Philadelphia Eagles coordinator defends cornerbacks

By Cory Buck | Oct 8, 2014

Oct 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cary Williams (26) and free safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) react as pass intended for St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick (83) falls incomplete on fourth down late in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Rams, 34-28. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia Eagles took some heat for the play of their cornerbacks after nearly squandering a 34-7 second half lead in Week 5. The St. Louis Rams scored two fourth quarter passing touchdowns, leading many to question the play of starters Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis was quick to defend his corners though, citing the defense as a whole as more of the issue than anything else.

More from NFL

“You know, I went back, I know everybody is on the corners, but man, I went back and looked at every play,” Davis said via the team’s website. “We did as a staff over and over again. And the corners have their share, but it is not them and them alone.”

Davis cited the pass rush and the containment on the quarterback as two aspects that were not taken care of during major completions against the Eagles secondary.

"“For instance, on Bradley Fletcher, the throw up, it was just really almost a Hail Mary type thing where you threw it up, but we had a half safety that came out of the half, so there should have been two players there. We had a contain element in the pass rush that lost contain that let the quarterback out. So there was a series of breakdowns, and then at the end, Fletch still should have made the play”"

So while Davis understands that no one’s perfect, he’s also not going to leave anyone on an island.

"“So over and over again, you look at a series of events on a play that hurt us that led to it, but not one individual player. I have complete confidence in our corners, I really do. And I watch every play of every snap of practice, obviously, and I know everybody wants to pin it on them, but I’m telling you, that’s not where the issue is all the time.”"

At the end of the day, the Eagles are 4-1 so obviously something on defense is working. Cornerback is arguably the toughest position in football outside of quarterback because of the way the rules are emphasized to favor offense. While Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher aren’t going to make the Pro Bowl any time soon, it’s fair to say that they aren’t the only issue on an Eagles defense that will get a big test in Week 6 when they play Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

More from FanSided