome defensive squad which has been the team's strongest unit in the early part of the season. Chip Kelly says the combination of newcomers and returning players have resulted in a group of players who are all on the same page.
"I think it is improved personnel," said Kelly. "But I also think there's also a comfort level with the players in the system. Brandon (Graham) is here for three years, Connor (Barwin) is here for three years. That front seven, basically, with the exception of Jordan Hicks, has been here for a while."
The biggest problem with the unit last season was a secondary which was shredded by opposing quarterbacks. This year, Walter Thurmond and Bryon Maxwell arrived as free agents, while Nolan Carroll moved up to a starting spot. The three new starters combined with veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins have turned the Eagles secondary into a much stronger unit.
"It's kind of looking at the overall picture and where do they fit into the overall concept of what's going on back there," Kelly said. "I think there's a better understanding. We've got two really intelligent safeties that get everybody lined up in Malcolm and Walter, and that really helps."
The Eagles defense gave up a touchdown on the Giants' opening drive Monday night. Eli Manning threw for 59 yards on the drive. He would throw for only 141 more the rest of the game.
"We knew in the quick passing game that we had to get up tighter in coverage and that makes him hold the ball a little bit longer," said Kelly. "I thought our guys did a really good job from a coverage standpoint. Aside from really that first drive, they did a better job in coverage which leads to him holding on to the ball a little bit longer."
There will be no rest for the weary this week at Eagles Headquarters. The team has a short week to prepare for the unbeaten Panthers in Carolina. Quarterback Cam Newton has been beating teams with both his arm and his legs, and Running Back Jonathan Stewart has helped balance the Carolina attack. The new and improved Eagles defense will face one of its toughest tests of the season.
"I think Cam is playing at a really high level right now," Kelly said. "Jonathan Stewart has been healthy. He's just a horse inside, so you have a great running attack. You've got quarterback run that we haven't seen this year that we really have to start to kind of hone in on because Cam is going to carry the ball."
