Five Ways the Eagles can Escape from 0-2 Hole

It won't be easy but here is one opinion on how to at least try to make it happen

Digging out of an 0-2 hole won’t be easy for an Eagles team that seemed intent on wielding a big shovel to dig that hole in the first place.

From bad quarterback play, poor game planning, to atrocious defense, the breakdowns have been plentiful and dramatic.

This doesn’t look like an easy fix no matter what happens on Sunday against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, especially with trips to San Francisco and Pittsburgh waiting on the other side of this weekend followed by a home visit from the Baltimore Ravens.

“There’s no talking we can do, there’s nothing you can say what you’re going to do,” said right tackle Lane Johnson. “It all goes down to focusing on game day, going and attacking the game plan, eliminating errors. Everything you know you need to do is what you have to do.

“There are no shortcuts in this game, in this league, guys are too talented. We’re backed into a hole but the good thing about this is you have to fight your way out. Really, that’s what we have to do.”

Here’s what must happen to escape the hole and get the season pointed in the right direction:

Stay aggressive.

So many reasons for quarterback Carson Wentz’s struggles have been offered, from a groin injury that kept him out of practice for a few days at the end of camp to being psyched out by rookie Jalen Hurts to bad mechanics from too many coaches to voodoo - OK, not voodoo - that it's to the point of being ridiculous now.

“I see his work ethic during the week,” said Pederson. “One way to get out of it is you've just got to continue to stay aggressive. Stay on the attack, and I don't want anybody to go into a shell.”

Be more creative on offense.

The 12 personnel package has grown stale, and its use has become excessive. There’s only so much you can do with two tight ends, neither of whom are fleet afoot. You drafted speed. Use it, set the field ablaze with it, get that speed in space, find a way.

Rekindle the underdog mentality.

So many have counted them out, thinking 5-11 is a real possibility. Use that as motivation, much the same way nobody gave them a chance to win the Super Bowl three seasons ago.

“Listen, there's going to be setbacks, right?” said Pederson. “There's going to be things that don't go our way. But instead of just folding up our tents and going and doing something else, we're going to fight the fight, man.

“We're going to sit in here. We're going to grind this thing out. We're going to figure this thing out. I've got smart coaches. I've got smart players. … those guys in that locker room are mad. They are upset that we're 0-2 and in this position.”

Accountability.

Jim Schwartz took his fair share on Tuesday when the defensive coordinator said he had a game plan for the Rams. He stuck up for his players, too, saying he needs to put them in better situations.

If some of the same players fail to show that, well, put them on the bench. Schwartz didn’t sound ready to consider any shakeup along those lines, but you can rest assured that he won’t take the blame for his players’ lack of execution every week should it come to that.

“Lot of respect for Schwartz,” said safety Jalen Mills. “You don’t see a lot of defensive coordinators coming out and saying those types of things, putting everything on the line for himself. Regardless of whatever he said, for us as players, coaches coach, and players play. 

"So, we gotta have his back, too, regardless if he felt like he didn’t give us a good plan or not. We still gotta go out there and execute whatever play is being called … We have to back him up just like he backs us up.”

Frankly, there should be two personnel moves made right now.

Insert rookie linebacker Shaun Bradley for Nate Gerry.

Make rookie K’Von Wallace the third safety, not Marcus Epps, until at least Will Parks is ready to return.

Improve communication.

This goes both ways, on offense and defense, but particularly between Pederson and Wentz.

Don’t worry about stepping on Wentz’s toes, either, with how information is being communicated.

“I want to have open, constructive dialogue and yet still be critical, right, and holding the player accountable, right, whether it's Carson or somebody on defense or whoever it might be,” said the coach.

“But having creative ways to kind of get my point across or at least to - I want to be able to see him, let's say because we are talking about Carson, verbalize to me what you saw, right.

"And I see it a certain way and then he sees it a certain way and then we can have an open dialogue that way and have a constructive conversation, as opposed to me constantly … coming from an attack style because sometimes - you don't want the resentment, right, especially quarterback and play-caller. You want to have an open dialogue.”

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