Christian Elliss' Elevation Lifts Britain Covey, Eagles Special Team Units
PHILADELPHIA – Britain Covey had a day. Finally.
The Eagles’ special teams units have been maligned all season long and at the head of the chopping block was Covey.
Bring back Darren Sproles was the battle cry.
Covey, the undrafted rookie free agent from Utah, is the one everybody sees because he has the football in his hands and that’s where all eyes tend to go during a game.
There hadn’t been much room for Covey to operate after catching a punt, but, on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, with the Eagles putting a renewed emphasis on special teams, Covey was able to find room to showcase some of his shiftiness.
Maybe the Christian Elliss effect is the reason why.
Elliss, an undrafted free agent from Idaho originally signed by the Vikings last year, was elevated from the practice squad and made his presence felt.
As for Covey, he came into the game averaging 6.8 yards per punt return, which, believe it or not, had him ranked just outside the top half of the league at No. 19 overall.
Coming out of the game, Covey’s average will rise after averaging 17.5 yards per punt return.
He finished with 105 return yards, which, again, believe it or not, are the second-most by any NFL player this season, behind New England rookie draft pick Marcus Jones, who had 109 on Nov. 20 against the Jets, with most of that coming on an 84-yard, walk-off TD return.
Britain Covey picks up yards with a punt return vs. the Titans in Week 13
USA Today
The Eagles' special teams units looked better overall, though, in that, there were no glaring mistakes, the likes of which had been seen too often this season.
“Special teams went crazy (Sunday),” said edge rusher Haason Reddick. “It just seemed like electrifying hit after electrifying hit then Covey running the ball on punts. He just did his thing. The special teams units stepped up in a very big way. I liked how they responded from last week.”
Last week, Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon made several long kickoff returns covering 50-plus yards after taking the ball out of the end zone from six, seven yards deep.
One big change the Eagles made was elevating Elliss from the practice squad, a move Elliss was informed would be made on Wednesday.
“Christian you’re elevated,” he said when asked after the win when and how he heard about being elevated. “We want you to just be an extra piece to this puzzle, so go out there and show the world we can be the best special team units in the NFL and we’re going to prove it from now on.”
Elliss made two tackles on special teams and delivered a key block to spring Covey on one of his 20-plus punt returns.
“When you see what’s about to happen, you have a split second to make a choice,” he said. “In that split second, it’s like the next step you take you know if you did it right or not. The next step I took, I was able to go make a few plays.
“That’s the way I think about it. It’s a lot like a rush of adrenaline once you see it coming, then it’s like, yes, let’s go, then when you take that next step, it leads into OK, I did a good job, I made the right play, I made the right move.”
Of the block he made to open a lane for Covey, he said: “Brit deserves all the blocking in the world. He’s a special returner. I was just lucky to be out there and help seal that edge and get it for him.
“Nothing I can really say because it’s him running the ball. I was able to add one block in there, but all credit to him. He makes our job easier blocking.”
One game doesn’t make Covey Devin Hester, but it’s a start.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
