Fletcher Cox Leads Eagles' Defensive Turnaround
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles defense looks quite different than the one that gave up a total of 90 points in two games.
After giving up 45 points against both Tampa Bay and Detroit, the Eagles defense buckled down and helped the team pick up season-saving victories over New England and Buffalo. The key contributor has been Defensive Lineman Fletcher Cox, who is emerging as one of the best in the business at his position. Cox says he and his teammates simply went back to the basics over the past two weeks.
"I think everybody is just locked in on what they've got to do," said Cox. "I think we've tackled a whole lot better. In those other games, we've missed a bunch of tackles. That's not us, so we knew what we had to do."
Cox has been the driving force behind the team's resurgence. He was the best player on the field last Sunday when the Eagles beat Buffalo at the Linc, and his strong season has not gone unnoticed around the NFL. Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis says Cox is playing at an even higher level than he was when the coaching staff took over the team two years ago.
"Fletcher has been good since we've been here," Davis said. "Fletcher has been making plays for us. I think his pass rush has really gotten better, if I had to pick one area. He's always strong and hard to move at the line of scrimmage. But I would say....I've said this many weeks, we're running our stunts and games better, which helps when we're attacking protections through the games and stunts. Then his one-on-one, I think he's honed down to just a couple really good moves that he works on."
Cox and the rest of his defensive linemates will face a tough test against the Cardinals on Sunday. Arizona leads the NFL in total offense, averaging 417.5 yards per game. They are led by Quarterback Carson Palmer and a dynamic passing attack. Defensive Lineman Bennie Logan says they will have to find a way to get Palmer to the ground.
"You definitely have to attack their quarterback," said Logan. "That's going to be the main thing for us. They have some really nice receivers on the outside that go deep. This week, what's going to be big for us is stopping the run and getting to the quarterback."
The Cardinals are well aware they will have their hands full with Cox, who is playing as well as anyone in the NFL. Davis is hoping Cox will earn a trip to the Pro Bowl this season. Davis isn't worried about lack of recognition from players and coaches. He is hoping there will be enough fan votes to make Cox a Pro Bowler. However, Cox is only worried about helping the Eagles to victories over the final three weeks of the season.
"I don't control those types of things," Cox said. "I control what I do on Sunday. That's to go out and play hard."
