Ok, this one isn't going to be popular. I've seen all the talk about how simple and predictable they are on offense. They were last year too. It's a ridiculous oversimplification of what's happening. Criticize Johnson for not evolving the offense whatsoever and I'm completely on board. But tell me he's walked it backward schematically and I just don't see it. NFL coaches eventually figure everything out.
Desai isn't great, but he's fine. I have no major problems with him outside of being incredibly disappointed with how often they rotate their Safeties. That was what I thought a true Fangio disciple would bring. I also think the way NFL offense is trending right now at the high end is antithetical to the way Howie likes to build defenses.
First, let's talk about Byard because he's a good example of what's happening all over the back 7. He got significantly slower from even earlier this year. He's some combination of unhealthy and cooked, but I have no way of knowing how to slice the pie. That does happen with DBs where they reach a physical floor and it's catastrophically over.
Their coverage wasn't bad at all. I know how crazy this sounds, but we can back it up by looking at things like how many tight window throws Dak had to make. This was sometime in the 4Q:
He was phenomenal. To a degree, they did just get beaten by excellent QB play. Dak's strengths have always lined up incredibly well against what the Eagles try to do. But it's also that almost all of their back 7 is slow and can't tackle. That's why they get killed in YAC. Having some guys who basically get by on smarts is great. They can be excellent value. There is a point at which they stop stacking. Sydney Brown is a rookie who always needed to be reined in over time, so let's set him aside for now. Is anyone else fast? There's Ringo, but he doesn't play. The only other player in the back 7 I'm sure is a good tackler is Zach Cunningham. That's why it feels like he flashes. It sticks out.
So why did I preface this with Howie's approach to defense? What the high end offensive minds in the NFL do more and more is neutralize your pass rush. They currently have the second lowest pass rush win rate on 3rd down despite spending the GDP of Germany in dollars and assets on their DL. I'm just not sure loading up the DL to the gills and telling them to make 3rd Down work an beat the best teams anymore.