Wide 9 Has To Go

Right now, I really don't know who is calling the shots on defense.  It should be newly appointed defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, but something tells me that new defensive line coach Jim Washburn is the man in charge.  As a veteran defensive coach, Washburn probably thinks that he has authority over Castillo who is new to the defensive side of the ball.  What other explanation could there be for the Eagles sticking with the wide 9 formation?  Through 5 games it's clearly not working.  There are just way too many gaps, and the Eagles don't have the talent at linebacker for the wide 9 to be effective.

In the 4th quarter today, the Eagles veered some what away from the wide 9, filling the gaps, and stacking the line with linebackers.  This was extremely effective as the Bills had nowhere to run.  The gaps were completely filled and the Eagles were able to force 3 and outs.  It forced the Bills to be a one dimensional team and the Eagles had the talent in the secondary to shut down the Bills' receivers.  Someone is being way too stubborn right now on the defensive side of the ball.  When you look at the amount of talent the Eagles have on defense, there is no way they should be 1-4.

While the offense isn't exactly exploding for points, they are doing a reasonably good job of scoring.  They are doing what they can, but it becomes increasingly difficult to win games when the defense is getting badly burned on every other play.  The wide 9 simply has to go.  Casey Matthews wouldn't look so bad if he were going up against running backs that had to fight their way past the Eagles defensive line. Instead, linebackers like Matthews and Jamar Chaney are trying to stop running backs like Fred Jackson who are exploding through the gaps on this defensive line.  It's hard enough to stop a guy like Michael Turner, but it's even more difficult when he has a big wide open gap to run through.

Stack the line, and get back to Eagles defense which involves blitzing.  The Eagles are relying way too heavily on the front four to get pressure on the quarterback.  Think about how much more effective the defensive line would be if they had an extra pass rusher every once in a while.

Also the Eagles should start playing more nickel.  The nickel is a defensive formation that involves 5 defensive backs.  Put Nnamdi Asomugha on the opponent's best reciever, put Assante on their second best reciever and let them play man to man coverage.  Then drop DRC, Nate Allen, and Page back in coverage.  Then with a regular defensive line formation, stack 6 guys in the box.  Rotate between Chaney, Fokou and Rolle and have them step up and fill the gaps on the line and also help stop the run.  It's really not rocket science.  The Eagles need to utilize the talent they have at secondary and up front, and not isolate their weakpoint at linebacker.  

The old expression goes if it ain't broken don't fix it.  Well the Eagles defense, primarily the wide 9 formation, is clearly broken and they need a big time fix before it really is too late.