Righting The Ship

PHILADELPHIA – A poorly executed opening kickoff forecasted an ominous wave of uncharacteristic miscues that corresponded with an Eagles loss last Sunday, just their third of the season, a 36-33 defeat to the NFC East rival Washington Commanders.

The kick, off the foot of punter/kickoff specialist Braden Mann, dropped in short on the landing zone, giving the Commanders possession at the 40. Mann had attempted to drive it.

Shortly after, Commanders rookie wide receiver/kick returner Luke McCaffrey saw the wall of Eagles’ kick coverage converge to his right and lose contain.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the left side of the field was free of traffic, and McCaffrey capitalized and galloped for 47 yards down to the Philadelphia 43-yard line before being brought down by rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Trotter Jr., by the way, joined with second-year safety Sydney Brown to add insult to injury for coordinator Michael Clay’s unit, as each were penalized on separate occasions.

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles veteran LB Oren Burks expects the special teams to bounce back vs. Dallas.

Trotter Jr. was tagged with an unnecessary roughness call and Brown with an illegal formation infraction.

Between McCaffrey, who fielded six returns, and running back Jeremy McNichols’ lone return, the Commanders accounted for 206 yards on seven returns.

While Mann landed two punts inside the 20, and Commanders punt returner Jamison Crowder managed just five yards on his only return opportunity, it was an afternoon riddled with substandard execution and lapses that had largely been absent of the Eagles’ new-look special teams contingent this season.

“The hidden yardage was huge, and ultimately, it played a huge role in the game,” linebacker and unit leader Oren Burks said this week. “So, just getting back to our fundamentals. The play style, I was really proud of on tape. Like, we were playing hard, but it just some of those fundamentals that we can clean up on and playing off each other.

“That’s kind of the biggest thing. They showed something that – they bounced it to the field, which they hadn’t shown a ton on kickoff return throughout the year – so it’s just adjusting.

“You get hit in the mouth, it’s how you respond. This week, I know we got a big target on that with the kickoff returns. And all the penalties, make sure we can take care of that.”

Burks noted that Cowboys returner KaVontae Turpin “is a hell of a returner, one of the best in the league,” and the Eagles need to be “ready to step up to the challenge.”

All three phases failed to meet the moment against the Commanders, a rare occurrence for what’s largely been a consistent, balanced team versed in complementary football.

But don’t expect any hasty changes to a special teams unit that has performed admirably despite its youth.

Mann, even in light of the short kickoffs, didn’t alter his approach throughout the week, instead doubling down and staying true to his process.

During Thursday’s practice, at least for the portion open to the media, kicker Jake Elliott was handling the kickoffs.

But both head coach Nick Sirianni and Clay have endorsed Mann, suggesting their confidence in him hasn’t wavered.

“I mean, he’s just done a great job all year,” Clay said earlier this week. “I think you could say the last game against Washington probably was his worst one of the year. But Braden‘s done an unbelievable job for us, both on punts and kickoffs, to give us a chance to cover.

“We don’t want to make a rash decision because he has done a really good job for us going forward.”

Mann appeared to struggle with the frigid conditions that come with playing in the Northeast, but this week he stressed the importance of ball placement to help the coverage group.

In the case of Turpin, who has both kick and punt return touchdowns this season, Mann offered a strategic approach.

“Just try to either keep it out of his hands or throw him off rhythm however we can,” he said. “The guys have been covering well so far this year. Last game, I think it starts with me. So, keeping it out of his hands or getting him off rhythm a little bit, somehow.”

On the coverage side, the unit has already lost linebacker Ben VanSumeren for the season and will be without another key contributor, running back Will Shipley, who’s out with a concussion.

But to balance the youth and inexperience of a group highlighted by  rookies such as Trotter Jr., Shipley, Jalyx Hunt and Johnny Wilson, the Eagles have Burks to steady the ship.

Now in his seventh NFL season, Burks has seen it all. He’s appeared in 106 NFL games (16 starts) and even started in Super Bowl LVIII, in which he logged 71 snaps.

He’s accrued nearly 2,000 special teams snaps in his career and ranks second on the Eagles this season in third phase snaps, behind only cornerback Kelee Ringo.

Typically reserved and detailed-oriented, Burks has been a beacon of knowledge for many of the younger Eagles moonlighting on special teams.

Earlier this season, Shipley mentioned a tip Burks gave him that he implemented on punt return. On another occasion, Shipley, who undertakes a prominent role as the team’s personal protector on punt coverage, has flagged Burks down to ask a question.

Sharing a likeminded mindset as every player on the unit, Shipley fixates on his newfound role, bordering on obsession. The Clemson running back likes to say he hasn’t “tackled anyone since high school” prior to this season, but that hasn’t precluded him from taking ownership and accountability for his role and exhibiting a willingness to contribute to team success in any measurable way possible.

Back to Burks for a moment.

The 29-year-old linebacker wouldn’t classify himself as particularly vocal, per se – that’s reserved for Clay, who leads the way – but given his stature, he speaks when something needs to be said.

There’s not much he hasn’t seen throughout his career, but there are different subtleties and nuances he’s picked up along the way that he’ll offer up to teammates. His leadership style has resonated with an inexperienced unit.

“Just instilling confidence,” Burks said of his leadership style. “For Will, he’s a rookie coming in here running the show on punt, making all the checks and just knowing that we’re all behind him. No matter what he calls, we’re gonna make it right.

“Even if it’s not the perfect look, we’re gonna trust his eyes and just go from there. Just been really proud of the way he’s stepped up this year, just commanding everybody to get to the line, get the right sets and seeing everything clearly. He’s done a phenomenal job. Really been impressed with him.”

For a unit that’s been so steady – following in the footsteps of the team’s lunchpail defense – one could chalk up the pitfalls of Sunday’s showing in Landover, Md., as a one-off or an off day.

With Turpin coming to Philadelphia, the Eagles can’t have another, as the margins won’t allow for a hangover.

Burks believes the unit is far closer to the swarming, tenacious one that’s shown up for most of the season.

“I think we’re right there,” Burks said. “When we look at the film, it’s like, ‘All right, we’re one leverage away, one missed tackle or whatever away from making a play inside the 20 or establishing that dominance that everyone’s a part of.’ I think everybody’s ready to step up to the plate this week and get that taste out of our mouth.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.