Jaws: ‘Cardinals Will Give Eagles All They Can Handle’

Ron Jaworski believes the Eagles are in for a fight in Arizona. A guest on Mike & Mike this morning, Jaws spoke in glowing terms about the Cardinals’ attack.

“This Arizona defense is playing terrific,” said Jaworski. “I’m seeing some things that make me say, ‘Hmm, this defense could be really, really good.’  They love to play their 2-4-5 as a base — two down linemen, four linebackers, five defensive backs — and why not when you’ve got a Darnell Dockett and a Calais Campbell inside. Those two guys can pretty much handle the interior of any offensive line in the league.

“I think the Cardinals will give the Eagles all they can handle on Sunday.”

Campbell was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Patriots. He registered 10 tackles, two quarterback sacks and three QB hits against New England.

“Yeah, he had 10 [passes batted down] last year, second in the league, and he gets his paws on the ball as he’s 6-foot-8,” said Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. “He has an excellent feel. You don’t do those things by accident. He’s just got an excellent feel. He also is a good pass rusher, so if he thinks he’s getting there, he’ll get there. If not, then he softens up, then tries to time his arms in there, in many cases, with a jump. So, yeah, that’ll be a part of the game for us.”

This is of particular note given Vick’s recent struggles with batted balls. He had 19 passes tipped at the line of scrimmage last year. It is also not an ideal week to be going up against such a disruptive front, particularly on the road, given that Dallas Reynolds (center) and Demetress Bell (left tackle) will both be making their first starts in an Eagles uniform.

“They have seven sacks in two games. They’re right up at the top in sacks in the league,” said Andy Reid. “They have a great pressure package is what they have. They’ll bring one or two extra guys. They do a lot of fire zone things, very similar to what [Pittsburgh defensive coordinator] Dick LeBeau did. I’m sure [Cardinals defensive coordinator] Ray [Horton] is probably getting tired of hearing that; it’s really what Ray does, but he came from that system and they’re doing it well. They have a lot of confidence and they have a lot of good athletes.”