Eagles Preseason Week 1: Quick Reactions About the Defense

The reaction to the offense came first, now we’ll take a look at the defense.

— Is there any doubt Trent Cole is going to have a career year in this new-look defense? He was great in run support and also got great pressure against a pretty good left tackle in Michael Oher. The wide-nine stance is really going to help Cole use his speed to get to the quarterback, and anywhere from 14-16 sacks would not surprise me at all.

— Anthony Hargrove plays with an energy that will earn him a spot on this roster. He got the starting nod in place of Mike Patterson, who is still missing time after a seizure. I don’t expect Hargrove to start, but he will see significant time in the rotation. He was stout against the run and was able to get into the backfield against the Ravens.

— Cullen Jenkins made his presence felt on the very first play from scrimmage as he absolutely leveled Joe Flacco. A great inside pass-rush is why the Eagles forked over a $25 million contract to bring him in, and it looks like they made the right move. I expect Jenkins to start beside Patterson and finish with six to eight sacks.

— He didn’t get the starting nod Thursday night, but Jason Babin will see the majority of the reps sooner rather than later. Across from Cole, Babin becomes even more dangerous than he was in Tennessee. The play that impressed me most was a play-action fake by Flacco that sucked in the entire defense other than Babin. Babin gave chase and forced Flacco to throw the ball away.

— There wasn’t a whole lot to see from Juqua Parker. He hasn’t been the guy the team thought they were getting when they gave him a five-year extension a few years ago (when he was still Juqua Thomas), but he’s a a great guy to have in the rotation and should be a solid contributor behind Babin.

— How about Derek Landri? Where did this guy come from? Oh, Carolina? That’s why we haven’t heard his name. But Landri did a great job at keeping blockers at arm’s length then reading and reacting on the run, and even chased Flacco down after using a spin move to get past his man. He could not have looked more nonathletic chasing Flacco around, but it got the job done. It doesn’t always have to look pretty.

— Antonio Dixon saw very little time, did not do a whole lot, and quite honestly could be a surprise cut. The Eagles might be happy to keep Jenkins, Patterson, Trevor Laws, then decide between Hargrove and Landri. Or, given Hargrove’s ability to kick out to defensive end as well, they could keep both. Either way, Dixon is not the prototype for this defense and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear he’s on the trade block or just loses a numbers game on the final cuts.

— The most impressive guy of the night was Darryl Tapp. He heard the talk last year about how disappointing he was, and I even went so far as to name the trade to acquire him as one of the 10 worst moves from last season. He would still have to have a Pro Bowl season to be worth trading Chris Clemons and and a fourth-round pick, but after stuffing Ray Rice deep in the backfield and racking up two sacks, it’s looking like the move for Tapp could finally pay off.

— In a battle that will likely come down to Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and Philip Hunt for the final defensive end spot, I’m putting Hunt way out in the lead at this point. He’s shown an ability to get to the quarterback in the CFL, and showed great burst, strength, and first move. Te’o-Nesheim had some decent moments, but unless the fact that he was a third-round pick weighs heavily on head coach Andy Reid’s mind, Hunt should win the final spot.

— Cedric Thorton, Marlon Favorite, and Chris Wilson are all auditioning for the 31 other teams. Marlon was certainly the “Favorite” of the group (that’s the sound of several readers unbookmarking this site) but none of these guys are anything more than camp bodies. Best of luck floating around the league.

— Moise Fokou gives me a headache. He’ll make a play one minute that will have you thinking he could step into a starting role, and do something so boneheaded the next you’re left wondering why he’s on the team. The biggest blunder I saw was what appeared to be a mistake on zone coverage. Joselio Hanson will catch the flak for allowing a 12-yard completion, but it looked like it was a zone and Fokou was supposed to drop hook-to-curl, which would have put him in perfect position.

— I was less than impressed with Casey Matthews. It’s hard to judge just how well he called the defense, but he did not do a good job shedding blocks and playing the run. With guys like Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, and Tim Hightower in the same division, Matthews will have to do a much better job playing the run.

— Jamar Chaney should be moved back to the middle. I have little doubt he was responsible for the blown coverage that allowed Ray Rice to take the ball 22 yards on a swing pass. Chaney is a physical run-stuffer, not a guy who should be covering running backs and tight ends.

— Keenan Clayton and Brian Rolle, to me, are the same players. They’re not quite quick enough to play safety, but aren’t big enough to play linebacker either. But for whatever reason, those are the guys the Eagles continue to pick up and try to plug in on the weak side, which continuously leaves me baffled. Both guys are around the ball an awful lot, but neither can take on and shed blocks the way a linebacker has to.

— Greg Lloyd has been seeing time in the middle, which is where he belongs, but he seemed to be thinking too much rather than reacting to the offense. Hopefully things slow down for him, because he has the skill-set of a special player.

— In the immortal words of Dennis Green, Asante Samuel, Nnamdi Asomugha, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are who we thought they were. Moving on.

— I did not notice a whole lot from Trevard Lindley, which could mean trouble considering the Eagles currently have six cornerbacks and will likely only keep five.

— Curtis Marsh had good coverage that led to an interception, but from there all I noticed was an inability to tackle. He will be in competition with Lindley for the fifth spot.

— There’s a lot of talk about ditching Joselio Hanson, either via trade or simply releasing him, but that doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever. Hanson has proven time and again he is one of the best nickel corners in the game and, at this point, I trust him more on the inside than DRC, who is an outside guy first.

— Turn your head, Kurt Coleman. That’s an interception on the very first play and certainly makes a point, but instead it’s a blown opportunity and a great catch for the Ravens. Coleman needs to take advantage of those opportunities, since he’s certainly not guaranteed a starting spot.

— Jaiquawn Jarrett is breathing down Coleman’s neck, and he did come up with an interception. He also had a pretty good return that could have been even better had Marsh blocked someone and not just gotten in his way. Jarrett’s calling card is big hits, but we did not see that Thursday. There is still time, however.

— There was not a whole lot to see from Nate Allen. There were a few times I noticed him in run support, however, which is where his improvement needed to come. He’s already proven he can play centerfield and make plays on the ball.

— Jarrad Page is a great veteran presence in that secondary. He could step in and start if need be, and showed an inability to break on the ball as he racked up an interception, was around the ball in run coverage, and laid a few licks on guys. He will likely convince the Eagles to carry four safeties this year.

— Unfortunately, there isn’t a place on this roster for Colt Anderson. It’s a damn shame because he’s a great special teams player and shows flashes on defense, but with the four safeties, then guys like Clayton and Rolle who could drop back in a pinch, Anderson is expendable. He will, however, continue his career elsewhere and reminds me a lot of Sean Morey or Ike Reese in that his play is built on minimal talent and ton of heart.

Overall, it’s hard not to be excited about the combination of Juan Castillo and Jim Washburn shaping this defense. The front four looked great, regardless of the grouping of guys, and the secondary should be absolutely devastating.

It was good to see Castillo mix a few blitzes in there, as well. There was some concern he’d be a little conservative blitzing, but if he blitzed that much in the first preseason game I expect to see it tripled in the regular season.

The brilliance of this defense will be in its simplicity, and I expect great things that could include a top five finish across the board.