Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz met with reporters Tuesday afternoon. Here are three takeaways from the session:
Appreciating Malcolm Jenkins
There was something Jim Schwartz said Tuesday that just seemed to stick in my head for a while after leaving the press conference. It was about Malcolm Jenkins, who, in that game, needed to move from safety to nickel corner after another cornerback (this time Chandon Sullivan) went down.
"He's a good all-around player," Schwartz said. "I don't know if we could have won that game without having a guy like Malcolm Jenkins."
He's right. And he's not just right about this game. I don't think we appreciate Jenkins enough on the whole. Since he arrived in 2014, he has become one of the best and most versatile Eagles players we've ever seen.
Including the playoffs, Jenkins has played 5,248 of 5,339 defensive snaps (98.3 percent) in his years in Philadelphia, missing most of those snaps in blowouts or games that didn't matter. He has played 708 of 709 this season. And he's played a multitude of positions: safety, corner, nickel corner, linebacker, all based on necessity. And those snaps don't even include the role he's kept on special teams.
Over the years, and especially since Schwartz took over as defensive coordinator, the Eagles have continually relied on Jenkins' versatility. Even on their run to the Super Bowl last season, he basically played linebacker for the second half of the year.
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We probably don't say it enough, but Jenkins is an all-time great in Philly.
D-line did its job
The Eagles relied on their high-priced defensive line and the unit really came through for them Sunday against the Giants.
Schwartz said he blitzed just twice all game. That was probably out of necessity of having so many young players in the secondary, but it put a lot of pressure on the D-line.
"And it went to our D-line, and they were up for the challenge," Schwartz said. "A couple sacks that put the Giants in some long-yardage situations. It helped our coverage out that they did a good job stopping the run.
"I can't say enough about how Fletch [Fletcher Cox] - Fletch was not only playing at a high level, but he was playing with the kind of toughness and leadership that you expect from a guy like that, and that had a lot to do with our ability to come out on the winning side of that."
Schwartz also said Tim Jernigan, in his return, playing 20 snaps, brought some energy.
This was good to see from the Eagles' defensive line. They're going to need these kinds of games from them down the stretch if they want to make a run.
All Day
Schwartz noted that sometimes running backs lose speed as they get older. He said he didn't know if Adrian Peterson has lost speed, but he knows Peterson hasn't lost any power.
"He's still strong as can be," Schwartz said.
The Eagles will face Peterson Monday night. The 33-year-old back has 758 yards rushing and six touchdowns this season. For an Eagles team that has had its miscues tackling this season, it'll be imperative for them to get Peterson to the ground and not let him get a bunch of yards after contact.
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