As the Philadelphia Eagles duked it out with the Atlanta Falcons on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, Peyton Manning and company were up to their usual shenanigans on ESPN, using the ManningCast to provide some interesting insight to fans on what’s happening on the field.
And with Bill Belichick officially signed on to appear alongside the Manning brothers on ESPN 2, you just know the former Colts/Broncos QB had to ask the active wins leader about Jalen Hurts and Eagles offense, namely how Kellen Moore is able to stress the Falcons’ defense with the RPO.
After breaking down the play, which could feature a bubble screen or a run by either Hurts or Saquon Barkley, Peyton asked Belichick how an opposing defensive coordinator could attempt to slow the play down, with which the former Patriots head coach broke down in incredible detail.
“Well, in man-to-man coverage, the man you have circled is going to have to go out with him, and the safety will drop down on the right into the box,” Belichick explained. “If it’s zone coverage, which is mostly what Atlanta is playing, then the X on the number three receiver there, he’ll kind of mid-point it there, he’ll go out and read the quarterback, if the quarterback will throw the bubble; obviously he will go tackle him. If he doesn’t, then he’ll fall back in on the run. So it’s kind of a half run, half pass, so that’s a half-man that the defense believes will get a full man to wherever the ball goes.
Asked by Peyton if the key is, if they do throw the bubble, the defenders need to be physical on their men, get off their blocks, and go for the receiver, Belichick said yes, especially if they load up on large blockers on the outside.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Belichick noted. “And if it’s a big guy out there like Pitts then it should be an advantage for the Eagles throwing that bubble.”
Now, obviously, Belichick isn’t suggesting that Kyle Pitts commit a mutiny, get in on defense, and then just block for the Eagles, as he either meant Johnny Wilson, who is roughly the same size as the Florida tight end, or he simply misspoke in the heat of the moment. Either way, learning how opposing teams attempt to slow down the Eagles’ offense is incredibly interesting and makes the Eagles’ success all the more impressive when they do run the play successfully.
Jalen Hurts is excited to run alongside Saquon Barkley
Talking to reports earlier this month about what it means to play alongside Barkley ahead of Week 1, Hurts celebrated the Eagles’ big time free agent addition, noting that the PSU product’s incredible reputation didn’t even do him justice.
“I’ve always heard about him being a freak athlete, the explosiveness, the speed, the strength,” Hurts said. “And so to see it day in and day out has been cool. I’m just very excited to have him on board.”
Through the first two games of the season, Barkley has been on an absolute roll, picking up at least 95 yards in each game on the ground, plus a few more impressive plays as a receiver. If Barkley can continue to shine, the Eagles run game will too.
