The Eagles defense is a bit of a mystery heading into 2013, but one thing we know is that there will be an emphasis on takeaways. Both Chip Kelly and Bill Davis have a good history with defenses that come up with turnovers. Here is a blurb from a good piece by Tim McManus:
That’s exactly what Kelly’s defense did for him at Oregon. The Ducks led the entire nation with 131 takeaways from 2009-2012. Forty of those came in ’12 alone.
Davis’ defenses have been known to create turnovers as well. With Davis serving as the defensive coordinator, the Cardinals came up with 21 interceptions in 2009, which was the highest mark for the franchise in since ’94. The following season, Arizona recorded 12 return touchdowns (7 fumble returns, 3 interception returns, 2 kickoff returns), the second-highest single-season total in NFL history. The seven fumble returns for scores established a new league record.
The Eagles had just 37 takeaways over the last 2 years combined. That must change.
Happy fourth Tommy
I grew up in Philadelphia but have lived in Portland, OR my last 6 years (Eagles fan for life and certainly a Duck (Chip Kelly) fan for the past few years). I couldn’t be happier that the Eagles landed Chip and think that he is going to adapt well to the NFL. I have seen the phenomena that is Chip Kelly taking the Ducks from a gimmicky program to just dominating opponents. Everyone talks about their offense nationally. While they do put up tons of points its largely in part due to the many extra possessions they get each game with a very aggressive defense that emphasizes turnovers (4 pick sixes last year).
Great find! Clicking through the links, you see its not just because Oregon had more possessions due to their up tempo offense. They lead college in turnovers per snap.
Of course some of that is the huge pressure their excellent high scoring O put on other teams, but its still a very exciting snippet.