THIS one is less about “adopt and adapt”, and more about “get back to get back”. What that means is, to get back to the Super Bowl, we have to get back to what REALLY got us there, and what really won it for us. What we need to get back to, is giving the QB room to operate the Offense.
Two years ago, WR Torrey Smith took the lid off of defenses, and allowed the QB to render our intermediate passing game, as safe as a short passing game. Smith himself didn’t do a lot of statistical damage (36 – 430 – 11.9 – 2), despite playing in every game.
The real damage that Smith did, was open up the defense underneath, which then allowed players like WR Nelson Agholor (62 – 768 – 12.4 – 8) and TE Zach Ertz (74 – 824 – 11.1 – 8) to have career years.
2015. A Bills player gets a stiff arm to the mug and it Ertz so good. Eagles win 23 – 20
With so many receivers to cover in the intermediate area, that loosened up the box and allowed the Eagles to run for over 2,000 yards, despite not having a superstar RB on the roster.
Replacing Smith in 2018, was WR Mike Wallace, who was brought in to fill the role of deep threat. Wallace was hurt in the second game of the season, and never caught a single pass. Having lost it’s catalyst, the offense never seemed to find it’s legs until around Week 12.
At no point did the running game ever recover.
Now we have the King of the Deep Threats, WR DeSean Jackson, back on our roster.
2010. DJax hangs 210 yards on the Cowboys, including this 91 yard pimp-hand, drawn across the spitter. Eagles win 30 – 27
If we say enough prayers for his hamstrings, he’ll likely give us more as a receiver than Smith did, which means that he’ll be a very credible threat, thus opening up the Offense.
That means we have to use him. The more targets he sees (and catches), the more afraid opposing coaching staffs will be of him. That doesn’t mean he should become our number one WR! Far from it.
Assuming QB Carson Wentz attempts 40 passes per game, the actual target pecking order should look something like Ertz (9), WR Alshon Jeffery (9), Agholor (7), Jackson (6).
Mind you, those numbers represent how many targets (not catches), those players need to see in a game. (Those remaining 9 attempts could go to RB’s and reserve players.)
If you notice, that’s 15 to the outside, and 16 to the inside, per game. Again, the remaining 9 passes are all crimes of opportunity. The idea is to make the game between the hashmarks a high percentage one. Run or pass, with the top coming off the defense, the deck is stacked in our favor at every snap.
We just need to make sure Djax sees enough targets.
And to pray for those hammies.
