Brian Johnson Knows The Answer, So Why Don’t The Eagles Do It
Today in his weekly press conference, Brian Johnson said something every fan has been thinking all season long. NFL defenses are so focused on taking away the big play down the sidelines, that the best way to attack the defense is to go after interior defenders.
“You have to go into some catch-and-runs and try to find some isolations, some interior defenders. Those are things and trying to manipulate some of these play-actions and get guys to have some eye violations and see if we can create some explosives that way.”
That is something everyone in Philly would agree with and has been asking for all season long. But as Andrew Salciunas pointed out on his show today, if Brian Johnson knows that is the answer, why aren’t they doing it?
Next Gen Stats tracks where every QB throws the ball throughout the season. You can see the charts every week for Jalen Hurts here. And what you will notice is there are a lot of throws to each side of the field, but very few over the middle. In fact, since week 8 there have been just 3 TDs over the middle.
What makes it more frustrating is that the Eagles clearly know the value of targeting the middle of the field. Not only have they seen teams do it to them with success all season long, but Brian Johnson just admitted it. So why don’t they do it?
There were talks of Hurts struggling with that in college. And it was true for him in his first two seasons. But in 2o22 his passer rating over the middle of the field on throws over 10 yards was 114.8, well above the league average of 87.5. Expand that to past 20 yards, it was 127.1.
He is capable of it. The problem is the scheme. They don’t have enough routes in that area of the field. And now that we know that they know the middle of the field is a great place to target, we have to wonder why they don’t actually do it.
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The Eagles 53-Man Roster For The Playoffs
QB- Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota, Tanner McKee
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
After nearly winning MVP. Hurts has had a down year. He has not been terrible. And he has done a lot of great things, including breaking Cam Newton’s record for rushing TDs by a QB. But it is definitely a step back. He has been let down by his coaches, but he still needs to shoulder a lot of the responsibility and fix the issues that have plagued him this season. The Tampa game will be a chance for redemption.
We haven’t seen much of Mariota, but what we have seen is enough to know they won’t win if he has to take the field. Tanner McKee hasn’t seen the field or an active roster this season. That won’t change in the playoffs. He will be their emergency QB in case both Hurts and Mariota get hurt, and then maybe in future seasons, he can be promoted to the role of back up.
WR- AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Julio Jones, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, Britain Covey
(Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
Through the first half of the season, Brown was playing better than any WR apart from Tyreek Hill. In the back half, he fell off a bit. In his defense, the whole offense fell off. The coaches did very little to scheme him open. AJ Brown mostly just had to rely on beating his man. Which he did a lot because he is a great WR. But his talents have been a bit wasted this year. He got injured in the final game of the season but is expected to be ready to play on Monday Night.
Devonta Smith is also battling an injury heading into the playoffs. It kept him out of the final game. The general consensus is that had they truly needed to win that game, he may have given it a go. But even if they will have both Smith and Brown for the game, having both of them banged up is certainly not ideal. Smith has been fantastic this year. It is his second straight 1000-yard season.
The rest of the WRS have barely been used. Julio Jones has a few TDs, as does Zaccheaus. But their production is so sporadic that it is hard to count on them. Covey sticks out in that he has become one of the best return men in the league, but he won’t see the field on offense.
RB- D'Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell, Boston Scott, Rashaad Penny
(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Running behind the Eagles line, Swift had his first 1000-yard season ever. What is weird is how little they have thrown the ball to him. He was arguably better as a receiver than a runner with the Lions. And while he has run well here, it’s a bit baffling they haven’t taken much advantage of him in the passing game as well. Having that option to dump it off to a playmaker would make things so much easier for Jalen Hurts, but they rarely do it.
Despite all the hand-wringing people did early in the season, Gainwell has actually had a decent season for a backup RB. 4.3 yards per carry, 564 total yards, and two TDs. He is not a bell-cow back, that much is clear. But as far as backups go, you could do a whole lot worse.
We have barely seen any of Boston Scott and Rashaad Penny, and it is unlikely that will suddenly change
TE- Dallas Goedert. Grant Calcaterra, Jack Stoll
(Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
People thought this might be the year Goedert eclipsed 1000 yards. He came nowhere close thanks to injuries and a lack of targets. Goedert’s talent is clear. But he has yet to give the Eagles the production they are paying him for. That is not all his fault. But his time here has yet to live up to the lofty hype.
For two years in a row, Grant Calcaterra had a chance to step up with Giedert injured. Two years in a row he was a no-show. They drafted him thinking he could be a solid pass catcher. He has just 9 catches and 120 yards in 30 games. Stoll does not do much as a pass catcher, but that is not why they kept him on the roster, he is a blocking specialist and has done that job well. So while you likely won’t hear his name at all in the playoffs, he will at least be contributing in the run game as a blocker.
LT- Jordan Mailata, Fred Johnson
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Mailata has been fantastic this season. Apart from a small problem with penalties, he has been as good as it gets in both the passing game and the run game. He has allowed just 3 sacks this season and is 4th overall amount OTs in run block win rate. As bad as this season has been the continued growth of Mailata is a positive sign.
We haven’t seen Fred Johnson, and let’s hope that trend continues. It would be bad enough if Jack Driscoll got in, but if Fred Johnson gets in, it means multiple injuries along the line. And in that case, they don’t stand a chance.
LG- Landon Dickerson, Sua Opeta
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Landon Dickerson has quietly become a Super Star. In 2023 he was 8th among all interior linemen in Pass Block win Rate, and 1st in Run Block Win rate. He also made yet another Pro Bowl. He is due for a new contract soon and has certainly earned it. Keeping him in Mailata together is the key to this O-Line surviving as Jason Kelece and eventually Lane Johnson leave.
Opeta has filled in for most of the games where one of either Jurgens or Dickerson could not play. And as far as backups go, he has filled in admirably. That said we are all better off if he doesn’t see the field at all in the playoffs. If they have a chance at winning, it is with Jurgens and Dickerson healthy.
C- Jason Kelce
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
This will likely be Kelce’s last ride, and it is a shame it is ending like this. Coming back this year was a big deal for him. We saw how big the decision was for him in his Documentary. For his sake, you hope they figure it out and they can at the least go out fighting in his final season. But it feels like his final run with the Eagles will end on a low note.
RG- Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Cam has had a solid season in his first year as a starter. It has been marred by injuries a bit. But it is no coincidence that the run game has worked best when he played. And at least according to PFF, he has not allowed a sack yet. Steen has mostly been inactive this year. He got a couple of chances to play in place of Cam Jurgens, including in that first Cowboys game. In those chances, he played well. Steen will likely play RG next year when Cam Jurgens slides over to Center. But we won’t see him in the playoffs.
RT- Lane Johnson, Jack Drsicoll
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Lane has battled some injuries this season, and it led to his streak of not allowing a sack to finally end. With that said, he has still played at an elite level. He is 6th in pass block win rate among OTs, and 1st in run block win rate. He could easily be a 1st team All-Pro again. There are talks of maybe him hanging them up soon, so the Eagles should start to think about finding a replacement. But as long as he is here, the Eagles know they have an elite RT.
Jack Driscoll played in two games this year. He was a disaster filling in for Lane Johnson against the Jets. But he actually played really well when he started in Lane’s place against the Bills. That said, let’s hope he does not see the field in the playoffs.
Edge- Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Patrick Johnson
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Reddick has had a “down year” by his standards. That said, he has still played very well. Part of his problem compared to last year is he just has a lot less help, especially from the interior of the line. 11 sacks is still a solid season, just not quite as good as he was in 2022. Josh Sweat saw his production take an even bigger hit. He started out on fire but waned as the season went along. It can probably be attributed to them having less of a rotation, and Sweat just hitting a bit of a wall.
Brandon Graham was used far less, and Nolan Smith for some reason barely saw the field. The hope was Smith would make their edge rotation deeper, but it was less so. Part of that is on the coaches. But it also falls on Smith for not doing enough during his rookie season. That is also on Howie for drafting a guy in the 1st round who couldn’t help them this season.
DT- Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Moro Ojomo
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Fletcher Cox has been great considering where he is in his career. This could be his final year, and if it is, he can at least say he did his part. But the rest of the DTs have been a bit disappointing. I can’t blame Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis too much. They have clearly hit a rookie wall. Davis isn’t a rookie, but he played so few snaps that this is still somewhat like a rookie season in terms of getting used to the rigors of an NFL season. That is on the Eagles for overusing them early.
What is also on the Eagles is not using their backups enough. Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipoluto have played well when in there. But they would rather run their two young players into the ground. It is baffling that they saw how well using a rotation worked last year, and then just went away from it.
Inside Linebacker- Nicholas Morrow, Zach Cunningham, Shaq Leonard, Ben Van Sumeren
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Linebacker has been the biggest disaster for the Eagles. And that is saying something with how many disasters they have had. They banked heavily on Nakobe Dean taking a step. And while he was fine when healthy, he hasn’t been healthy. He is out for the year, and what they have left behind him has not worked at all. Morrow has been awful in pass coverage. Cunningham is fine, but far from good enough to be your best LB. Shaq Leonard clearly doesn’t have it anymore. And after that, they have an undrafted rookie in Van Sumeren. Howie has neglected LB for a long time, and it caught up to them this year.
Cornerback- Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Bradley Roby, Eli Ricks, Josh Jobe, Kelee Ringo
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Cornerback is a spot where you cannot afford to be slow, and the Eagles’ corners are either slow or inexperienced. They brought back both Slay and Bradberry, which is now looking like a mistake. Slay has played well, but Bradberyy has been a disaster. As for the rest of the corners, Ricks, Ringo, and Jobe are clearly not ready for big roles. That is what you get for relying on a rookie 4th round pick, and two undrafted free agents.
Had Maddox been healthy all year, maybe things would have gone differently. But he got hurt. And since he returned, he has not played well. And with how much time he has missed, it is hard to expect him to just step in and play at a high level. So the expectation going into the playoffs will have to be that the defense is going to get beaten, the offense will just have to make up for it.
Safety- Reed Blankenship, Kevin Byard, Tristin McCollum
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The Safeties are the one position that may be a bigger disaster than the Linebackers. Reed Blankenship has not been good. He can make a hit, but too often he is staring at the back of a player’s jersey. Kevin Byard has been a massive disappointment. And now Sydney Brown is hurt, meaning they will instead call on Tristin McCollum. Like Linebacker, Howie has not invested much in Safety. That needs to change.
Special Teams- Jake Elliott, Braden Mann, Rick Lovato
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Special Teams is the one part of this team that works. Which is funny because it was their biggest issue last year. Elliott has been near perfect outside of one missed FG that might have cost them against the Jets. He even kicked some super clutch FGs including a game-tying 59-yard FG vs the Bills in the rain. Braden Mann has been much better than Arryn Siposs ever was. And Rick Lovato has been perfect as the long snapper.
