"None of that Made Any Sense" - Baldy Attempts to Break Down Eagles' Sunday Defense
The Eagles were knocked out of the playoffs by Andy Dalton, which is a pretty sad way to go. They let him throw for 377 passing yards, which is the fifth-highest number he’s ever logged. That’s insane for a guy who has played 143 NFL games and is now a 33-year-old backup.
It shouldn’t be that surprising, unfortunately. The Birds were depleted in the secondary and lost Fletcher Cox in this game. The pass rush wasn’t there and the talent in the defensive backfield also was not there.
But the defensive coordinator didn’t help the case, as Brian Baldinger points out in this week’s breakdown series.
Clip #1:
.@Eagles on 3-3 invite the @dallascowboys to run the ball! OK; but why play the linebackers 6 yards deep? Their alignments just confuse me sometimes. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/iwC0TVD3h8
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 28, 2020
“why are they playing so deep on third and three?”
Good question!
This was a Cowboys team that was middle of the pack running the ball this year. 4.2 yards per carry, 112 yards per game. It’s one thing to play off coverage on the outside, but 3rd and 3 dime with that alignment feels soft even by Jim Schwartz standards.
Clip #2:
.@dallascowboys @Eagles and the first TD surrendered is the result of a good play attacking the corner blitz; but the tackling is atrocious. Bad tackling with poor secondary play is a formula for disaster. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/XmSpqTXndz
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 28, 2020
“there’s no way that Gallup should score here”
This play stuck out like a sore thumb. Two horrific tackle attempts right there.
That was the TD that made it 14-10 and started the Dallas comeback. The beginning of the end on that score.
Clip #3:
.@Eagles v @dallascowboys and this critical 3-3 with 30 seconds left in the half and THIS CALL; this is a head scratcher?? Back up and Give it Up. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/NPzZdQqn4S
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 28, 2020
“none of that made any sense”
No, it did not.
Clip #4:
.@eagles are playing guys that just can’t play YET! I would never say that a player can’t work to improve to get better; but, when he isn’t ready to play then you can’t put him out there! It all starts with player evaluation first! What can he do? Start there #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/OqCKXbvorg
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 28, 2020
“he shouldn’t have been out there”
Rough game for Michael Jacquet, and Baldy is right that he shouldn’t have to be out there in this situation, but it’s the Eagles, so of course they are down multiple guys in the secondary. Baldy is also spot on in his questioning of man and zone. If you know you’re depleted you can try to help your guys out by limiting opportunities for the Cowboys to single them out and attack 1v1. These guys weren’t put in great positions by their coaches.
Clip #5:
.@eagles highlights are very short tonight; @BoobieMilesXXIV @DeSeanJackson10 from @JalenHurts . They ended the highlights with 6 minutes left in 1st Q. @dallascowboys defense came to play. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/aS9w2xSaDh
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 28, 2020
“that’s basically the highlights for the Eagles, not a whole lot else to say”
Yep.