Two Games Produce Zero Sacks for Eagles' Ends

Really Lost One · Sep 19, 2008

Two games into the season,, the Eagles still haven't registered a sack from their defensive ends.

None from Pro Bowl right end Trent Cole, who had 12.5 last season. None from left end Juqua Parker, who forced Jevon Kearse to the bench last season. None from Darren Howard despite his breakout training camp.

Actually, Howard has one-half sack, but that came when he lined up at defensive tackle.

They didn't generate nearly enough pressure Monday night against Dallas. Tony Romo picked apart the Eagles' secondary, passing for 312 yards and three touchdowns without getting his uniform dirty.

Against the Steelers on Sunday, they can't give Ben Roethlisberger the same time and expect to win.

"I don't think you make a full judgment after two games," defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said Thursday.

"The first game [against St. Louis], I thought we had good pressure, thought we did a good job. No question about it, the second game, not as good. We made some plays on the ball, but we all want more pressure, no question about it."

Some blame can be tied to Cole's appearance in the Pro Bowl after a breakthrough 2007 season that didn't go unnoticed.

Now, Cole's path to the quarterback is embargoed by an extra blocker almost every snap. The Cowboys double-teamed him early and often. The Rams did, too.

At this point, he'll try anything to get to the quarterback.

"If I got to jump over them, I'm going to jump over them. If I got to go around them, I'm going to go around them," he said. "If I got to dig a six-foot hole to go under and get behind them, I'm going to do it. That's how it is."

The Eagles anticipated adjustments designed to stop Cole. That's why they spent $4 million up front to sign Chris Clemons from Oakland, where he notched a career-best eight sacks last season.

That's why they kept Howard after an impressive camp despite two relatively disappointing seasons.

That's why they drafted defensive end Victor Abiamiri last April, Bryan Smith this April and entered the season with six defensive ends.

Abiamiri is still recovering from wrist surgery and is out "another three or four weeks," Johnson said. The undersized Smith is still too raw for the NFL and hasn't been activated.

A calf strain sidelined Clemons for most of camp. He missed the last three preseason games. When the regular season opened, Johnson wasn't comfortable with Clemons' integration.

That left the Eagles with three ends out of six.

Clemons should see more action Sunday against Pittsburgh, and he's ready for the call.

"I've been ready since I first got here," Clemons said. "I've been 100 percent since the first game. The minute they put me in, you'll be able to see it."

Cole and Howard both had Romo dead in their sights on the same play in the first quarter, but the quarterback slid away.

Still, the pressure forced Romo into a poorly thrown pass picked off by Asante Samuel. Cole also drew a couple of holding penalties, which can be as beneficial as sacks.

"I'd rather sack the quarterback, but anything I have to do to get that quarterback feeling like he's pressured, I'm good with it," Cole said, "as well as my other defensive linemen. They're going to try to get the pressure on him, too."

Cole hasn't notched a sack in four straight games dating back to last season. He had six after the first three games last year and 11.5 after 13 games.

Now, almost every time Cole lines up across the left tackle, he's got a tight end to deal with, too. Running backs take a quick shot at him before releasing into the flat -- it's called chipping.

Cole's double teams create one-on-one matchups for the other three linemen, but against Dallas, they couldn't take advantage.

"Sometimes, it's just a matter of, when we get back there, we have to get the quarterback down," Clemons said. "We had three or four guys miss sacks on Monday night, and in this league, you can't do that because you'll get beat."
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http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080919/SPORTS02/809190340/1022

This is not good. Trent Cole is being double-teamed so other guys must step up. We need to have more pressure towards the quarterback next week, or else Big Ben's gonna have a successful game on Sunday.

Vintage · Sep 19, 2008

Yeah, I was surprised our pass protection was as good as it was. OTOH, you guys def. stopped the run. Maybe there was some schematic thing done to take away the run first?

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Two Games Produce Zero Sacks for Eagles' Ends

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Two Games Produce Zero Sacks for Eagles' Ends

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