Birds' McDermott schemes for the better

How long does it take to go from blame magnet to star tactician?

If you're Sean McDermott, maybe just two weeks.

In the 13 days between the Eagles' defensive meltdown against the Titans and their impressive showing against the Colts, McDermott developed a game plan that outmaneuvered one of the most crafty quarterbacks who has ever played.

The 36-year-old defensive coordinator who faced doubts about his ability and job security delivered a second big fix of the season. He already had patched a run defense that showed too many holes early in the year. On Sunday, he orchestrated a pass defense that recovered from the Kenny Britt show to hit, intercept, and limit Peyton Manning.

McDermott did it with an innovative game plan that used a variety of fronts, blitzes, and coverages. Whatever Manning saw on one drive, something different came at him the next. A lineman might rush out of a given formation one play and then drop into coverage the next.

"We tried to mix up some things pressure-wise and [in] coverage and tried to keep him off balance all game," McDermott said in the Eagles' locker room after the game.

The Eagles' defense seemed to have as many looks as a New York fashion show.

In the first quarter, it kept linebacker Moise Fokou in with its nickel package - in place of Ernie Sims, who usually plays with that group - and blitzed him. On a second and 20, he sat back with the linebackers, but moments before the snap he moved to the line of scrimmage while the defensive linemen shifted to their right.

On a third and 10 later in the same drive, Trent Cole and Juqua Parker lined up at defensive end. Then each stood and fell to linebacker depth while linebackers Stewart Bradley and Sims went to the line of scrimmage. All four were part of a six-man pass rush.

Defensive end Darryl Tapp roved, standing up over the guards here, rushing from a linebacker spot there. On one drive, the Eagles' 4-3 personnel lined up in something approaching a 3-4, with a lineman directly over center.

Sometimes the linebackers blitzed - as on a play in which Bradley, Sims and safety Quintin Mikell attacked Manning while Cole covered tight end Jacob Tamme. Other times it was just four men.

"He was dialing up curveballs when they were expecting fastballs," coach Andy Reid said of McDermott.

Manning was held to a 65.7 passer rating, his second lowest of the year. In the second half, he completed just 13 of 27 pass attempts for 123 yards.

Emblematic of the way McDermott mixed things up was his use of rookie Keenan Clayton, who had not played a game until Sunday. Clayton, a linebacker who began his college career at Oklahoma as a safety, played a hybrid of the two positions on one series.

First, he lined up deep in the defensive backfield. On the next play, he set up as if to cover the slot receiver. He dropped into coverage at the next snap. After that, he was at strong-side linebacker.

Still, against an offense like that of the Colts, sometimes the moves backfired. On the Colts' second touchdown, Tapp dropped out of his defensive-tackle position and into coverage. But the Colts ran right at him, hitting Tapp and a blitzing Sims 2 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Javarris James easily scooted into the end zone.

The Eagles' defense is tied for 20th overall in points allowed per game. Still, it has made impact plays. The Eagles are tied for fifth in the NFL in sacks, and their 18 takeaways are tied for eighth.

Two more interceptions from Asante Samuel sealed a critical win that put the Eagles in a strong position for a second-half run. It starts with a game in Washington on Monday night against a quarterback much different from Manning and an offense much different from the Colts'.

The last time these teams met, the Eagles were run on by coach Mike Shanahan's power scheme. This week, McDermott will need to find a way to counter that as well as the Eagles countered Manning.

Perceptions, after all, can change pretty fast.

Bell released. The Eagles signed safety Colt Anderson off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad and released running back Joique Bell.