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Monte Kiffin gets the last laugh; Eagles coach: What we did vs. Cowboys was unacceptable
By Rainer Sabin
rsabin@dallasnews.com
PHILADELPHIA –
In the visiting locker room at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, a reporter reminded Monte Kiffin that Chip Kelly’s offense used to shred his defense.
“It seems like I remember that,” the Cowboys coordinator said with a smile.
He then chuckled.
On this day, Kiffin enjoyed the last laugh, a particularly satisfying one that came after the Cowboys shackled Philadelphia during a 17-3 victory. No longer would he have to answer questions about whether his 4-3 system was capable of stopping Kelly’s zone-read, spread intensive scheme. The box score provided all the evidence needed to quiet the skeptics. The Eagles managed to gain only 278 yards, completed 45 percent of their pass attempts and converted four of 18 third-down opportunities. These weren’t video-game numbers that Kelly’s Oregon teams compiled against Kiffin’s USC defenses when the two were competing at the college level from 2010 to 2012.
During that period, when Kelly was in charge of Oregon’s burgeoning program, he dominated Kiffin, then an assistant with the Trojans.
The Ducks averaged 601 yards and 50 points per game in three head-to-head matchups. They also annihilated USC in a 62-51 victory last November. Roughly 10 weeks after that game, both men migrated to the NFL. Kiffin landed with the Cowboys as defensive coordinator; Kelly with the Eagles as head coach. Once they moved on to their new jobs, many wondered if Kelly would continue to have his way with Kiffin in the pros. The doubters, however, didn’t infiltrate the Cowboys locker room, according to safety Barry Church.
“He can definitely stop this kind of offense,” Church said. “There are totally different players from USC to here. And it just shows.”
It did on Sunday. The Cowboys forced the Eagles to punt nine times and prevented quarterback Nick Foles from ever establishing rhythm. The second-year player, who for the second consecutive week, replaced injured starter Michael Vick, completed 11 of 29 pass attempts for 80 yards. For much of the game, he was under duress in a collapsing pocket.
And on the last of the three sacks he took, Foles injured his head, forcing rookie Matt Barkley to enter the game early in the fourth quarter. Barkley was greeted with cheers. But he quickly sent the fans toward the exits when he threw three interceptions against a Cowboys defense that remained stingy from start to finish. The problems Foles and Barkley couldn’t be masked by the Eagles’ vaunted ground game that led the league in rushing before Sunday. LeSean McCoy struggled to gain any traction, accumulating only 55 yards on 18 carries.
“The defense was outstanding,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. “They did a fantastic job.”
That’s because they were prepared. The Cowboys weren’t overwhelmed by the accelerated tempo at which the Eagles’ offense operates. Dallas, which practiced all week at a fast pace, streamlined its calls and avoided the chaos that can develop when a team runs a high volume of plays in a short period of time.
The Cowboys also had devised a sound strategy to combat their passing game. Playing press-style man coverage rather than zone, the Cowboys’ defensive backs were able to disrupt the crossing routes Philadelphia’s receivers prefer to run. DeSean Jackson, the Eagles’ most dangerous wideout, was held to three catches for 21 yards. While the players seemed proud that their efforts paid off, they were quick to credit Kiffin, the man who came up with the plan,
“It’s awesome to go out there and get a reward and play hard for a guy like that and hold a team to three, just knowing how much work they put into this,” defensive tackle Jason Hatcher said. “He had us prepared tonight. We executed well.”
On the other end of the hallway, Kelly was trying to figure out what went wrong.
“What we did is unacceptable,” the Eagles coach said.
More than maybe anyone in that stadium, Kiffin understood how Kelly was feeling. He’s been there.
“You’re going to have days like that,” he said. “He’s a great coach.”
But in a new league, with a different team, Kiffin was the one who came out on top. Revenge never tasted sweeter.
By Rainer Sabin
rsabin@dallasnews.com
PHILADELPHIA –
In the visiting locker room at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, a reporter reminded Monte Kiffin that Chip Kelly’s offense used to shred his defense.
“It seems like I remember that,” the Cowboys coordinator said with a smile.
He then chuckled.
On this day, Kiffin enjoyed the last laugh, a particularly satisfying one that came after the Cowboys shackled Philadelphia during a 17-3 victory. No longer would he have to answer questions about whether his 4-3 system was capable of stopping Kelly’s zone-read, spread intensive scheme. The box score provided all the evidence needed to quiet the skeptics. The Eagles managed to gain only 278 yards, completed 45 percent of their pass attempts and converted four of 18 third-down opportunities. These weren’t video-game numbers that Kelly’s Oregon teams compiled against Kiffin’s USC defenses when the two were competing at the college level from 2010 to 2012.
During that period, when Kelly was in charge of Oregon’s burgeoning program, he dominated Kiffin, then an assistant with the Trojans.
The Ducks averaged 601 yards and 50 points per game in three head-to-head matchups. They also annihilated USC in a 62-51 victory last November. Roughly 10 weeks after that game, both men migrated to the NFL. Kiffin landed with the Cowboys as defensive coordinator; Kelly with the Eagles as head coach. Once they moved on to their new jobs, many wondered if Kelly would continue to have his way with Kiffin in the pros. The doubters, however, didn’t infiltrate the Cowboys locker room, according to safety Barry Church.
“He can definitely stop this kind of offense,” Church said. “There are totally different players from USC to here. And it just shows.”
It did on Sunday. The Cowboys forced the Eagles to punt nine times and prevented quarterback Nick Foles from ever establishing rhythm. The second-year player, who for the second consecutive week, replaced injured starter Michael Vick, completed 11 of 29 pass attempts for 80 yards. For much of the game, he was under duress in a collapsing pocket.
And on the last of the three sacks he took, Foles injured his head, forcing rookie Matt Barkley to enter the game early in the fourth quarter. Barkley was greeted with cheers. But he quickly sent the fans toward the exits when he threw three interceptions against a Cowboys defense that remained stingy from start to finish. The problems Foles and Barkley couldn’t be masked by the Eagles’ vaunted ground game that led the league in rushing before Sunday. LeSean McCoy struggled to gain any traction, accumulating only 55 yards on 18 carries.
“The defense was outstanding,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. “They did a fantastic job.”
That’s because they were prepared. The Cowboys weren’t overwhelmed by the accelerated tempo at which the Eagles’ offense operates. Dallas, which practiced all week at a fast pace, streamlined its calls and avoided the chaos that can develop when a team runs a high volume of plays in a short period of time.
The Cowboys also had devised a sound strategy to combat their passing game. Playing press-style man coverage rather than zone, the Cowboys’ defensive backs were able to disrupt the crossing routes Philadelphia’s receivers prefer to run. DeSean Jackson, the Eagles’ most dangerous wideout, was held to three catches for 21 yards. While the players seemed proud that their efforts paid off, they were quick to credit Kiffin, the man who came up with the plan,
“It’s awesome to go out there and get a reward and play hard for a guy like that and hold a team to three, just knowing how much work they put into this,” defensive tackle Jason Hatcher said. “He had us prepared tonight. We executed well.”
On the other end of the hallway, Kelly was trying to figure out what went wrong.
“What we did is unacceptable,” the Eagles coach said.
More than maybe anyone in that stadium, Kiffin understood how Kelly was feeling. He’s been there.
“You’re going to have days like that,” he said. “He’s a great coach.”
But in a new league, with a different team, Kiffin was the one who came out on top. Revenge never tasted sweeter.
