Revamped Eagles secondary threatens NFC East

Samer Kalaf
August 5, 2011

Andy Reid doesn’t look very agile, but his stealth this offseason has Philadelphia pulling off a huge heist.

The Eagles got two talented cornerbacks when they signed Nnamdi Asomugha to a five-year contract and received Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the Arizona Cardinals in a trade involving Kevin Kolb. These two acquisitions could potentially solidify the Eagles’ secondary as the best not only in their division or conference, but possibly the league.

Many analysts had Asomugha projected to sign with either the New York Jets or the Dallas Cowboys. After it came down to that two-team race, Twitter was full with NFL writers such as John Clayton and Adam Schefter counting both teams out of contention to get Asomugha. It came as a large surprise to many that a “mystery team” like the Eagles could swoop in under the radar and nab the highly prized cornerback so quickly, signing him to a five-year, $60 million deal. His abilities might not always translate into big conventional numbers on paper (no interceptions, 19 tackles last season), but Asomugha’s ability to strand receivers is at the top of the league. His reputation has risen to the level where he’s become one of the NFL’s least-targeted cornerbacks, making him one of the most coveted free agents out there this offseason.

Rodgers-Cromartie came in a deal that had been outlined for a few weeks before, while the lockout was still in effect. He has proven to be proficient in jumping routes, getting 13 interceptions for 320 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons. It was all but certain that Kolb was going to be traded, as he wanted to be a starter and couldn’t hold that position for the Eagles with Michael Vick in front of him. The Cardinals gave up their best cornerback in order to gain a quarterback that was significantly better than Max Hall, Derek Anderson and John Skelton, their prior options.

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Although the Eagles had a major weakness in their secondary this offseason, they still had an All-Pro cornerback even before the acquisitions of Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie. Asante Samuel is still under contract for another season, but with Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie coming in, he might be going to waste. Philadelphia could try to trade him away to a team with secondary needs and try to lock down Rodgers-Cromartie for an extension. Whatever they do, the Eagles are probably glad that their problem is having too many good cornerbacks instead of too few.

Fear will definitely strike the rest of the NFC East due to Philadelphia’s pass defense, as it’s not a division full of strong quarterbacks right now. With Donovan McNabb leaving the Redskins for the Vikings, Washington is left with John Beck at quarterback, who has very little experience in the NFL. His career numbers are 559 passing yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in five games. With almost no exposure as a starting quarterback, Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie can close off receivers to Beck and turn bad throws into turnovers.

While the Giants’ Eli Manning has thrown at least 20 touchdowns and 3,200 yards every season except his rookie year, he has a habit of turning over the ball through the air. In 2010, Manning threw for 4,002 yards and 31 touchdowns but also threw 25 picks, tying his career-high interception rate (calculated by dividing interceptions by pass attempts) of 4.6% from his rookie season. If Manning’s poor decision-making continues this season, the Eagles’ secondary will have chances to turn picks into points.

Tony Romo of the Cowboys seems to be the best quarterback out of the Eagles’ opposing divisional teams, and the least error-prone. Although he only played six games last season due to breaking his clavicle, Romo has a strong receiving corps fronted by Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, so Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie will be busy. If the two cornerbacks can stick to their receivers well, which they are capable of doing, they can discourage Romo and push the Cowboys to use their weaker running game.

Compiling all their gained talent so far, the Eagles seem to be one of the best teams in their conference. Philadelphia built on a solid campaign last season with the resurgence of Vick and filled in the details that could put them at the top of the NFC. The most interesting aspect to focus on, though, has been the secondary. When no one had expected them to court Asomugha after acquiring Rodgers-Cromartie, the Eagles made the most of it, and they will continue to make the most of their defensive bounties against every offense they face this season.

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The Author:

Samer Kalaf