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http://deadspin.com/the-eagles-relen...eme-1788321972
I think this might be the money shot in terms of the failure of the wide nine in 2012:
Jesus, we had a shit defense then...
Carson Wentz’s quick acclimation to the NFL is widely credited for the Eagles’ 4-2 start. Wentz has indeed been excellent. But Philly’s defense—and especially its defensive line—has been fantastic through six games, and it deserves its due. Through seven weeks, the Eagles lead the league in DVOA and in adjusted sack rate, and it’s a triumph for a scheme that until this season had been a profanity in the Delaware Valley. Not anymore.
New head coach Doug Pederson has given defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz complete control of the defense. Schwartz switched the Eagles from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and he installed a system that includes the “Wide Nine,” a technique that positions an end outside the tackle, with no responsibility except to go balls-out after the quarterback. The end of Andy Reid’s tenure in Philly was marked by the renowned failure of the “Wide Nine,” but internal dysfunction had set in by then, and the personnel is very different now.
New head coach Doug Pederson has given defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz complete control of the defense. Schwartz switched the Eagles from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and he installed a system that includes the “Wide Nine,” a technique that positions an end outside the tackle, with no responsibility except to go balls-out after the quarterback. The end of Andy Reid’s tenure in Philly was marked by the renowned failure of the “Wide Nine,” but internal dysfunction had set in by then, and the personnel is very different now.
As Tim McManus pointed out over the summer for Philadelphia magazine, the ‘12 Eagles had a linebacking corps of Casey Matthews, Moise Fokou, and Jamar Chaney that was not suited to handle that kind of burden. But the current group, which includes Mychal Kendricks and Jordan Hicks, plus the newly acquired Bradham, is a much better fit for the scheme. The same is true of current safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod vs. the 2012 tandem of Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman.
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