For only the fourth time in franchise history, the Eagles have posted back-to-back games going over 150 yards rushing and 250 yards passing, and it isn’t a big secret what’s behind their recent success. The improved play of the offensive line is opening more holes and keeping the quarterback upright for longer.
So what’s changed since the beginning of the season, or even in just the past two weeks? The Eagles would say it’s simply better execution, but in actuality, there might be more at work than that.
Perhaps it simply took time for everybody to get on the same page.
We’re talking about continuity, an often underrated aspect of offensive-line play. With two new starters sandwiched in at the guard positions, that meant all five members up front were playing alongside somebody they hadn’t been on the field with a whole lot, if at all. The Eagles were still undergoing changes even up to three weeks ago, when Andrew Gardner landed on injured reserve.
Needless to say, it’s been an adjustment for all of them. Yet the more they play together, the more they appear to be becoming a unit.
“It’s definitely helped,” right tackle Lane Johnson says of continuity. “It takes time. I think offense takes a lot more time to develop than the defense.
“We have new guys at different positions. First three or four weeks had been tough, but now I feel like we’re starting to get in a rhythm, get in tune with each other and just keep progressing from there.”
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“It helps out for sure whenever you play next to the same guys for multiple games,” center Jason Kelce added. “You start to develop a rhythm with them, communication gets better, sometimes you don’t need to communicate as much because you understand the way a guy is playing or the way he’s going to hit a block.”
Kelce wouldn’t use continuity as a crutch for any of the offensive-line struggles, even though he is surrounded by new starters to both his left and right. He felt it’s tough to quantify, and people are just doing a better job in general. There’s a lot of truth to that as well.
However, the play up front has been much better, and that doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Johnson and Matt Tobin, who replaced Gardner at right guard, both felt the dynamic between them had matured the past couple games.
“I feel good next to him,” Johnson of Tobin. “He’s a lot like Gardner. He’s a very smart guy, he knows the offense like the back of his hand, and as far as seeing the defense, the blitzes — he can anticipate when stuff’s coming, so he gives me a good heads up and gets me ready.
“I think these past two weeks really helped me, getting in tune with him as far as our communication, coming off the ball, knowing our assignments. I feel a lot more comfortable now that we had two weeks of practice together.”
“Playing next to Lane, playing next to Kelce, we all have a kind of a feel when someone says something,” Tobin added. “You just kind of know what each other need to be told and what you want to be told.
“If different guys are going in and out, it’s a little bit harder because you don’t have a feel for exactly what needs to be communicated.”
Of course, Kelce, Tobin and Johnson all played together for a few games last season, which may have cut down on the learning curve between them just a bit. The situation was a little bit different at left guard, where a completely new face stepped in.
Allen Barbre took over for two-time Pro Bowler Evan Mathis, and while he trained there the entire offseason, he had never played between Kelce and left tackle Jason Peters prior to this season. It was another adjustment for everybody, only on the opposite side.
“It’s just learning what everybody’s doing and putting some extra time in together, understanding what we need to do and what we need to get done,” Barbre said of the process.
Barbre feels his transition to left guard has gone OK and he’s learning something new every week. In terms of how long until the Eagles have full continuity across the entire offensive line, he wasn’t certain about a time frame.
“I guess if I could tell you that, I wouldn’t be playing football. Maybe I’d just be sitting around telling people they need to work a little bit longer before they can be good,” joked Barbre.
“I’m sure everybody’s a little different, some people might get it a little faster, and some people might take a little longer. The main thing is that we just keep working together and not give up and not get frustrated with each other.”
One thing that is certain is the improvement has been evident across the board, especially the past two weeks. The Eagles have won three of their last four, and the one thing that’s been consistent in those victories as far as the offense is concerned is solid play up front.
If the offense is ever going to meet the expectations, it will be because this offensive line continues to grow and develop as a unit. Right now, it appears to be on the right track.