Originally posted by lamontb:
Eagles have a much better o line than Detriot. Gonna be a battle in the trenches
I like our chances when its a "battle in the trenches".
The Lions OL wasn't bad. Frank Ragnow is a stud, and Sewell held his own. Again, that whole Week 1 thing. I don't put a lot of weight into the "almost comeback". The Lions were a motivated bunch.
You're right that the Eagle OL is better. They also run similar zone runs and read options, that this defense should be used to seeing. Hopefully the Lions game woke them up to understanding how important is it to maintain your gaps and work as one cohesive unit. We really need Kinlaw back, but without him, the remaining guys just need to stay disciplined. Those Lions gashes were mostly Givens, Kerr, and Key losing their gaps.
Their DL, also has some good/great names. more built for pass rushing though IMO. Cox definitely needs to be accounted for on every play. They are a smaller fast defense though. I fully expect the running game to dominate for us. When you're facing a fast defense, you can counter two ways:
1. Run right at them and negate that speed
2. Use that speed against them with misdirection
Those are two things this team can do very well. When you can run the ball against a defense like this, u negate their pass rush by not putting yourselves in those 3rd and long positions. You play with their eyes, make them take that false step, pause for just a second. That's what KS does, he makes even the smartest guys second guess themselves.
I really do see a grind out style game. Trying to get into a shootout with this team would be a mistake. Expect us to try to dominate Time of Possession, limit drives, and shorten the game. Sermon will have his turn in the limelight this week.
