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Rex Ryan Wouldn’t Change Much for Philadelphia Eagles

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After the unceremonious end to the Philadelphia Eagles’ season, fans are ready for big changes on the defense. Not only for the players on the defensive side of the ball, but for defensive coordinator Billy Davis.

Davis was never really a hire that instilled a ton of confidence in the fans. Yes, he was a 3-4 defensive coach, and the team needed a 3-4 defensive coach, so he worked in that sense. But historically speaking, his defenses have never been stellar, thus he was always on a short leash with fans. That sentiment hit a boiling point after the Sunday night debacle against the Dallas Cowboys. Watching Dez Bryant repeatedly torch Bradley Fletcher, with no adjustment seemingly made by Davis, was equally frustrating as it was painful to watch.

So when word came out that head coach Rex Ryan had been fired by the New York Jets, it was easy to start wishing for him. Ryan was the architect of some pretty nasty defenses that could have made the Super Bowl if the Jets were ever able to develop any kind of steady offensive structure. Also, Rex’s father Buddy Ryan was the head coach of the Eagles in the late 1980’s. Older Eagles fans remember the brash attitude Buddy brought to the team that made him a fan favorite.

As tempting as the idea might be, Ryan would not make much more of a difference than Davis at this point. If you look at the philosophy and structure of Ryan’s defenses, it all revolves around  a deep and strong secondary. Ryan’s defenses require top man-to-man cornerbacks that can cover receivers without any help. If you’ve ever wondered why Ryan made such an investment in Antonio Cromartie when they already had Darrelle Revis on board, this is why. Without those lockdown corners, Ryan can’t maneuver his linemen and slot corners into positions where they have free releases on the quarterback.

Not to belabor the point too much, but the Eagles don’t have anywhere near that level of personnel in their secondary. Whether it’s Ryan or Davis making the calls, fixing that secondary is going to be a monumental task that isn’t going to happen overnight. The only difference Ryan would make right now is what type of cornerback we go get. Meanwhile, the front-seven seems to have successfully gelled into a solid core. Let’s stick with Davis and not ruin the continuity that the Eagles have going there.

Doug Green is a blogger for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.  Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL

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