Man Up: Asante gets best of Manning
Here's the player-by-player breakdown of the Eagles' defensive performance during their win against the Colts on Sunday.
Man Up: Asante gets best of Manning
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Here's the player-by-player breakdown of the Eagles' defensive performance during their win against the Colts on Sunday.
And in case you missed it from earlier, here's a must-see video of Andy Reid, the 13-year-old giant. Plus, one writer thinks Eagles fans were out of line for their reaction after Austin Collie went down.
Juqua Parker- Parker started and played well. On the Asante Samuel interception in the first quarter, the entire line got good pressure on Manning - Parker and Trent Cole off the edge and Mike Patterson and Antonio Dixon up the middle. Parker batted down a Manning pass in the first, and he hit Manning on a third-quarter throw. He also did a decent job against the run, dropping Donald Brown for a 2-yard loss in the third. He had a chance for a second tackle for loss on the very next play, but couldn't make the play.
Brandon Graham- I'll break down the snaps in a later post, but Graham played more than any other defensive lineman except for Trent Cole. He lined up mostly at left defensive end but saw a snap or two inside. Graham hit Manning in the third to force an incomplete throw and got to him again on a second-down throw in the fourth.
Mike Patterson- As usual, he played both left and right defensive tackle. Patterson and Trevor Laws combined to stuff Brown on 3rd-and-1 in the first quarter, forcing a punt. He hustled to bring Brown down after a gain of 5 in the first. There was a strange play in the second where Patterson looked to be covering Brown on a 20-yard completion. I'm not sure if that was by design or if Patterson just saw Brown release into his route and started chasing him.
Brodrick Bunkley- The Eagles eased him in as Bunkley played 20 snaps in his first action since the injury in Week 5. Bunkley made a nice read on a WR screen, tackling Reggie Wayne after a 1-yard gain. He twisted outside, and Cole twisted inside on a fourth quarter play where they both converged on Manning.
Antonio Dixon- Only Bunkley played less snaps than him on the defensive line. That was for a couple different reasons. One, the Eagles were playing a passing team. And two, Bunkley was back, taking away snaps from him. Dixon did a good job clogging the middle in the first, forcing Brown to cut back for a gain of 3. He lined up as a defensive end in the third on one play as Cole and Parker moved outside. The Eagles' run defense was good as the Colts averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.
Trevor Laws- Laws had some good moments. He and Patterson combined to bring Brown down on the 3rd-and-1 play in the first, forcing a Colts punt. Laws fought a double team and got in Manning's face on the play where Stewart Bradley was called for pass interference.
Darryl Tapp- McDermott lined him up all over the place. Tapp would often stand up at the line of scrimmage and not show whether he was blitzing or dropping back until the ball was snapped. Or he would wait and then rush up the middle. On one play, he lined up at left defensive end and tackled Austin Collie for a 1-yard loss. Tapp went right around the left tackle for a sack in the second quarter, rushing from the right defensive end position.
Trent Cole- As usual, he was active and creating havoc all game. The Colts tried to block him with a tight end a couple times. Bad idea. On one play, he stopped Brown after a gain of 1. Later, he dropped Brown for no gain. Cole lined up all over the place too. In the third, he stood up inside and broke through to pressure Manning on a third-down throw and help force an incompletion. In the third, he got good pressure off the edge and forced Manning to step up and throw incomplete. He grazed Manning's head on a 4th-and-18 and was whistled for a penalty to give the Colts a first down.
Stewart Bradley- Colts tight end Jacob Tamme had 11 catches for 108 yards, but I didn't think Bradley did that bad of a job on him. Bradley made a good tackle in the first after a 4-yard Tamme completion. He broke up a pass in the third and had good coverage on a second-down throw in the fourth. Bradley was called for a 19-yard pass interference penalty where he didn't turn around and make a play on the ball on the Colts' first touchdown drive. And on another play, it looked like he got lined up with wide receiver Blair White on a 33-yard completion. Bradley and Cole stopped Javarris James after a 3-yard gain during the Colts' second-half touchdown drive. That was big because it forced Indy to use more clock before punching it in.
Ernie Sims- Pretty active game for Sims. He dropped Brown for a 1-yard loss in the third and sacked Manning on a blitz in the fourth. McDermott didn't call off the blitzes altogether. Sims went after Manning 15 times. He was called for a defensive holding in the fourth, giving Indy a first down.
Moise Fokou- With the Eagles rarely in their base defense, Fokou was only on the field for 15 snaps. McDermott had a package where he lined Fokou up as a fifth defensive lineman. In another package, he and Bradley were the two linebackers as Fokou dropped back into coverage. Don't remember seeing either of those packages at all previously this season.
Keenan Clayton- He was active for the first time all season, playing three defensive snaps. Clayton lined up opposite Collie in the slot in the second quarter, like a defensive back. He made a tackle on Wayne after a 6-yard gain in the second. Clayton probably could have been called for pass interference on another play, but the refs instead whistled Dimitri Patterson for illegal contact. Clayton was flagged later for running into the kicker on special teams.
Asante Samuel- I'm not sure we're properly appreciating the kind of season Samuel is having. The back-and-forth between Manning and Samuel was the most interesting part of re-watching the game today. Manning went after him on his first two pass attempts - an incompletion and an interception. He then stayed away from him for much of the game until the end. Overall, on throws in Samuel's direction, Manning was just 2-for-8 for 15 yards. On the final play, Samuel and Quintin Mikell switched places so Samuel could freelance and read Manning. He did just that, coming up with his second interception of the day. I gave this stat yesterday, but it's worth mentioning again: Manning had been picked off just twice in 299 attempts before yesterday. Samuel is now tied for second in the league with five interceptions on the season. But it's not just the INTs. He's not giving up anything to opposing receivers on the left side of the field.
Dimitri Patterson- Consider this: Manning completed the first seven passes he threw in Patterson's direction. But he only netted 52 yards on those throws. The rest of the game, Manning went just 2-for-6 for 12 yards throwing in Patterson's direction. Two notes here. One, Patterson's goal was simple. Don't allow big plays, and keep everything in front of him. He did that, making tackles on Wayne after gains of 3, 4 and 6 yards. And he improved as the game went on. Manning went after Patterson, looking to connect with Wayne in the end zone twice at the end of the first half, but came up empty both times.
Joselio Hanson- Hanson also had a solid game. He lined up against Tamme in the slot on the first-quarter Samuel interception. Hanson and Patterson were the base corners when Samuel went out for a series in the first quarter. Hanson made a good tackle on White after a 3-yard gain in the third, forcing a punt. Interestingly enough, the Colts moved Wayne to the slot in the fourth quarter, matching him up against Hanson.
Trevard Lindley- He played a series in the first half in the nickel package with Samuel out.
Nate Allen- He got injured after the 19th defensive play from scrimmage and appears unlikely to play next week. It's been a rough few weeks for Allen after a great first six weeks.
Quintin Mikell- Decent game from Mikell. He was in the middle of the controversial hit on Collie. Mikell was called for a legitimate facemask in the second. He broke up a pass intended for Tamme in the end zone in the second quarter. And on the final play, Mikell switched places with Samuel at the last possible moment, acting as a corner.
Kurt Coleman- He was in the middle of the Collie hit too, making what appeared to be inadvertent helmet-to-helmet contact. Other than that play, Coleman wasn't around the action much. The coaches praised him, so we'll take their word for it - for now. Coleman is likely looking at his first career start next week against the Redskins.
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I'll give the Game Ball to Samuel. GO BIRDS!!!!!— rubbergash- Just want to comment on Bradleys downfield pass coverage. He NEVER turns his head, almost as if he cannot. That is a teachable skill. I see no improvement in his cover skills or his speed. If he cannot learn to turn and look for the ball or just cannot turn his head, he should not be included on passing downs.— chucksf
- Dixon should play ahead of Bunkley now.— ChazzLCamino
- agreed, bradley is not a three down LB, and appears to be a liability. he didn't plug the hole in the late rushing touchdown, he was clean and just didn't make the play. he is probably still a year away from being back to form if he ever regains the form we envisioned for him— xlGmanlx
- agreed, bradley is not a three down LB, and appears to be a liability. he didn't plug the hole in the late rushing touchdown, he was clean and just didn't make the play. he is probably still a year away from being back to form if he ever regains the form we envisioned for him— xlGmanlx
- Sitting here today, calm, and reflective, I still seethe at some of the calls by the refs, some of Andy's calls.....and ALL the stupid, idiotic, drive-extending, hope-giving penalties the "D" perpetrated upon the team. If Vick and the guys had not used up over six minutes of the fourth quarter clock on the next-to-last drive, and then gotten yardage, and a first down on their last drive, there is not a doubt in my mind that Peyton would have pulled that game out for the Colts. I know the "D" had some really good plays, and the refs called some "iffy" things on them, and a couple of other excuses also...BUT!....It was the offense that kept putting obstacles in front of the Colts. Imagine THIS fans: Peyton has all his usual weapons, they were on a normal schedule, and the refs just made routine calls. We probably would have been gashed to the tune of at LEAST 42 points. I applaud EVERYBODY on the coaching staff and the roster, because even considering that Peyton was without many key people...he is STILL Peyton Manning. And I thank him for the class he showed at the podium after the game, giving us lots of credit for the way we won the game.— TBear
- All Asante does is make plays, been sayin it for years. NOBODY in the NFL touches his interception total since '06. If people around here could stop complaining 24/7 that he doesn't tackle like Ray Lewis, you might just appreciate what he does bring to the table
- Good game by Samuel, but what would have been the postgame story if Peyton had Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai, Austin Collie, and Mike Hart? I'd guess no interceptions for Samuel, he'd get bulldozed by Hart a couple times, and a win for the Colts. We won, but we didn't beat the first string Colts.— tacklinjoe
- I'm surprised at the lack of coverage on the 4th and 18 call that gave the Colt's offense life to shrink the lead. I don't care if it's a QB or not, there is no way Trent Cole's lovetap warranted a 'hands to the face' personal foul. There is so much influence in these games right now by the zebra's that it's borderline 'NBA-stupid'. Those games are so unwatchable once the clock dwindles down with all the fouling and free-throw shooting that occurs, and the NFL is quickly on it's way there. It literally seemed like penalties were getting called every down in the 2nd half.— Bleue
- Thanks Sheil. As always good job. Additionally, Samuel is one of the best corners in the league. A couple of weeks ago I watched him on Roddy White and he basically shut him down. White caught most of his passes when Hobbs or Patterson was covering. He did the same yesterday. He sucks at tackling but he surely makes up for it on the rest of his play.— oharabri
- Although I think Dixon has earned more playing time, not surprised he was limited yesterday. With Peyton Manning there is no time for substitutions, so you have to go with the guys that are in best cardio shape. He'll be on the field more next week to stuff the Redskins run game.
- Good game and all out effort by the Defense.... However, I don't agree with using Trent Cole nor, Brandon Graham in coverage against payton manning.... And the blitzes, there are to many times when a blitzing eagle is trapped at the line...... we need line backers...— Dexter
- Hey tacklinjoe, those guys are pros; they don't make excuses, so please don't make excuses for them. Go Eagles!— taycom
- Yo, stikolaboloni, tackle like Ray Lewis? I just wish he would tackle like I did when I played CB in High School. No question the dude gets his interceptions but he is playing football which involves tackling. I would like to see a stat on missed tackles and YACs against him.— txflyer
- People are giving excuses for the Eagles winning. The Eagles have been beaten before when they did not have a full squad. It is a fact in the NFL,every team has injuries. The teams that can survive them do well, that is why it is a TEAM.— simplefreedom
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