PHILADELPHIA — Hindsight is 20/20 around here, a fact of life the Phillies are wallowing in after their devastating seven-game NLCS loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Manager Rob Thomson will forever be ripped for making his moves his way instead of rendering changeups to the batting order as Diamondbacks counterpart Torey Lovullo did. If Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel could have gotten a few more outs in Games 3 and 4, the club would be in the World Series with the Texas Rangers. No one knows that better than Thomson and Kimbrel.
Speaking of the big stage, it’s been a while since the Eagles and then defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon couldn’t get a single stop in the second half of their 38-35 Super Bowl LVII loss to Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Unless I’m totally wrong about Sean Desai, the new Eagles defensive coordinator, something like that won’t happen again.
If Desai had been on the job for the Eagles in the title game, there would have been another parade down Broad Street.
While it is a modest seven-game sample size, the Eagles are 6-1 and coming off a beatdown of epic proportions of the Miami Dolphins. Desai’s ability to adjust in the face of injuries and against more offensive masterminds than the previous coordinator faced in an entire season has made him a favorite in the locker room.
“He’s putting us in the best situations possible, letting everybody showcase their ability,” defensive end Josh Sweat said. “I think he’s letting us be free and just run around and do what we want, obviously within the scheme. And he’s not scared. He’s doing what he does, and it doesn’t matter the team we play. He’s not going to let it get to him and get out of character.”
The Eagles rank first in the league in run defense and eighth in total defense. Gannon had a good defense in 2022 although to be fair, outside of Doug Pederson with Jacksonville and Kyle Shanahan with San Francisco in the NFC title game, who did he have to stop? Gannon’s defense struggled to stop the run, which cost them in the second half of the Super Bowl. His defense forced more turnovers than the current unit, but again, those came at the expense of ordinary offenses and coordinators.
Desai already has concocted plans that have defeated such offensive hotshots as Kevin O’Connell of Minnesota, Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams and Mike McDaniel of the Dolphins. The Eagles limited Miami, which led the league in every major statistical category, to less than half of their 500-yard total in offense and just 17 points, one of the touchdowns a pick-six. The Dolphins were averaging 37.1 points.
The Eagles also held game-breaking wide receiver Tyreek Hill and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to about half their average highlight-making output.
“We made them one dimensional,” said head coach Nick Sirianni, who applauded the work of Desai and his staff. “I can’t tell you how much respect I have for Mike McDaniel and his staff and those players. I never saw anybody as fast as Tyreek Hill in person. But great job by our DBs. We knew he was going to get some plays and this and that, but it starts with our defensive line and being able to apply pressure, which I thought we did. And the DBs did a good job making him hold the ball a tick when we were able to get home.”
There are reasonable arguments to be made that Gannon was good enough to guide the Eagles to Glendale, Ariz., last year with both pass rush and takeaway strengths. At the Super Bowl, the defense played well enough to secure a 24-14 lead before Rihanna did her thing at halftime.
But the Eagles lacked passion, energy and at times common sense in a second half where they were outscored 24-11. It doesn’t get any worse than allowing not one, but two walk-in touchdowns as the Eagles did to Chiefs receivers in the second half.
The piece de resistance was when the Eagles tried to coax the Chiefs into scoring late in the game so they would have enough time for another possession. Reid recognized it, Isaiah Pacheco took a knee, and the Chiefs won.
After the game, while Eagles cornerback James Bradberry stood tall and apologized to his teammates for committing a crucial holding penalty, Gannon was nowhere to be found. Two days later he officially became head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Happy Tuesday, he would say.
Desai has a different personality and leadership style. Players say he doesn’t scream but encourages them to work on their strengths, not just their weaknesses. Desai figures out how the players fit best into the defenses he has. The latter isn’t happening overnight, and that’s what is impressive as the Eagles work their way through some of the league’s most formidable offensive minds.
Remember, generally the first 15 offensive plays are scripted. Those are the plays where teams try to break their tendencies. That’s when Desai starts making his adjustments.
Desai isn’t afraid to play young guys or ask veterans to shift roles, like Bradberry playing more at the nickel corner spot, where seven different players have gotten the call after the injury to Avonte Maddox.
Most refreshing is Desai doesn’t allow walk-in touchdowns.
To contact Bob Grotz, email rgrotz@delcotimes.com.
Source: Berkshire mont