Eagles’ All-22: The Disappearance of Darren Sproles

What’s been up with one of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ most talented weapons?

MISSING:

Name: Darren Sproles

Height: 5-6

Weight: 181 lbs.

Last Seen: September 27, 2015, at MetLife Stadium

If found, please return to Chip Kelly.

After three weeks, Darren Sproles was the MVP of the struggling Philadelphia Eagles. After having 126 yards from scrimmage in their season-opener, he had a pair of touchdowns to lead the Eagles to their victory over the New York Jets. But in the five games since then, the 2014 Pro Bowler has been unable to have more than 40 yards of offense.

Last season, Sproles’s production fell off at the end of the year and Kelly attributed it to the opposing defenses double-teaming Sproles and making sure the running back didn’t get any sort of open space out of the backfield. Even though he was limited in the passing game, Sproles still excelled running with the ball, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, a number that has dipped to just 4.0 this year.

But the one thing that is really alarming is his lack of production as a receiver.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

The wheel route has been a staple of the Eagles passing game since Kelly took over in 2013. However, this season he has added the option of a running back to turn the route back into the flat depending on what the defense is doing. In a perfect world, it isolates a running back in man coverage, and depending on how aggressive the defense plays, he can either sit down in the flat or turn the route upfield if the defender tries to jump the passing lane in the flat.

In this play, the Falcons are are playing a zone and Zach Ertz sets a nice, (unintentional?), pick on the slot corner, which opens up the outside of the field for Sproles.

Both Sam Bradford and Sproles recognize and the soft coverage and Bradford hits his running back over the back shoulder. In order for any option route to work, both the quarterback and receiver need to be on the same page. But that has not been the case for Bradford and Sproles in recent weeks.

Take this play from the Giants game:

Once again, Ertz occupies the cornerback long enough to let Sproles slip out of the backfield. However, unlike in Atlanta, Sproles recognizes the space that has opened up along the sideline and turns his route upfield, something Bradford was not expecting as he anticipates Sproles sitting down in the flat and throws an errant pass to empty space.

This problem can simply be solved by repetition. Bradford and Sproles have been teammates for all of eight months so it is safe to say the aren’t to the point of finishing each others thoughts and sentences yet.

PREDICTABILITY

The other issue with Sproles this season is Kelly’s lack of creativity when deploying him in the offense. On occasion, Sproles has lined up in the slot, but he hasn’t made any plays to get noticed, besides a seven-yard catch last week.

Besides wheel routes, Kelly often uses screens to get the ball in Sproles’s hands, but because of his success with such routes as a member of the New Orleans Saints, defenses make sure he won’t beat them on such a play by playing defense like this:

The offensive line and Bradford try to set up the screen, but the Redskins are quick to sniff it out. Bradford keeps his eyes to the left as the play develops, but is slow to come back to Sproles and by the time he delivers the ball, there are two defensive linemen ready to make a play, had he caught the ball.

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Kelly has not been afraid of using Sproles as a traditional running back, consistently giving him around five carries per game, but defenses know that the diminutive running back’s value comes as a receiver and are aware of that when he lines up in the backfield.

There are two ways Kelly can counter that. The first is to add another running back in the backfield. With Ryan Mathews and Sproles flanking Bradford, it would be harder for teams to key in on one of them, setting up the potential for a run-pass option utilizing the two backs.

Other than that, Kelly can try to set up quicker screens so defenses don’t have time to react to the pulling blockers.

With all of the success the Eagles have had running the ball with DeMarco Murray and Mathews the past few weeks, there haven’t been many opportunities to get Sproles involved with the passing game. However, with the exception of Jordan Matthews, the Eagles do not have a consistent pass-catching threat on their team.

If Kelly can figure out how to get Sproles the ball from the slot and other places on the field besides the backfield, it could add another dimension to the offense and open the field up to other weapons.

Next: Eagles Armchair: Finally...the Excitement has Come Back

But until then, his picture will remain on the milk carton.