The Eagles Defense Is Versatile
Jonathan Gannon has a completely different defense this year. A more versatile and playmaking defense….on paper that is. With yesterday’s addition of CJ Gardner-Johnson to the secondary unit, he appears…
Jonathan Gannon has a completely different defense this year. A more versatile and playmaking defense….on paper that is. With yesterday’s addition of CJ Gardner-Johnson to the secondary unit, he appears to have gotten a bunch of new toys to implement the defense he envisions. Part of that vision is versatility, clearly. When you look at some of the new additions and recent draft picks, a lot of these players can or have played multiple positions. This is not an accident by Howie Roseman and his front office staff. The new phase of the NFL has more pass catching offensive weapons than ever, you need more guys that can man cover and press at the line of scrimmage. Tight ends in today’s league are just a bigger wide receivers and you need guys to stick those TE’s. You need LB’s that can cover speedy RB’s more than ever. Versatility is the way of the NFL in 2022.
There’s no more Gannon addition this offseason that LB/Edge rusher Haason Reddick. He can play with his hand in the dirt, he can play standing up and rushing, he can cover. He’s as versatile as versatile comes. He’s also had double digit sacks the previous two seasons with two different teams, so he shouldn’t have a problem translating to a new team, again. He should help the Eagles improve their sack total which was near the bottom of the league last year. It’s one of the most crucial spots on the team that needed improvement from last year.
New LB Kyzir White from the LA Chargers? Well, he’s a converted college safety to NFL LB. Avonte Maddox already has outside CB, slot CB and safety experience under his belt in the NFL entering his fourth season. Bradberry has played both slot and outside. Tarron Jackson can play DE & DT, Javon Hargrave can play both, Milton Williams can also play both. Josh Sweat has the speed and athleticism that he looks like more of a LB than a DE.
Newest addition CJ Gardner-Johnson played safety while at the University of Florida and has played nickel CB for the Saints in the NFL. In today's NFL pass happy league, there isn't a tremendous world of difference between nickel CB and free safety. I have no concerns about him switching to "free safety". Call it a nickel CB for all I care. The Eagles will have 4 capable CB's on the field at all times. It should make the dinking and dunking that killed them last year much harder to pull off. It also should make the lives of Reddick and Sweat easier in getting to the QB and upping the teams sack totals. Here's an interesting thread on how "free-safeties" are valued in this pass crazy new NFL...
Some of this applies to their offensive line as well, guys with versatility all up and down the line. It seems to be something that the team covets. I love that Dickerson can play guard and center, Mailata can be a swing tackle if needed, Seomalu can play several positions. They've valued versatility and that makes me one happy Birds fan.
As always, go Birds.
Top 5 Reasons the Eagles Have the Best Fans
by Matt Minarik
Every fanbase in the NFL thinks their team is the best. They tell you things like: “We have more rings than you,” or “We are the loudest”. First off, rings has nothing to do with the fan base and second, every teams' fans are loud in their own way. What most fan bases are lacking is that true passion. Not the “we are in first place now so let’s jump on the bandwagon passion”. It’s the kind of passion that means your teams logo has to be on the very first piece of clothing your newborn baby wears. It’s the kind of passion that even when you have dress up in nice clothes, you still find a way to incorporate your team on your tie or socks. It is that passion where you embrace, defend, and criticize players on your team like they are your family.
Eagles Fans Are Everywhere
No matter where you go or what you do, there is a good chance you will run into an Eagles fan. I am not talking about walking down South Street, I’m talking about being at a grocery store in Georgia and seeing someone wearing a midnight green hat with an Eagles logo or seeing someone with a Brian Westbrook jersey at Taco Bell in the state of Washington. When you see those people, you are automatically connected. You usually start with a common phrase like “Go Birds” and your conversation is off and running. I once talked Eagles with a guy in a Georgia grocery store for about 15 minutes. I do not even know his name, but I know he is an Eagles fan and that’s all that matters.
PASSION, PASSION, PASSION
No fanbase wears their hearts on their sleeves more than Eagles fans. After a loss you would think someone lost a loved one or Fletcher Cox shot their dog. It is painful to see the Eagles lose. Not just because Eagles fans can pinpoint what went wrong but because they have to wait a week before they get to see the Eagles try and redeem themselves. That week is almost like a week in mourning. Philly is known to be tough on their players. It is tough love and the players know it. In an interview prior to the Super Bowl in 2018, Jason Kelce stated Eagles fans are “About as die-hard as they come. They’re tough, blue collar. They’ve booed us as a team”. The knocks Eagles fans get from other fanbases is out of pure jealously.
EAGLES FANS KNOW THEIR STUFF
It is easy to rattle off box score numbers or give vague explanations about why your team sucks or doesn’t, but not other fanbase can breakdown a game or players performance like and Eagles fan can. They don’t forget either. I know all teams have their smart ones and there are some Eagles fans out there that might leave a little to be desired but overall, Eagles fans are at the top. In five years if Jalen Hurts underthrows DeVonta Smith by 10 yards down the sideline, you better believe Eagles fans are going to point out exactly when he did that during the 2022 season. Talking to fans of other teams is another way to know who has the brains and who doesn’t. There is nothing more painful that having a debate with a Cowboys fan and all they can talk about are the rings they got back in the 1900’s. At that point, the conversation is over because you know nothing of substance will come out of that persons mouth.
EAGLES FANS WILL NEVER TURN THEIR BACK
It does not matter how good or bad the Eagles are. Eagles fans will always be there. Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report said it perfectly “Through thick and thin, we care, we show up and we don't ignore our team. We're a lot friendlier when they win, make no mistake about it, but you can guarantee that we're still watching whether they're 13-3 or 3-13.” During the rough times we might be tougher on them, but you will never see an empty stadium or a city of Philadelphia where people are not wearing green. There is no Eagles bandwagon. Some people might support a little harder during the good times, but I would say about 90% of the fans are at full throttle every day of the year.
ONLY WE CAN CRITICIZE OUR TEAM
It is the same as your little brother. You can say he is a punk or sucks at basketball but the minute someone else does, the gloves are off. Their point may be valid, but it is not their point to be made because it’s not their brother. Same goes with the Eagles. We can say so-and-so is not good, but Mr. Cowboys fan better keep his mouth shut. Eagles fans are very protective of their players, their team, and their city.
