‘RUN THE BALL’ may be the most spoken phrase in the households of Philadelphia Eagles fans on any given Sunday this year. Despite a myriad of setbacks, injuries and excuses, the point remains that the run-game is non existent and is no longer being feared by defenses, as recently portrayed by Saints Head Coach Sean Payton, who insisted on putting the game on the shoulders of Carson Wentz. Running back production may have been inconsistent this year, but there’s one running back who’s continuing to make the most of his sporadic opportunities and now the Birds almost have no choice but to let him run riot.
While that Sean Payton statistic can be interpreted in a few different ways…
Sean Payton used analytics against Carson Wentz yesterday and it clearly paid off.
An example?
Wentz is 0-9 when he passes between 308 and 364 yards, meaning the Eagles abandon the run game.https://t.co/jBDoe3ZIN2 pic.twitter.com/hXRQDmLMgx
— 247Sports (@247Sports) November 19, 2018
…this one cannot. Wentz is 2-10 when he’s asked to throw more than 40 times, while obtaining a 19-6 record when he throws less. If you want to point to his rookie year accounting for most of those losses, then that should also imply that this run of rushing deficiency has less to fo with Mike Groh than you think. When asked about the poorly-performing backfield, that has now gone four consecutive games without a running back having 10 rushing attempts (the first time this has happened in franchise history), the Eagles offensive coordinator had this to say.
“If we’re getting production out of it, absolutely. But just handing the ball off isn’t the answer. Again, we have to be assignment sound and be targeted correctly, and we got to get production and we got to stay on schedule…
…I mean, we know the formula for us is to be able to run the ball. That’s helped us sustain drives and be able to have a lot of time in possession and get good production and be able to throw the ball down the field.”
Handing the ball off time-after-time may not be the answer, but when you have an undrafted free agent who now has a 20+ yard run in each of his last three games, it’s hard not to imagine that giving him more touches would negatively impact the offense. In fact, Adams has more breakaway runs than the rest of the backfield combined. On just 34 carries, Adams is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and after scoring his first ever NFL touchdown on Sunday, is beginning to really find a consistent rhythm at the next level and that may be the most important thing right now.
Last season, when the Eagles were the third best team running the football, they were also fourth in the league in second level (5-10) yards with 1.30 per carry and 3rd in open field (10+) yards with 1.14 per carry. This year they rank considerably lower in both categories, ranked the 25th best rushing team in Football. While common sense would be to turn to a quick, athletic back to accomplish those second-level breakaways, is was in fact 250-pound Blount that led the Eagles in long runs last season.
If you haven’t yet connected the dots, Josh Adams ticks every box and continues to shine when given an opportunity.
The Eagles have six games remaining on their schedule, two of them (Rams and Giants) pertain defenses that rank in the bottom ten against the run. Another two games (vs Washington) are against an offense without their starting quarterback, which may lead the Eagles to a ‘drain the clock’ mentality.
With Carson Wentz becoming understandably frustrated at the offensive situation, his play is becoming a little more erratic as he continues to place responsibility on his own shoulders and as a result, as the rest of the offense crumbles around him, the last stronghold is beginning to wobble. Pederson simply HAS to take the pressure off of his quarterback.
Wendell Smallwood has been wildly unproductive and Corey Clement just doesn’t look like the same back he did one year ago. This leaves Adams, their most efficient yet under-utilized back as the prime candidate to carry the load when the team need it most. The offense has tried everything from subtle new wrinkles to the acquiring of Golden Tate, but the lone thing they’re yet to do is pound the run and continue to rush the ball through those sticky situations.
Not only that, but the Eagles owe it to themselves to see what they have in Adams, who as you now know, has easily been the most impactful running back on the roster. Is Adams strong enough to carry that workhorse role moving forward, or do the Birds need to seek help through the draft or free agency?
Pederson insists on establishing a rushing committee and thus far, he’s had two strikeouts and one home run. It’s the bottom of the ninth, the Birds are down 3-0 (because you know, the offense can’t score) with bases loaded and 2 outs. Josh Adams will step up to the plate with the entire team looking for one last gasp of desperation.
Mandatory Credit: Scott Clause/The Advertiser via USA TODAY NETWORK
