Zone Read: Eagles-Cowboys, the Day After
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CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN?
1. What was going on with the clock operator in the fourth quarter?
Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were outraged after a Jason Witten catch when the play clock suddenly dropped to 25 seconds. The Cowboys apparently didn’t notice the malfunction and were hit with a delay of game penalty as the clock quickly ticked down to zero.
In reality, this was a non-issue as the Dez Bryant beat Patrick Chung for a 32-yard touchdown on the drive. But that’s not supposed to happen to the home team.
I’m guessing that Jerry Jones might be making an employment decision on the clock operator before he decides what to do with Jason Garrett.
2. When Collinsworth officially changed his man-crush from Jason Peters to Mychal Kendricks?
In 2011, Peters turned in one of the best seasons for a left tackle in recent memory. Whenever the Eagles played on Sunday night that season, Collinsworth affectionately used the telestrator to point out the many talents of No. 71.
But I’m sorry, Jason. I think Cris has moved on to a younger, shorter, faster player on the other side of the ball.
Collinsworth gushed over Kendricks (and in most cases, rightfully so) all night Sunday. And the lovefest will continue for a third straight week. Michaels and Collinsworth will call Eagles-Saints on NBC Saturday night.
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THE NO-22
If you’re like me, your immediate reaction after Bryant’s 32-yard TD in the fourth was: Why on earth did Billy Davis match Chung up with him one-on-one?
Let’s take a look at what happened on the play.
The Eagles are going with a zero-blitz, meaning no safety help. They send seven rushers at Orton and are singled up with four receivers.
Initially, Chung is on slot receiver Miles Austin, and Bradley Fletcher is on Bryant.
But Orton motions Austin out wide, putting Bryant in the slot. Chung and Fletcher switch receivers. Either the Eagles would have had Chung one-on-one on the outside with Austin (where he rarely plays) and Fletcher in the slot (where he never plays). Or Chung on Bryant in the slot (an obvious mismatch) and Fletcher on Austin out wide.
Maybe the better question here is: Why have Brandon Boykin blitz and Chung in coverage? Boykin’s the better cover guy. Why not put him on Bryant and let Chung go after the quarterback? We can pose that one to Davis this week.
Anyway, Orton identified the mismatch and found his receiver.
The coverage really wasn’t bad. It was the missed tackle that turned a potential first down into a TD.
Still, Chung being asked to tackle Bryant one-on-one with no help put the Eagles’ safety in a tough spot.
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THE NUMBER THAT MATTERS
(+) 12 – That’s the Eagles’ turnover margin in 2013, good enough for fourth-best in the league and a stark contrast to the previous year when they were a -24.
The Cowboys’ first offensive drive was a pretty good microcosm of the Eagles’ season on defense. They let Dallas move the ball 50 yards from their own 23, but Kendricks forced a DeMarco Murray fumble, and Fletcher recovered.
Of the eight teams that finished the season +9 or better in turnover differential, seven are in the postseason.
I generally despise when analysts point to turnovers as keys to the game because they’re always important. But still, Chip Kelly, Nick Foles and the Eagles deserve a ton of credit for their turnaround in this department.