Chiefs’ DC Steve Spagnuolo talked to college coaches about how to defend read option, RPOs

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo on previously talking to college football coaches about insight on how to defend read options, and RPOs ahead of matchup vs. Eagles

Opposing teams around the NFL have made comments about the Eagles running a college-style offense, so Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spaguolo is going directly to the source.

While addressing the media during Super Bowl media sessions, the Super Bowl-winning defensive coach and former Philadelphia assistant admitted to previously talking to some college defensive coaches about how to slow down the RPO and read option.

Spaguolo saw a less explosive version of this Eagles offense in 2021 when Kansas City secure a 42-30 victory over the Birds at Lincoln Financial Field.

Spagnuolo talked to then-Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer prior to the Buckeyes boss choosing to join the Jacksonville Jaguars for less than a full season.

“I was just trying to do research because I knew this kind of football was coming, and you wanted to be ahead of it. And now I think NFL coaches defensively are figuring out ways to at least slow it down,” Spagnuolo said Thursday.

The Eagles employ a version of the read option that involves All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts reading the opponent’s defensive end or SAM linebacker to determine whether he gives the ball to the running back or keeps it himself and runs the ball.

The run-pass option involves Hurts again reading a pass rusher or SAM linebacker to determine whether he gives to the running back or throws the ball.

Hurts will at times keep the football on designed run plays as well.

Philadelphia logged 450+ yards in the 2021 matchup and Jalen Hurts had his best game as a pro up to that point, logging a passer rating of 105.1 with 387 yards on 32-48 passing, and 2 touchdowns.

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ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky breaks down how Jalen Hurts is staying one step ahead of defenses

Former #Lions QB and current #ESPN #NFL analyst Dan #Orlovsky recently broke down how #Eagles QB Jalen #Hurts has learned to stay one step ahead of opposing defenses

It took a few minutes for Jalen Hurts to shake the rust off against Washington, but once the second-year signal-caller was able to find his rhythm, the Eagles young star carved up the opposition while moving his team much closer to a playoff birth.

Hurts logged two rushing scores and only rushed for 38 yards on 8 carries, but it was his precise passing and sound decisions that carried the Eagles when Philadelphia needed it most.

Hurts completed 20 of 26 passes (77%) for 296 yards, while finally gaining chemistry with Dallas Goedert, who led the Eagles with seven grabs for a career-high 135 yards.

Former NFL quarterback and top NFL analyst, Dan Orlovsky loves to do film study on young quarterbacks and his breakdown of 3 throws from Hurts shows just how far Philadelphia’s 2020 second-round pick has progressed as a passer.

NFL Week 1: Keys for the Eagles offense vs. Atlanta Falcons

As the Eagles take the field and start preparing for Atlanta, we’ve identified several keys for the Philadelphia offense vs. Falcons

The Eagles will enter Sunday’s season opener at Atlanta the healthiest they’ve been in over two years and that could yield huge dividends on the scoreboard.

The Falcons can be deadly on offense, but they leave a lot to be desired as a defensive unit and Philadelphia could find some early confidence in the passing game.

Here are several offensive keys for Sunday’s matchup.

Eagles snap count vs. the Saints: Breakdown, analysis

Eagles defeated the Saints 24-21 on Sunday and Josh Sweat outplayed Derek Barnett

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The Philadelphia Eagles got back into the win column on Sunday, with an impressive 24-21 win over the visiting New Orleans Saints.

Jalen Hurts got the start and several other Eagles played key roles against the Saints due to injuries in the secondary.

Here’s the Eagles snap count for Sunday afternoon, as the offense logged 69 snaps, to the defenses 63.

Quarterback: Jalen Hurts 69 snaps

There was no gadget plays or two quarterbacks to gameplan for, as Hurts logged all 69 snaps in his first NFL start. The rookie rushed for over 100 yards in his first NFL start and gave the Eagles the spark they were in need of.

Running Back: Miles Sanders 56 snaps, Boston Scott 15 snaps, Corey Clement 2 snaps

The Eagles reduced Scott’s snaps and finally allowed Miles Sanders to eat. The results were 100-yard rushing for the talented running back and one explosive 82-yard TD Run.

Wide Receiver: Greg Ward 51 snaps, Jalen Reagor 47 snaps, Alshon Jeffery 31 snaps, Quez Watkins 22 snaps, Travis Fulgham 11

Fulgham has slowly been phased out of the Eagles offense after breaking out in Week 4, while Alshon Jeffery recorded his first touchdown catch of the season.

Tight End: Dallas Goedert 59 snaps, Zach Ertz 50 snaps, Richard Rodgers 2 snaps

The Eagles two tight ends combined for six catches, with Goedert logging four for 43 yards.

Offensive Line: Isaac Seumalo 69 snaps, Jordan Mailata 69 snaps, Jason Kelce 69 snaps, Nate Herbig 69 snaps, Jack Driscoll 69 snaps

With Jason Peters’ season over, the Eagles offensive line all logged 69 game snaps and avoided yielding a sack for the first time this season.

Defensive Line: Fletcher Cox 50 snaps, Brandon Graham 42 snaps, Javon Hargrave 42 snaps, Derek Barnett 38 snaps, Josh Sweat 25 snaps, Vinny Curry 25 snaps, Malik Jackson 25 snaps, Raequan Williams 9 snaps

The Eagles defensive line played arguably their most complete game of the season, with Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat both logging two sacks.

Linebacker: Alex Singleton 63 snaps, Duke Riley 57 snaps, Shaun Bradley 10 snaps

The Eagles were able to contain Taysom Hill and most importantly, Alvin Kamara, with Alex Singleton and Duke Riley. Riley had one of the game’s biggest plays when he intercepted a tipped Taysom Hill pass.

Defensive Back: Jalen Mills 63 snaps, Nickell Robey-Coleman 55 snaps, Marcus Epps 35 snaps, Kevon Seymour 35 snaps, Rodney McLeod 35 snaps, Darius Slay 35 snaps, K’Von Wallace 28 snaps, Avonte Maddox 21 snaps

The Eagles used 8 different defensive backs on Sunday after Avonte Maddox, Darius Slay, and Rodney McLeod all left the game with injuries. Rookie K’Von Wallace so an uptick in snaps, while Kevon Seymour was forced into action after Slay suffered a head injury.

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Eagles CB Cre’Von LeBlanc ‘likely’ headed to Injured Reserve with high ankle sprain

Eagles CB Cre’Von LeBlanc to miss some time with a high ankle sprain

The Philadelphia Eagles could be without slot cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc for upwards of three weeks after he suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s loss to the Browns per Tom Pelissero.

LeBlanc suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter and didn’t return. He made three solo tackles before leaving the game. Michael Jacquet could get the call up from the practice squad in LeBlanc’s absence.

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Eagles snap counts vs. the Giants: Breakdown, analysis

Eagles snap counts vs. the Giants: Breakdown, analysis

The Philadelphia Eagles fell to 3-5-1 on the season after an ugly 27-17 road loss to the New York Giants.

Here’s your snap count with breakdown and analysis as the Philadelphia Eagles played 67 snaps on offense, and 71 on defense.

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Quarterback:

67 snaps: Carson Wentz

3 snaps: Jalen Hurts

Hurts logged snaps on Sunday, translating to 2 carries for -1 yard.

Running Back:

48 snaps: Miles Sanders

18 snaps: Boston Scott

1 snap: Corey Clement

The most impressive part of the Eagles offense, Miles Sanders had 15 carries for 85 yards, Boston Scott had 61-yards including an impressive 56-yard TD run, and Clement scored on a 5-yard run on his only offensive snap.

The run-pass ratio for the Eagles was off again as Philadelphia ran 19 times vs. 39 dropbacks.

Wide Receiver:

59 snaps Travis Fulgham

59 snaps Jalen Reagor

42 snaps: Greg Ward

18 snaps: Alshon Jeffery

3 snaps: John Hightower

Jeffery logged zero catches on one target, while Fulgham ended with 1 catch on 5 targets for 8 yards.

Tight End:

62 snaps: Dallas Goedert

21 snaps: Richard Rodgers

Richard Rodgers has been the best tight end on the Eagles roster this season, telling you everything you need to know about what’s taking place.

Offensive Line:

67 snaps: Jason Peters
67 snaps: Sua Opeta
67 snaps: Jason Kelce
67 snaps: Matt Pryor
67 snaps: Lane Johnson

1 snap: Jack Driscoll

Isaac Seumalo returned to practice but apparently was ready for game action. Nate Herbig was sidelined with a finger injury and the Eagles were forced to start Sua Opeta at left guard and he struggled. The Eagles can’t play Jordan Mailata unless Peters moves to guard and the Eagles won’t put their best five on the field until that happens.

Defensive Line:

56 snaps: Fletcher Cox

46 snaps: Derek Barnett

46 snaps: Brandon Graham

36 snaps: Malik Jackson

35 snaps: Javon Hargrave

25 snaps: Josh Sweat

25 snaps: Vinny Curry

16 snaps: T.Y. McGill

The Eagles’ defensive line combined for three sacks, but they were dominated in the running game by a Giants offensive line that has struggled for the bulk of the 2020 season.

Linebacker:

71 snaps: Alex Singleton

53 snaps: T.J. Edwards

51 snaps: Duke Riley

5 snaps: Shaun Bradley

3 snaps: Davion Taylor

Singleton and Edwards combined for 28 tackles, but a lot of those plays took place after positive yards were gained. After having his praises sung all week, T.J. Edwards lost snaps to Alex Singleton.

Defensive Back:

71 snaps: Rodney McLeod

69 snaps: Jalen Mills

69 snaps: Darius Slay

64 snaps: Avonte Maddox

17 snaps: Nickell Robey-Coleman

16 snaps: Cre’Von LeBlanc

6 snaps: Will Parks

1 snap: K’Von Wallace

The Eagles have a cornerback problem again Darius Slay is only one man, meaning the opposing team’s 2nd and 3rd wide receivers will continue to feast. Avonte Maddox and Nickell Robey-Coleman have struggled in coverage and Michael Jacquet could be an option moving forward.

Isaac Seumalo trending towards starting at LG for the Eagles vs. the Giants?

Isaac Seumalo set to start at left guard for the Philadelphia Eagles against the New York Giants

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The Philadelphia Eagles are getting healthy for the stretch run of the 2020 regular season and one of their most efficient linemen is set to make his long-awaited return.

Isaac Seumalo had his 21-day practice window activated recently on Thursday during the early portion of practice, he was running with the first team at right guard.

Seumalo is technically still on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in Week 2. Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta have started in his place during his absence.

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Eagles protect 4 practice squad players ahead of Week 10 matchup vs the Giants

Eagles announce four protected practice squad players for Week 10 vs the Giants

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The Philadelphia Eagles protected four players in advance of Sunday’s Week 10 matchup on the road against the New York Giants.

Jacquet was impressive against the Cowboys two weeks ago, playing 30 snaps in place of an injured Darius Slay.

Croom has one touchdown on the season and has seen action at tight end for the Eagles while Jamon Brown landed on the practice squad after being released following a horrible performance against the Ravens.

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Eagles set to have WR Alshon Jeffery, RB Miles Sanders back at full strength

The Philadelphia Eagles are getting healthy at the right time and Ian Rapoport is reporting that both Miles Sanders and Alshon Jeffery should be returning.

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The Philadelphia Eagles are set to return to action after the Week 9 bye and Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Bird should have some explosive reinforcements returning. Per Rapoport, both wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and running back Miles Sanders should return to the lineup.

Sanders leads the Eagles with 438 rushing yards despite leaving Philadelphia’s game against the Baltimore Ravens with a knee injury.

Alshon Jeffery has reportedly been close to a return and has been out since late in the 2019 season when he suffered a Lisfranc injury. What Jeffery’s return means to the wide receiving corps remains to be seen.

In his absence, Travis Fulgham has ascended over the past five weeks, while Jalen Reagor has returned from injury and Greg Ward leads the team in receptions.

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Doug Pederson bringing Eagles players in during the bye week to ‘get better’

Doug Pederson says he’s bringing the Eagles in for extra work on Wednesday during the bye week

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The Philadelphia Eagles are officially on their bye week, but there’s work to be done for the NFC East leader and a team looking to correct a ton of mistakes made on Sunday night. The 3-4-1 Eagles will get a chance to rest, but not until after the entire team meets at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday for extra work and film study.

“I will give players and coaches some time at the end of the week to relax and sort of get away and spend time with their families like we normally do,” Pederson said. “We’re going to bring the players in on Wednesday. Want to work with the players. And we’ve got to get better. This is the time where we can look at the first eight games and really self-scout and evaluate and find ways to improve all three areas of our team. It’s also a chance to get some guys healthy and prepare.”

The Eagles are required by rules to have four straight days off during the bye week, but Wednesday won’t be one of them.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, players and coaches will be required to stay in the Philadelphia area because of daily testing at the NovaCare Complex.

The Eagles will look to get healthier as the meaty part of their schedule still looms with matchups against the Browns, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, and Cardinals upcoming.

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