Some of us love math. Others... not so much... Others still are on the fence. We can promise you one thing. We rocked out when writing essays. That's like knocking three-pointers down from the corner, but we haven't used calculus very often these past few Philadelphia Eagles seasons.
Addition and subtraction we use frequently. We can subtract every player's salary-cap hit once signed to determine how much salary-cap space our Birds have left. That we're good at. Geometry was also cool. We're good at memorizing the formulas and plugging in the numbers.
However, when those high school teachers began placing variables on both sides of the equation in algebra and asking us to solve for 'X' and 'Y', we could feel the perspiration dripping down our temples. So, you can imagine how difficult it can be to understand Pro Football Focus's statistical engine, but even still, they're always good for a conversation starter.
PFF gives the Eagles the nod for turning one of last season's weaknesses into a strength.
Maybe it was the last-second loss at Lumen Field versus the Seattle Seahawks that did it. Everyone has their opinion about when last season's collapse seemed irreversible, but for us, it was watching Drew Lock drive the length of the field on a go-ahead drive and lead what should have been an inferior team to victory.
Seeing Lock fearlessly pick on James Bradberry, a 2022 Second-Team All-Pro, and win by doing so taught us all something. Maybe the trash can thing was a bit extreme, but Philly's secondary was, indeed, porous.
This offseason, the Birds addressed needs in that area, and everyone noticed. PFF calls Philly's secondary a reason for optimism.
"The Eagles have elite talent at quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, and defensive line. The one glaring weakness was a 28th-ranked coverage unit. They reunited with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and two extremely talented cornerbacks in the draft in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. DeJean, in particular, should be an asset in the slot after Philadelphia ranked dead last in the NFL in slot coverage grade last year.
Philadelphia has an extremely strong roster, and their offseason work to fix the secondary should keep them in Super Bowl contention."
Those were the words of Dalton Wasserman who cooked this one up. Give the full story a read when you have a moment. We assure you that doing so is certainly worth your time... And, he's right.
Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were two guys many Birds fans wanted this past NFL Draft. There were theories that Philly might have to trade up to land Mitchell. In the end, Philly was able to land both.
The hope is C.J. Gardner-Johnson brings an attitude to this unit that it lacked last season. Something tells us he'll do his job.
Darius Slay is still one of the game's best. Don't forget about him. We're expecting quality play, especially now that Vic Fangio's here.
