Defensive Positional Analysis

The Eagles wasted no time in Free Agency signing two players in two days in the first week. Both players are great additions to the defense which I am doing a position-by-position analysis of this week. One the league's most sought-after free agents in 2008, Samuel's first and only stop was Philadelphia, where he inked a six-year deal. Clemons comes to town after an eight-sack season in Oakland. Just like that, two days in, and the Eagles have added pieces to the defense and depth up front and in the secondary that they just did not have a year ago. Say what you want about the defense from 2007, but the fact is that Jim Johnson deserves a ton of credit for keeping the Eagles in games with a defense that missed so many opportunities to make plays and force turnovers and, in short, win games. I had thought that the Eagles would get Samuel though I thought it would take longer, as for Clemons this is the first I had heard that the Eagles were even interested in him. The defense, which overhauled its front seven a year ago, looks pretty complete at the moment. The Eagles added a big-time playmaker in Samuel, who has the most interceptions of any player in the NFL over the last two seasons, and then they brought in Clemons, who is hopefully on the career path headed in the right direction after a terrific 2007 season in Oakland. Rarely has there been an offseason that has started with such a positive bang. The Eagles are making all the right moves, with more bound to come. Lets start the analysis of the defense.

First the performance of the Eagles' young linebackers in 2007 provided the coaching staff and front office enough confidence for 2008 to release veteran Takeo Spikes. What Jim Johnson has now is one of the youngest groups in the league and, certainly, one of the very youngest ever in Philadelphia. Omar Gaither, a second-year player who started in December of 2006 moved to the middle as the full-time starter last year, and made strides every day as the SAM linebacker. Gaither was a tackling machine in the middle. Chris Gocong was a physical presence against the run and a developing player in passing situations, both in coverage and when he was called on to rush the quarterback. Gocong was simply outstanding against the run and then advanced as a pass-rushing threat off the edge in certain situations. When Spikes missed the final two games of the year after suffering a shoulder injury in the win over Dallas, Stewart Bradley became the starter, and wowed everybody with six tackles, a quarterback sack, and a forced fumble in the game, and helped the Eagles stifle a high-powered New Orleans offense during a memorable goal-line stand. What remains to be seen is how Jim Johnson plans on putting it all together. With new linebackers coach Bill Shuey working with the group, Sean McDermott moved to the secondary, the Eagles are likely to consider a lot of options moving forward. Johnson has options here and he has one of the more talented groups of linebackers to come along in many years here.

Next when is the last time the Eagles could be as legitimately excited as now about their short-term and long-term prospects at defensive tackle? Mike Patterson, who was maligned at the end of 2006 after the Eagles were hurt so badly in the playoff loss in New Orleans, benefited from the effort, discipline, and aggressiveness of Brodrick Bunkley, who saw his first real NFL action in his second season. Bunkley played off the technical excellence and superior hustle of Patterson and, with the improvement from the linebackers and the defensive ends, the run defense turned into a strength last season. Patterson is always around the ball. He does exactly what the coaches need within the scheme. As good as Patterson is against the run, he is also the team's best inside pass rusher. Bunkley wasn't nearly as consistent as Patterson last season, but he showed flashes that get the coaches very excited. Patterson and Bunkley need to be more productive rushing the quarterback. That is probably their most important focus in the months to come. They must take some of the sack pressure off of end Trent Cole, and while the left defensive end position needs to be more productive, so do the tackles. These two, Patterson and Bunkley, have a chance to be tremendous. Time will only tell. Montae Reagor had just one sack last year after the Eagles signed him in free agency, but he was coming off a terrible automobile accident and never got into the flow all season. Reagor could return and could, if he is right, provide the needed inside pass rush in the nickel the defense so desperately needs. Second-year man Jeremy Clark has some skills, but needs to put it all together to make it at this level. He will get the chance to show what he can do now that he understands the scheme and has a good feel for what line coach Pete Jenkins teaches. The Eagles seem absolutely fine as far as the starters go at defensive tackle. Patterson and Bunkley are two good players who have a chance to be even better than that. But what about the depth? Every defense needs numbers along the defensive line. Who can the Eagles count on should they need to go to a third and fourth tackle in 2008? The Eagles need to be as good as they can be at tackle. They're off to a good start. The foundation is promising.
With the addition of Chris Clemons and the release of Javon Kerse the Eagles have a completely different look at the Defensive end position than they did last year. Clemons put it all together last year in Oakland, recording eight quarterback sacks after making a successful transition from sometimes-linebacker to full-time defensive end. The Eagles think they got themselves a gem in Clemons, who played in only 37 percent of the snaps last season with the Raiders. He recorded eight quarterback sacks, and, as the numbers say, did a lot more. Let's hope that he continues to improve and be the force on the end that Kerse wasn't. Trent Cole is one of the best ends in the league, Period. No longer is Cole an "emerging" defensive ends or "one of the better young players" in the NFL. With 12 1/2 sacks and more than 100 total tackles, Cole earned every bit of his trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. It should be the first of many opportunities for Cole, who plays with as much energy and enthusiasm as any player on any team. Cole is not just an off-the-edge speed rusher any longer. He has continued to improve in every aspect of the position. With a long-term contract, financial security and an undeniable hunger to be the best end in the league. Cole is only beginning his prime. At left end, the Eagles saw Juqua Thomas emerge as a starter last year and Thomas continued to play with terrific effort and the kind of versatility the Eagles like. He moved inside in the nickel at times, he dropped back in coverage in zone blitz situations and Thomas held up well against the run. However, Thomas' sack numbers dropped after a good start in 2007. He had just two sacks in the final 13 games of the season, and while Thomas did a lot of things well, he did not register enough of the all-important sack numbers. That is where Clemons comes in. There are three more ends that have a chance to crack the rotation this spring. Jerome McDougle, who has faced just about every kind of injury imaginable, could get one more opportunity in the preseason. A.J. Schable must play with great energy and pick up the teachings of line coach Pete Jenkins, as well as shine on special teams. Xzavie Jackson spent November and December on the Eagles' practice squad and is an end/tackle who is going to get his shot to make this team. The ends played very well against the run last year, and the sack numbers weren't bad, either. Now with Clemons to help Cole with sacks this group has a chance to be something special.

Safeties are next and my favorite player Brian Dawkins. Injuries dealt the safety positions a huge blow last year, but this year should be different. Last year was anything but a typical season for the six-time Pro Bowl safety, Brian Dawkins, and the rash of injuries cast doubt on his ability to get back to his star level. He has expressed confidence that a strong offseason will return his health and allow him to play at his normally high level. Although he is my favorite player I don't think he has more than a couple of more seasons in him though, and the Eagles might need to pick up a young safety at some point so that he can benefit from playing under Dawkins. There are other concerns to consider with Dawkins as well. He is the leader on this defense and someone will have to step into that role before he leaves. Dawkins isn't the only injury concern. Starting strong safety Sean Considine struggled at times before his season ended midway through the year. Quintin Mikell stepped up and showed he is a quality starter at either safety position. Mikell was physical, he made plays on the ball and he helped pilot a young defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFC East. Mikell proved he could be a starter, and a good one, in this defense. He was already one of the Eagles' best special teams players, and is somebody the Eagles know they can count on moving forward. A pleasant surprise in the secondary last year was J.R. Reed. Reed got better and better as the season progressed. He went from a player who stayed deep in coverage to someone who made plays at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles could very well add a safety in free agency or the draft. Dawkins is advancing in years, Considine has health issues and the team has always guarded itself against being caught short. The hope is that Dawkins comes all the way back and that Mikell and Considine bring out the best in each other with good spring and summer competition.

Finally lets look at the cornerbacks. The big news here of course is Asante Samuel. Almost 17 hours after the marketplace opened, it was announced that the former Patriots cornerback had signed a lucrative six-year deal with the Eagles worth a reported $57 million. One of the league's top cover men, the 27-year-old Samuel brings an impressive résumé to Philadelphia and adds more star power to an already talented secondary. Andy Reid said Samuel will be his starting left cornerback for 2008. Beyond that, Reid said, "we'll work things out from there." In five seasons in New England, he recorded 22 interceptions in 75 career regular season games and five more interceptions in 14 career postseason games. He was an integral part of New England's NFL history-making perfect regular season in 2007 and has won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. Reid and Johnson believe the addition of Samuel, teamed with Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and Brian Dawkins, will help the team compete against the exceptional receivers in the NFC East, including the Cowboys' Terrell Owens and the Giants' Plaxico Burress. For years and years, the Eagles have had enviable continuity at cornerback. From Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor to Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, the Eagles have had their corners covered. When he was on last year, Sheppard was very, very on. He blanketed Terrell Owens and had a huge interception to key the defensive effort in a 10-6 win over Dallas in December. Even in the first game against the Cowboys, Sheppard provided an interception to kill a drive and give the ball to the offense. But there were several games during which Sheppard wasn't able to move as he normally does, and teams picked on him. The defense, then, lost its shut-down presence in the secondary, and all of a sudden Jim Johnson's turnover-thirsty defense slowed its turnover production. But Sheppard is completely healthy after suffering through such a tough season. At his best, Sheppard is a terrific playmaker who has the kind of play-making ability the defense missed so much last season. Sheldon Brown had a fine year, a solid year, and one that began with some big plays and Pro Bowl chatter and ended with Brown's usual good performance. Joselio Hanson stepped up and into the starting lineup, and started four games, played in all 16, and did a good job last year. Hanson is probably best suited as a nickel or dime back and an outstanding special teams player, but he has certainly come a long way in the years since the Eagles signed him off the scrap heap after his time with the 49ers. With the addition of Samuel, and the continued pro-bowl quality play from Shepard, as well as good back-up from Brown, the Eagles are set to be one of the best secondaries in the NFL.