WORST thing the Eagles can do to QB Jalen Hurts, is to operate with the WR’s in Bunch Formation. You know that thing where three receivers bunch up in a cluster beside the Offensive Line? It’s supposed to create mismatches, but for a QB who is the Floyd Mayweather of football, it pays to keep things closer to Dick and Jane, than Atlas Shrugged for him.

So the Offense should be kept spread out. After all, the idea is to get receivers open. If they line up close to open, before the snap, the job is partly done for them. That, and it forces the opposing defense to declare their assignments. If a defender leaves his assignment to blitz, then his assignment is open. Or if someone was giving help, then their assignment is open.

While we’re on the subject of help, it’s harder for defenders to give it, if they’re spread out. The more space one player is responsible for, the easier it is to bait him into a serious mistake. Given the high use of play-action in our Offense, catching defenders in the wrong place, could happen multiple times per game. That’s harder to make happen, from a bunch formation.

Another benefit of spreading out, is that batted balls are less of threat to us. Batting a ball near a crowd is a dangerous thing for an offense. Better to not gamble.

The worst part of bunching is penalties. Offensive Pass Interference. Illegal picks. These get called when a “rub route” isn’t executed well. Defenders are allowed to jam, and otherwise make contact with receivers within five yards of the line of scrimmage. But when receivers do it, it gets called OPI, or pushing off. Bunches gives the defense a sort of “benefit of the doubt”.

Coaches frequently say that they have to put their players in a better position to succeed, and this is true. However, they also have to put opposing players in the best position to fail. Make our player’s jobs easy, while making their player’s jobs hard. We can start by making it harder for them to help each other, and making it easy for Hurts to read it, when they mess up.