Washburn effect: Is the Wide-9 working?
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Washburn effect: Is the Wide-9 working?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
When looking at the numbers, it's difficult to find much to like about the Eagles' defense through the first five games.
They are allowing 26.4 points per game, tied for sixth-worst. Opponents are scoring touchdowns at a rate of 78.57 percent in the red zone, worst in the NFL, and even worse than last year's mark.
Quarterbacks have a rating of 104.3 (third-worst) against the Eagles, and they have allowed 11 passing touchdowns (second-worst). Against the run, they are allowing 5.0 yards per carry (sixth-worst).
Football Outsiders has the Eagles' defense ranked 26th overall - 20th against the pass and 31st against the run.
The only area where the Eagles have had any kind of success is rushing the quarterback with their front four. The Eagles are tied for second in sacks with 16, and they are third in adjusted sack rate. All 16 sacks have come from defensive linemen.
I took a look at sacks and hurries, compared to last year. In 2010, the Eagles had 31 sacks and 82 hurries by defensive linemen. So far in 2011, they have 16 sacks and 55 hurries. Here's how that looks on a per-game basis:
| Sacks per game | Hurries per game | |
| 2010 | 1.94 | 5.125 |
| 2011 | 3.2 | 11 |
Keep in mind that those hurry stats come from the Eagles. And remember, these are just for defensive linemen.
With more sacks per game and more than twice as many hurries, it's clear the pass rush with the front four has improved greatly from a season ago.
And really, that's what all the defensive changes this offseason were about: getting to the quarterback without having to blitz. That's why they added Jim Washburn. That's why they signed Jason Babin. That's why they stocked up at cornerback.
I'm not sure switching out of the wide-9 would really help this defense. They would still struggle covering opposing running backs (30th in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders). Babin's weakness (defending the run) would be exposed. And the Eagles' best run-stuffing defensive tackle, Antonio Dixon, is out for the season. The linebackers would be less likely to have offensive linemen in their face against the run, but opponents would still have success on the ground against the Eagles.
If the Eagles dump the wide-9, I'm really not sure where they'd go. It's not as if Juan Castillo has coached and implemented a different system of his own in the past.
Last week was actually a little different than the first four. Eagles defenders were in positions to make plays on several occasions. They didn't make them, missed tackles, and the result was a fourth straight defeat.
Kurt Coleman returns to the lineup this week after being benched against the Giants a few weeks ago . I don't know that he's going to give you much in coverage, but if he can make even half the plays against the run that Jarrad Page missed against Buffalo, maybe the system will work a little better against Washington.
Now, on to the weekly breakdown, starting with snap counts from a week ago:
| Player | Pct. of snaps vs. Bills |
| Jason Babin | 82.0% |
| Cullen Jenkins | 68.9% |
| Darryl Tapp | 67.2% |
| Mike Patterson | 63.9% |
| Trevor Laws | 39.3% |
| Phillip Hunt | 32.8% |
| Derek Landri | 26.2% |
| Juqua Parker | 19.7% |
Babin is still playing a lot of snaps, and that will continue until Trent Cole returns.
Hunt also played quite a bit, and while Parker returned, it was in a limited capacity. Landri saw his first action of the season and had some good moments early.
WHO'S PRODUCING?
Let's start with just last week. You can find sacks and QB hits in the box score, and the Eagles' coaching staff keeps track of hurries, so those are the three categories we'll go with:
| Sacks | QB hits | Hurries | |
| Jenkins | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Babin | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Tapp | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hunt | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Patterson | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Laws | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Landri | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Jenkins had the Eagles' only sack, while Babin led the team with three hurries. Hunt and Patterson each contributed a pair of hurries also.
And here are the season totals:
| Sacks | QB hits | Hurries | |
| Babin | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| Jenkins | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Cole | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| Tapp | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Hunt | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Patterson | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Laws | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Dixon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Parker | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Landri | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Babin leads the Eagles with seven sacks, 11 QB hits and 15 hurries. Jenkins has been the best interior pass rusher with five sacks, seven QB hits and five hurries. Babin, Jenkins and Cole have combined for 15 of the Eagles' 16 sacks on the season.
As always, it's good to look at opportunities. Below are percentages on how often each defensive lineman has notched a sack or hurry, based on number of chances to rush the quarterback (provided by Pro Football Focus).
| Sacks+Hurries | Pass-rushing opportunities | Pressure Pct. | |
| Babin | 22 | 128 | 17.2% |
| Jenkins | 10 | 127 | 7.9% |
| Cole | 16 | 120 | 13.3% |
| Tapp | 5 | 23 | 21.7% |
| Hunt | 5 | 32 | 15.6% |
| Patterson | 5 | 115 | 4.3% |
| Laws | 5 | 59 | 8.5% |
| Dixon | 1 | 42 | 2.4% |
| Parker | 1 | 40 | 2.5% |
| Landri | 1 | 5 | 20.0% |
Good illustration here of why it's important to look at opportunities. Patterson and Laws both have a 5 in the first category, but Laws' number comes on significantly fewer opportunities. He's actually been their second-best interior pass rusher behind Jenkins.
Tapp's numbers are still skewed since he's only played in two games. And Landri only had five chances to rush the passer on Sunday.
Hunt's been OK in limited opportunities too.
WHAT ABOUT THE BLITZ?
The Eagles blitzed on four of 27 dropbacks, or 14.8 percent of the time, last week. And they had success. Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 3 of 4 passes for just 14 yards (3.5 YPA) against the blitz. Castillo seemed to catch the Bills off-guard with back-to-back blitzes in the fourth quarter. Fitzpatrick threw incomplete on one, and Nate Allen made a nice play for a 3-yard loss on the second as Buffalo went three-and-out.
On the season, the Eagles have blitzed on 26 of 162 pass plays, or 16.0 percent of the time.
Opposing quarterbacks are 11-for-23 for 213 yards (9.3 YPA) against the Eagles' blitz, but the Birds didn't allow any big plays with extra pressure last week.
As I mentioned in my 10 things breakdown, Rex Grossman has not been great against the blitz, and considering the Eagles will likely once again be without Cole, it wouldn't surprise me if they sent extra pressure a little bit more against the Redskins.
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@MikeP - You're a dolt. It's easy to assess the "Wide 9" as a failure b/c they Eagles DON'T HAVE THE PLAYERS TO EFFECTIVLEY RUN IT you dope. Managing to the capabilities of the players is how REAL LEADERS win. Not "hoping and praying" that players will without the core assets will pull off miracles. Not that I would expect you to know that. Its like using Asamyuoa to play zone WHEN HE IS A LOCKDOWN MAN COVERAGE CORNER! Using the "Wide 9" with this staff is like asking Ryan Howard or Prince Fielder to bunt.— Citizenc92- I think the wide 9 calls for Less Cap money for corners, and more Cap money for linebackers and safety.— camasbud
- The wide 9 is a good scheme if you have the players that can make it work. The Eagles have half of the personnel needed. What the Eagles lack is no secret. They need good linebackers and safeties that can stop the run and also help out with pass defense. These players were available during the off season but ignored by the geniuses that run the eagles. In other words they need quality at those 2 positions---something they are lacking and that is why the defense is in shambles.
Every great coach runs a team that maximizes the talent available. If they have a fair passer and terrific running backs, the run is emphasized. Likewise, an offensive coach looks at the strength of the opponent's defense and plans an attack that will not emphasize plays that do not take advantage of weakness and try to stay away from attacking the opponent's strength. Unfortunately, that is not the Eagle way.
With the Eagles, it doesn't matter what the talent is. The players must fit the system, not the other way around. Under this regime, no title is possible because of the obsessive stubborness of the coaching staff.— Drumgoole - This comment has been deleted.— alphamale
- @alphamale - that is a bit misleading. Chicago gained 122 rushing yards, Dallas gained 113 the week before against Detroit. Chicago had 359 total yards and Dallas had 434 total yards on Detroit the week before. Turnovers doomed Dallas and the fact that Chicago couldn't stop the run doomed them. I believe they sport Urlacher and Briggs at LB. Detroit gained 189 yards on the ground. If Chicago had any type of a threat in the passing game (WRs) they could have come back but since they don't they lost. Teams can run against the wide 9 so that is something you have to be willing to live with. The problem with the Eagles is poor tackling and a secondary that is playing soft. Teams didn't run against us to win they passed. The Buffalo game, had we not turned the ball over so much we would have routed those cats.
- Yeah, agreed but the Lions have four things the Eagles don't. An NFL caliber GM that can evaluate talent on defense effectively. A head coach without his head up his behind. Defensive players in the front 7 that weigh more than a ballerina. And a defensive coordinator that has coached defense before.
- eagles should hire a consultant to try to help them figure out if the wide9 is working.— bloodymess
- They should call it the Spread Eagle Defense the way they just take it up the middle...— TongueWagger
- Other than his sacks, does Babin even have another tackle? He's a figment of the wide 9 mind.— JBinPA
- You can drive an 18 wheeler through the gaps in this Wide 9 line!!! Who needs to pass when you can just run it down their throat all day long?— JBinPA
- Hello eagles front office i recently finished my first year as defensive coordinator for a local high school team. I now have as nuch experience as Castillo so i expect serious consideration for defensive coordinator opening at end of year.— killamagilla
- no one is calling out the Lions for running the wide 9, they are just better at it than we are. Plus didn't they sign a FA LB.......— xlGmanlx
- As bad as thesze numbers, they ar eveen worse when compared to last year. Pass (11), Rush (14) Overall (14). Then they fire McDermott, get 2 all pro cbs and 2 all pro down linemen and drop like a lead ball to the bottom. Ya think McDermott might have gotten a little better after a year's experience and the off season to work on it. Or put your offensive line coach in their who will outwork everybody. When someone is screwin the pooch, you really do not want them outworking everybody else while they are doing it. Book em Danno.— StorminNorman
- If it was working, we wouldn't be 1-4— WestPhillysMostWanted
- TNEagle---It is my understanding that in the wide nine the Eagle DTs lineup in the gaps, unlike last year. Am I mistaken?— Eagle_1960
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