Eagles Can't Get 'Lost in the Sauce' of Man vs. Zone in the Secondary

Jim Schwartz already used man coverage more than most in the NFL last season

When the current is strong, sometimes you just have to flow with it.

Despite some flawed narratives, Jim Schwartz already used man coverage more than most in the NFL last season and now that the Eagles defensive coordinator has two new veteran cornerbacks at his disposal who are more than capable of holding up in that kind of environment, it stands to reason that he might call the defense more.

There are also other factors involved that will be pulling Schwartz in the direction of that thesis, notably the COVID-19 hampered offseason which turned all preparation virtual along with the scaled-back training camps that will feature essentially two weeks of padded practices and no preseason games.

While Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman are both accomplished players who will not be overwhelmed by such hurdles, rolling out intricate zone defenses with so many moving parts seems like a recipe for disaster.

Despite his reputation as a defensive play-caller that rarely deviates from a four-man rush, Schwartz has always been far more than that and he kept his cornerbacks on an island 34 percent of the time in 2019, good for ninth in the NFL, according to FootballOutsiders.com.

There is context to that, however. Namely that the 34 percent number is also the average of the league as a whole when it comes to man coverage and everyone lumped in the middle is separated by small percentage points so the swing can be pretty drastic as far as a ranking unless you are on the outliers.

Considering that Schwartz was top 10 with Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby in the mix, the number would figure to increase to an outlier with better man players like Slay and Robey-Coleman even in a typical offseason where the newcomers had OTAs, minicamp, a full training camp, and four preseason games to work out the kinks.

Both players admitted earlier this week that man coverage is easier to implement than zone.

"That’s fair to say," said Slay via Zoom. "You just want to guard the guy in front of you, so whoever lines up in front of you, you go against him."

Robey-Coleman offered a similar sentiment.

“That’s definitely an easier transition,” said NRC. “That’s up my alley. I love man-to-man. I love getting in people’s faces, putting hands on (opposing receivers)."

The two players who figure to get most of the work opposite Slay on the outside - Avonte Maddox and/or Sidney Jones - are younger, athletic players who also fit into the theme of man-to-man.

“That’s definitely going to be one of the (main attributes) of this defense, is getting in people’s face and actually covering them and letting the D-line do what they do best, and that’s getting after the quarterback,” said Robey-Coleman.

Schwartz, though, is keen on not tipping off coverages pre-snap so it will always be an eclectic mix. As an example, he did rush only four 75.9 percent of the time last season which was No. 5 in the league. Conversely, he rushed six-or-more 9.8 percent of the time, which was fourth in the NFL.

The organization as a whole continues to stress safeties, with some cornerback in their backgrounds in order to create positionless players on the back end.

“Over the last couple of years, we’ve taken a lot of strides in trying to avoid the tells in our defense, whether it was man or zone,” said Schwartz last month. “It really started the week after the Super Bowl. ... We saw where (offenses) were going with pick routes [against man] and said, ‘OK, we’re tired of complaining to the officials that we got picked or it was offensive pass interference. We need to mitigate it ourselves."

To do that Schwartz has used a host of looks. For instance, the veteran DC used six defensive backs, the so-called big nickel on 26 percent of his defensive snaps, a number that was eighth in the NFL.

With the lack of proven linebackers at Schwartz’s disposal moving forward and positional versatility of certain DBs like Mills, Will Parks, and rookie K'Von Wallace that is another number that could spike even further.

The on-field pilot of it all will be veteran free safety Rodney McLeod.

"It throws a little wrench into it," said McLeod of the pandemic. "You miss out on OTAs. That’s a period where you build that chemistry and guys are fortunate enough to get a lot of reps, especially these newcomers that we have. Slay, Robey-Coleman, Will Parks.

“... we’re trying to take advantage of every minute and second and hour that we have together here. We’re still all together even though we’re spaced out. We’re building our chemistry and connection right now. Guys are getting up to speed, taking it a step further, and doing what they have to do."

Robey-Coleman admitted, "it's a process that’s got to be expedited."

“That’s why you have seasoned veterans that can come in and adjust to the climate of the organization or a situation that’s going on outside of football, just speaking on this pandemic," he explained. "Me, Slay, Rod, Mills, guys that have been places and deep into the playoffs and won Super Bowls. We know how to adjust to things like this.

"We’re not lost in the sauce like we forgot how to play football.”

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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