This man could be the key to the 3-4 working in Philly.
With all of the problems the Eagles are having with their linebackers this year, it's going to take some creativity on the part of Sean McDermott to give the guys breathers and to create pressure from the second level.
One way to do that would be to use the team's best pass-rushers in some different ways. One way would be to stand them up as outside linebackers and allow them to rush from the outside in a 3-4 set on obvious passing downs.
Specifically I'm talking about guys like Juqua Parker, Trent Cole, Chris Clemons, and maybe even Jason Babin, who has experience as an outside linebacker.
Standing these guys up and allowing them to get a head of steam coming around the corner could really create a problem for the offensive tackles or tight ends attempting to block them. Pair this with two good middle linebackers in Will Witherspoon and Jeremiah Trotter in the middle, and you could have another wrinkle to help this defense.
Talking about Trotter specifically, having half the room to cover could really help him. He's obviously slowed down because of the several knee injuries he's suffered throughout his career, so just having one gap to fill and worry about could really play to his strengths and help him a lot.
Witherspoon hasn't played in the 3-4, but transitioning from and MIKE linebacker to an ILB for maybe six-eight snaps per game should not be a problem for him.
The biggest question here, as it usually is for a 4-3 team running the 3-4 is the defensive line. The Eagles are obviously built to play the 4-3, but look for athletic defensive tackles who, while they probably couldn't play the position full time, could do the job for a few snaps per game.
Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are about the right weight for the job, but are a bit short at around 6-foot tall. Usually, a 3-4 defensive end should be anywhere from 6'3 and up. But like I said, they should be just fine for limited snaps each game.
That just leaves one more spot to fill -- the spot of nose tackle, which is by far the most difficult position to fill when running the 3-4 defense.
The Eagles have a guy who's just barely big enough to fill the void of nose tackle at 6'3 and 325 pounds, and that's backup defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, who joined the Eagles just before the 2009 season started after being waived by the Washington Redskins.
For those who'd say he's too small, consider that Jay Ratliff is only 300 pounds, and Casey Hampton is two inches shorter at the same weight, so he could absolutely fill the role.
It's not something they would use for even a quarter of the defensive snaps, but in certain situations the 3-4 could be effective against either the run or pass. Not only that, but it would confuse an offense to see a team like the Eagles who very rarely deviate from the 4-3 to come out in the 3-4 with their best pass-rushers standing up.
It's probably a long-shot that it actually happens, but it would be a welcome wrinkle to add to an already impressive Eagles defense.
