Patriots' Belichick Reveals Eagles Scouting Report
FOXBORO — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for being effusive in his praise of his opponents.
While there are instances in which such approbation is met with more of an eye-roll than an approving nod, the Pats' Week 1 opponents - the Philadelphia Eagles - have earned it. The defending NFC champions are arriving in New England for their Sunday afternoon season opener with the Pats as 3.5-point favorites [per SI Sportsbook] with the ability to be dominant in all three phases of the game. It is a fact not lost on Belichick, who began his Wednesday morning media meet by heaping praise on the Eagles.
“They’ve got a really good offensive line, excellent skill players, starting with the quarterback [Jalen Hurts,]” Belichick said. “Certainly the receivers – [A.J.] Brown, [DeVonta] Smith, [Dallas] Goedert, I mean they’re all good. They’ve got good backs, good quarterback, good skill players.”
Belichick is well aware of the versatile prowess of Philadelphia’s offensive attack. Hurts threw for 3,701 yards (66 percent completion rate) of his passes with 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 15 games last season. While the Alabama-turned-Oklahoma product made quite the case for MVP, by also compiling 760 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Through the air, Hurts’ weapons are as effective as any in the NFL, with the aforementioned Brown, Smith and Goedert having combined for 238 catches for 3,394 yards and 21 touchdowns.
For as much excitement as Philadelphia can generate on offense, its defense is considered to be doubly fearsome. Led by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and linebacker Hasson Reddick, the Eagles defensive front finished last season atop the league with 69 sacks. Belichick is apparently well-aware of the problems Philly’s front seven may cause the patriots offensive line, and by extension, quarterback Mac Jones.
“Defensively, their front is a very dominant front, best pass rushing front in the league by, I’d say, quite a bit with good depth,” Belichick said. “So, they can roll those guys out of there pretty comfortably and bring in other guys that are just as explosive, dangerous. They’ve got a great combination of power and speed in the pass rush front, and then some good coverage players.”
However, the accolades from the ‘HC of the NEP’ did not stop with the Eagles’ defensive line and linebacking corps. Belichick acknowledged the skills of a formidable Philadelphia secondary, led by former first-team All Pro (2017) Darius Slay at cornerback.
“Obviously, [Darius] Slay is one of the top coverage corners in the league,” Belichick added. "They’ve made some changes at safety – brought in an experienced guy with [Terrell] Edmunds, drafted [Sydney] Brown, [Reed] Blankenship’s there. They’re pretty good in the kicking game too, [Britain] Covey’s explosive, [Boston] Scott’s explosive.”
Lastly, no Belichickian scouting report would be complete without a proverbial tip of the cap to the game’s third phase, special teams. Renowned for placing a premium on sound special teams fundamentals, Belichick seems to be impressed with the unit employed by the Eagles — with good reason.
“They’ve got an excellent field goal kicker in [Jake] Elliott,” Belichick remarked. “Experienced long snapper. So, they’ve got a good group there that has been productive for them. They’ve made some big plays, you know, the big return in the Super Bowl; they’ve blocked kicks. They’re a good punt rush team. They’re a good field goal rush team. So, they really challenge you on every play.”
Whether Belichick and the Patriots are up to the challenge is still a matter of conjecture. Still, the safe be is that the 71-year-old legendary coach will have his team ready for its 4:25 p.m. kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
