It’s Not Schwartz We Need to Worry About

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Jim Schwartz is Public Enemy Number One with Eagles fans right now. The Schwartz led defense is currently ranked 23rd in Yards Allowed Per Game. They have given up some long pass plays and couldn’t get 4th quarter stops against the Titans, Panthers, or Cowboys. However, the Eagles currently rank 12th in Defensive Points Allowed Per Game, tied with the Rams at 23.1 pts and better than New England’s 23.6, New Orleans 23.9, and Kansas City’s 24. Granted, the Eagles defense is not as stingy as last year’s 18.4 ppg allowed, but they are still as stingy and stingier than the best teams in the NFL. This is exactly why it’s not Schwartz we need to worry about.

Schwartz probably won’t be here next year. He’s the obvious scapegoat, even though he’s been playing with a depleted secondary. The Rodney McLeod loss has been devastating. Howie, in all his greatness, has ignored depth at safety and it’s come back to bite him pick time. Schwartz leaving isn’t going to solve the Eagles’ problems.

The offense averaged 28.6 points a game in 2017, only the Rams and Patriots were better. This year, the offense averages 20.5 points. That ranks 24th in the NFL. 24th! That’s with Carson Wentz, Agholor, Ertz, Jeffrey all healthy and the addition of 2nd round pick Dallas Goedert. Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles being injured hasn’t helped, but who couldn’t see that coming with Sproles age and Ajayi’s track record. Running backs going down happen all the time. That’s par for the course. The Steelers are playing the entire year without Le’Veon Bell, who is better than Ajayi and Sproles combined, and they’re currently in first place in the AFC’s North Division.

We all expected the Saints to put up points yesterday. Did anyone expect the Eagles offense to put up 7 measly points against a defense that currently ranks 15th giving up 23.9 points a game? Did anyone expect Carson Wentz to throw for 156 yards and 3 interceptions against a Saints defense that gives up 280/game and ranks 27th in passing defense?

This is not a Schwartz issue.

Are the departures of Frank Reich and John DeFilippo the reason for the offensive woes? It sure feels like it. Something is amiss with the Eagles offense. Eagles Offensive Coordinator Mike Groh is taking some heat from the fans, but he doesn’t call the plays. That is all Doug.

Is Groh not as valuable in preparation at Frank Reich? I think that’s safe to assume. Reich has been around forever. Groh is still wet behind the ears.

I doubt anyone knows what the cure is for the offense this year, even Doug Pederson. I do know that replacing Schwartz will have little impact on the offense. The Eagles have bigger, more important concerns that Jim Schwartz. Remember, his defense is only giving up 17 yards more per game than the Saints and less than the Patriots and Chiefs.

The Eagles didn’t win the Super Bowl by playing defense. Brady threw for like 9,000 yards against them. They won because the offense was a juggernaut regardless of who played quarterback. This year, not so much.

Here’s food for thought. Last year, the Eagles scored an average of 28.6 points per game. If the Eagles had scored 28 points in every game this year, they would be 9-1.