America’s Team vs. The ‘Dream Team’

After the wildest and most exciting free agency week in NFL history, the Dallas Cowboys’ arch-rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, are quickly looking like NFC favorites. Spurred on by a Jason Babin tweet, analysts and pundits around the country are beginning to call Philadelphia the “Miami Heat” of the NFL.

The question is this: Will another Dallas team take advantage of an overseen weakness?

Can the Eagles rely on him to fix their weakness? (Image: phillysportsdaily.com)

If the defense can take advantage of a glaring Philadelphia flaw, the Cowboys very well can.

The Philadelphia weakness is the lack of a solid right-side offensive line. Michael Vick is left-handed, meaning his blind side will be a big liability. If last year’s results are any indicators of what will happen this year, the Eagles will have a huge issue with this weakness.

Last year in 12 games, Vick was sacked 34 times, averaging one sack for every 12 pass attempts. The majority of those sacks came from the right side and the Eagles knew it.

To help compensate, they used their first-round pick on Baylor guard Danny Watkins. They expect Watkins to start at right guard, but the 26-year-old Watkins has spent his entire college career and his Canadian professional career at left tackle.

Position changing is one thing, but Watkins has been making it difficult on the Eagles, as he has been holding out on training camp and missing out on key learning opportunities.

Even if Watkins were in training camp, there’s a valid question to be raised about his teacher, new line coach Howard Mudd. Mudd comes from the Indianapolis Colts system, which relies heavily on a pocket-protection system to defend Peyton Manning and his pocket passing style.

This directly contradicts Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick’s style of play, which relies on scrambling to maneuver around defenders and find a pass. There will be conflict between both sides as Mudd tries to experiment with a system he isn’t as familiar with.

Cue Dallas’ new defense, headed up by new coach Rob Ryan.

Dallas has a renewed fire on defense under the leadership of Ryan. The lackadaisical style of defense found under the Wade Phillips era will be long gone and replaced with a meaner and leaner defensive presence. Any unproductivity from the team will be unacceptable in the new defensive regime of Coach Ryan.

Beyond that, Ryan apparently now has a special place in his heart for the Eagles. There’s no doubt that he will infect his players with the same kind of rivalry and passion when Week 8 arrives, making their showdown against the Eagles a personal matter.

Expect great things from these guys (Image: imageofsport.com)

Speaking of the players, Ryan has some great players to work with in the rush game, especially with his 3-4 defensive scheme. The linebacking corps will be stocked with talent and will be on the field often. It will be nerve-racking for any team to face the Cowboys as they boast DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James and Keith Brooking on the field at almost all times.

Anthony Spencer and Jay Ratliff can’t be overlooked at the defensive line – both could easily combine for more than 100 tackles and a double-digit sack total over the course of the season. If they work together with Dallas’ linebackers, the Eagles will struggle against the pressure – especially in Vick’s blindspot.

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Tags: 3-4 defense, Anthony Spencer, Bradie James, Cowboys defense, Dallas Cowboys, Danny Watkins, Demarcus Ware, Howard Mudd, Jason Babin, Jay Ratliff, Keith Brooking, Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, Rob Ryan