Surviving the Philly Blitz

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

It’s unorthodox. It’s unusual. It can be deadly in a football sense.

When a team faces the Eagles they must deal with the Philadelphia blitz package. Under their late defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, the Birds have been sending extra guys at the passer for the last decade and confusing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks.

Johnson passed away earlier this year and Sean McDermott was elevated to the defensive coordinator’s position. So far, McDermott has changed a lot of what the Eagles have done.

“It looks like they’re carrying over a lot of the same stuff to me,” said Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. “I would say that it’s hard to see a lot of difference now. Coach Johnson was the best as far as the timing and instincts; when he did and didn’t bring (the blitz) and staying ahead of the curve. To me, going against anybody in the league, Coach Johnson was the one.

“So that’ll be on the new guy to pick up from there. But it doesn’t look like a lot is different.”

What makes the Eagles blitz package so successful is their willingness to do unusual things, at unusual times. They will blitz anywhere on the field. They will blitz on any down. They will send all sorts of different players after the quarterback.

“The biggest problem against them is you never know who is coming,” said TE Sean Ryan, who saw the Eagles defense up close and personal while playing with Dallas. “It’s not just one or two guys. They’ll send everyone, or they’ll send no one.”

Ryan remembers a game where the Philadelphia defense overloaded one side with six guys who all came after the quarterback.

“They’ll blitz two guys and send them in the same gap,” said Ryan.

Obviously some teams have solved the Eagles blitz package and had success. Last week New Orleans grabbed a 48-22 victory in Philadelphia.

“Watch the tape, the Saints had problems,” said Ryan. “It wasn’t like they marched up and down the field.”

In 134 snaps for the Eagles defense in two games, they’ve sent five, six or seven players at the quarterback 24 times. Generally when they put five, six or seven guys on the line of scrimmage it means extra people are coming.

The question is just who will come and where will they try to break down the Chiefs pass protection? It’s one of those games that every offensive player on the field has to be aware, has to see what’s happening and has to know what to do.

“It’s one of those (defenses) that you just have to play heads up and people have to be alert for their hots and they have to know their spot adjusts,” said QB Matt Cassel. “Our backs need to know if they’re checking one way or another.”

To beat the Eagles blitz, the Chiefs must be sound mentally when it comes to the game plan.

“It’s the kind of game where you have to communicate all the time,” said WR Bobby Ingram. “You can’t just go over and sit and drink Gatorade when your defense is on the field. You have to talk. You have to look at the Polaroids. You have to go over what the plan is.”

“It’s always a week of practice that you hold your breath because your show team has to be on point to get a great look for your offensive team,” said Haley. “They do a great job of disguising, of either making it appear that they’re coming when they’re not or vice versa and that’s what gets difficult.”

So what does an offensive coordinator do? Teach and prepare is the only way to go.

“We try to watch a lot of tape together as a group, everybody in the same room,” said Haley. “I think especially when you’re playing like this, that communication helps as you watch tape together, whether it’s practice or tape of the Eagles defense. You’ve got everybody in there at once and you try not to leave a lot of gray area amongst yourselves.”