Eagles’ Haason Reddick on turning defense around with play-caller change: ‘It’s a hard thing to do’
The Eagles have limited time left before the playoffs to halt their downward trend, and one of the adjustments they’ve already tried appears to have made things harder.
Philadelphia has gone 1-2 since switching defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s play-calling duties to senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia prior to Week 15, both losses coming via game-winning drives in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, highlighting the impossibility and consequences of attempting a straightforward fix.
Haason Reddick, a linebacker for Philadelphia, said to reporters on Thursday, “It’s hard, man,” when asked if his team had enough time to improve for the postseason. It’s a challenging task. At the end of the day, it’s our work, therefore there shouldn’t be any complaints. However, that is undoubtedly difficult, isn’t it? You try to learn everything he wants us to accomplish by spending a lot of time with one DC—and a new DC, at that, at the start of the year. His wording. The way he refers to things. Then, as the season draws to a close, we swap. But as I mentioned earlier, it has to be finished in the end.
The higher-ups here believed that in order to try to try to make a change and get certain things fixed, that was what needed to be done. We have an obligation to give it our all on the field as players.”
At the time Nick Sirianni appointed Patricia as the team’s de facto DC, the Eagles were 10-3, with a chance to win the NFC East for the second consecutive season and a first-round bye. Still, a transfer wasn’t always unnecessary.
Just the second time in team history, Philly had just gone through a separate 1-2 stretch from Weeks 12–14 during which the defense surrendered 451.7 yards per game and gave up 33 points or more in three straight games.
Patricia’s touch did appear to light the spark at first. For the first time since Week 7, the Eagles held an opponent under 300 yards in total yards when they gave up 297 to the Seahawks in Week 15.
The next week, the defense managed to hold the Giants to 292 points in a close victory, but the weaknesses from Seattle’s 92-yard drive that derailed Patricia’s first game in charge continued as the defense gave up 25 points to New York’s 30th-ranked scoring offense.
And in the devastating loss to the Cardinals last week, the dam completely cracked.
Arizona scored a touchdown on each of its four second-half drives, including a two-minute drill by Kyler Murray that ultimately proved to be the game-winning touchdown, and Arizona’s four drives totaled more than 70 yards, leaving Philadelphia leading 21–6 at the half.
For an offense without much firepower, the Cardinals’ 35 points and 449 yards were season highs for Arizona.
When asked how much of the performance was a result of a new defensive coordinator implementing fresh concepts, Reddick responded, “I think a lot of it.” “We had a coordinator change, as you mentioned. They just have a different approach and method of doing things, and that’s about it. Patricia is now indoors. He has a particular method in mind for getting things done. In the time we have left, we’re trying our hardest to adjust to that and get everyone on the same page going ahead. We can then excel in the postseason.”
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