Special Teams Could Loom Large for Eagles Against Cowboys
PHILADELPHIA – A 5-0 record can cover a few warts.
Right now, there’s one glaring witch-type wart on the end of the Eagles’ nose, and that is special teams.
It’s a concern, and a big one heading into Sunday night’s primetime game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.
In a game between two very good teams, the so-called third phase of the game could make a difference between winning and losing.
Already, the Eagles’ special teams have given up a blocked field goal in Week 2 and a fake punt that kept a drive that ended in a field goal in last Sunday’s Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cowboys have the ability to make it a trifecta of disaster in the sepcials teams game.
They blocked an L.A. Rams punt on Sunday, with 6-4, 255-pound Dorance Armstrong blocking Riley Dixon’s punt in the first quarter to get the Cowboys off and running to a 6-0 lead.
What would prevent them from coming after Philly punter Arryn Siposs?
You know they will.
Maybe they’ll even try to make it 2-for-2 on fake punt tries against the Eagles unless Philly special teams coordinator Michael Clay figures out a way to shore up that end of things.
Cracks have been revealed and good teams exploit them.
Clay has had to answer for some of the mistakes this year, and whether it’s scheme or players it’s always the coach who comes under scrutiny.
He said earlier in the week that the Cardinals just out-executed his punt coverage team on their successful fourth-and-four punt fake deep within Arizona’s territory.
“We're always talking about D-JO, don't jump offsides, alert something,” said Clay. “…It was a gutsy call, and they executed right there. We wish we could have that back and give our offense a short field going into that two-minute drill.
"Fortunately enough, the defense held, only to three points instead of seven right there. We can't give them an extra drive but hats off to Arizona getting that thing done.”
It’s even more than a blocked field goal and a fake punt. It’s the lack of any significant return yards in the punt and kickoff game.
It’s not just Britain Covey, who has muffed two punts, but where is he supposed to run when he catches the ball? Are there running lanes available?
Again, Clay tried to give an answer as to why that area has struggled.
“You could look around the NFL, - these punters are really good now,” he said. “They can hang it up there. They can throw different rotations on the ball out there. It all comes down - especially on punt return, do you get the right situation? Is it a rocket ball where you've got some time right there? Can we hold up the guys on the outside?
“So, there's a lot of variables with punt returns to get our return game going. So, we're just going to keep working, keep grinding at it. It's just no different than a Major League Baseball hitter, man. You're going to swing and swing, but one time you're going to hit that sweet spot and he's going to go long.”
Going long could be the difference in a game that should be tight.
Even if nothing goes long, at least minimize the mistakes that could play a hand in losing.
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.
