Getty Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz knows the defense has to clean up the mental mistakes.
There’s enough blame to go around the room — and enough mistakes to wallpaper every room in the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia.
After Sunday’s dismal 38-20 loss to Minnesota, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins was quick to jump on the grenade. He admitted that at least one of the Vikings’ four touchdowns was his fault. It was a breakdown in communication on the backend.
On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz took a ride on the blame train and took responsibility for all the recent mental lapses. Those types of mistakes cannot happen on a championship-caliber defense. It all starts with the man wearing the headset.
“It wasn’t just one guy open, there were three guys wide open on that play,” Schwartz told reporters. “It wasn’t a new coverage or anything else, but when it is all said and done, that is my responsibility and we can’t let it happen again.”
Schwartz wasn’t letting starting cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas totally off the hook. He elaborated by saying both guys need to play more consistently but allowed that cornerbacks sometimes take more blame than they should. It’s the nature of the position since they are often isolated on receivers. The coach equated it to playing quarterback or kicker in the NFL.
“That’s part of that job description, that scrutiny,” Schwartz said. “It’s just what we deal with and everything else, and corners need to be able to put bad plays behind them. We have been inconsistent doing that.”
Where the Eagles’ defense ranks against outside receivers:
Receptions – 30th
Yards – 32nd
YPR – 29th
Touchdowns – 32nd
More here:
Jalen Mills Activated to Eagles Active Roster
No surprise here. On Tuesday, the Eagles announced that cornerback Jalen Mills had been activated to the 21-day practice window. It is still unclear if Mills will be ready to suit up Sunday in Dallas, but he’ll take the practice field Wednesday for the first time since injuring his foot last year on Oct. 28.
The Eagles can desperately use the help in their reeling secondary, assuming Mills has his speed back. The 25-year-old has three interceptions and 30 pass breakups in 25 starts since entering the NFL in 2016. He also brings a much-needed swagger and confidence into the cornerbacks room.
“Jalen’s an experienced player,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “He’s tough. He’s very competitive. Good tackler. It will be nice to get all those things back when he’s able to do it all on the field.”
Roster Move: #Eagles have activated a 21-day practice window for CB Jalen Mills.
Eagles Reach Injury Settlement with Alex Ellis
The Eagles made a very minor move Tuesday when the team waived Alex Ellis off injured reserve after reaching an injury settlement with the tight end. Ellis enjoyed a stellar preseason before landing on the injury report with a knee ailment. While Ellis didn’t make the initial 53-man roster, the Eagles kept him around on the practice squad. He was eventually promoted to the active roster ahead of the season opener as the third tight end.
Doug Pederson was asked about only having 2 TE on the roster.
“Listen, it is what it is right now where we’re at. If it was Christmas every day, we would have a third tight end, but we have to make it work with what we have.”
Head coach Doug Pederson recently joked about not having a decent third tight end. It might be a position the Eagles add to flesh out their roster in the coming days and weeks. Ellis had three catches for 28 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown grab in the preseason. He saw 68 total snaps in the regular season, all of them on special teams.
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Eagles Defensive Coach Explains Breakdowns in Secondary