Another week, another difficult tight end challenge for the Eagles' defense.
From the Packers' tall and wide receiver-fast Jermichael Finley (four catches for 47 yards) to the Lions' power-forward-strong Brandon Pettigrew (seven for 108) to the Jaguars' big, fast and athletic Mercedes Lewis.
"Most teams have invested in a good tight end," said Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. "We've got to be able to hold up there."
Much has been made of the Murderer's Row list of quarterbacks the Eagles have on their 2010 dance card. But the list of tight ends is every bit as imposing.
Waiting for them down the road after Lewis is the Redskins' Chris Cooley (twice), the 49ers' Vernon Davis, the Falcons' future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, the Colts' Dallas Clark, the Cowboys' Jason Witten (twice), the Texans' Owen Daniels, the Bears' Greg Olsen and the Vikings' Visanthe Shiancoe. All of them, except Shiancoe and Olsen, have caught at least 70 passes in a season. All of them, except Witten and Daniels, have had eight or more touchdown receptions in a season.
A year ago, thanks in large part to a slew of injuries at the linebacker position, opposing tight ends feasted on the Eagles' defense like vultures on a dead carcass. In 17 games, including the playoff loss to the Cowboys, the Eagles gave up an astounding 102 catches for 1,079 yards and 10 touchdowns to enemy tight ends.
Needless to say, improving tight end coverage was a major point of emphasis in the offseason. It's a big part of the reason the Eagles went out and traded for linebacker Ernie Sims. It's the main reason they traded away Chris Gocong and benched Moise Fokou and moved Akeem Jordan from the weak side to the strong side.
"Last year, we had so many people moving in and out at the linebacker position that it was hard to get comfortable," strong safety Quintin Mikell said. "We just worked it [tight end coverage] more in the offseason and guys got better at it."
The Eagles did an impressive job on Finley in Week 1, and even with middle linebacker Stewart Bradley out with a concussion, managed to keep Pettigrew in check for 2 1/2 quarters. Held him to one catch for 10 yards in the first 39 minutes as the Eagles built a 28-17 lead.
But then they let down and Pettigrew went on a tear, catching six passes for 98 yards in the final 21 minutes to help the Lions nearly pull out a come-from-behind victory.
"A couple of things involving the tight end and the running back reared their ugly head again," McDermott said. "We've got to do a better job than that. We've got to make sure we're doing things right there.
"They rubbed us [wide receiver Calvin Johnson ran cornerback Asante Samuel into Bradley's replacement, Omar Gaither] one time and the tight end got free down the sideline for a big gain. We can't let that happen."
Getting Bradley back this week certainly should help.
"It's nice when you have a guy like Stew, for sure," McDermott said.
The biggest change in the Eagles' approach to defending tight ends this season is they're trying to be more physical with them. Too often last year they allowed tight ends like Witten and Cooley to get free releases off the line.
"Tight ends in this league, they all can move," McDermott said. "All of them have quasi-wide receiver-type bodies. You need to be physical with them when you can and get the matchups that you want as much as possible."
Bradley's presence on the field makes a big difference in the Eagles' ability to deal with opposing tight ends. He is a three-down linebacker, playing in both the Eagles' base and "buffalo" (nickel) packages. He's got the size and strength to slow them up and disrupt their timing with the quarterback, and he's got the speed to stay with them down the field.
"You want to try to get your hands on them quick," Bradley said. "Sometimes the jam between the 5 yards and 6 yards, they get a little nit-picky [defenders aren't allowed to bump a receiver beyond 5 yards of the line of scrimmage]. But at the end of the day, disrupting the timing and being more physical with those guys is going to be more beneficial."
On the Packers' first offensive play against the Eagles, quarterback Aaron Rodgers tried to hit Finley on a seam route, but Bradley was able to stay with him and help force an incompletion.
Later in the game, with Bradley on the sideline with a concussion, Finley ran the same route. Gaither, who had replaced Bradley, didn't take a deep enough drop and Rodgers hit his tight end for a 20-yard gain on a third-and-9 play that kept alive a Packers scoring drive.
