Tomorrow's (Thursday) defensive scout team reps at Eagles voluntary OTA finale will feature the Cleveland Browns look. Today's (Wednesday) scout team was the Giants. Yesterday's (Tuesday) simulated opponent was Dallas. Monday's scout team look was the Redskins.
What all this means is the Eagles coaching staff is throwing different defensive looks and variations of pressure and blitzes against QB Mike Vick this week--- the kind he's bound to see in the opener against Cleveland in September and later from division opponents.
It's an ABC approach called learning to read. We give you different letters and combinations of letters this week. We expect you to learn how to read the letters and form the words from them. It would also be very nice if you could learn to read fast enough to recognize the letters and words at the line of scrimmage---and maybe even write a new word before the ball is snapped.
I kid a little, because Vick is getting better at reading defenses. He's just a little slow sometimes in pulling the trigger on writing a new word.
The ABC method works the other way, too. Eagles offensive scout team formations tried to mimic the Giants offense on Wednesday. "Imaginary Eli" (Nick Foles) torched the Eagles' defense for a TD in one series based upon a mis-read by a linebacker (whose name shall not be spoken).
But as GK Brizer says: If you're not occasionally fooled or confused in practice, then your coaches aren't doing their job...
Some other final-week OTA observations:
--DRC has quietly had a great couple of weeks (when present)...he's in great shape and reportedly has been just terrific in outside corner coverage in the passing drills.
--Vinny Curry hurt his ankle in Tuesday's practice but it is "just" a sprain...he turned his ankle working on a move against tackle D.T. Jones...
--Brent Celek and Clay Harbor have been working together on a 2 Tight-End set...That's a strong run formation...but Celek has been lining up in straight pass formations too and has been running all kinds of different routes--and reportedly catching everything they throw near him...
--The rap on Riley Cooper is he's been dropping a lot of passes in the drills, as has been Harbor...
DRC looking stronger and more motivated than ever according to inside observers...a good feeling about outside cornerback is starting to take over the prospectus for Eagles Defense 2012...
