Britt's performance not all on Hobbs, Allen

Titans QB Kerry Collins and WR Kenny Britt connected on touchdown passes of 26, 80 and 16 yards in Sunday's 37-19 win over the Eagles, who had no solutions in coverage. Britt finished the game with seven receptions for 225 yards, a career high, as CB Ellis Hobbs and rookie FS Nate Allen were among the Eagles who were victimized. It's easy to blame the two defensive backs, but they were not the only ones who must be called out.

The PFW Spin

The Eagles had no answers for Britt, who looked like James Lofton on Sunday. He did all his damage in only three quarters of action after being suspended for the first part of the game after an off-field incident a few days prior. The Eagles came in with one game plan and appeared to adjust poorly when Britt started getting loose often.

"They just kept running the same route and every different way I played it, they did the opposite of what I was thinking," Hobbs told assembled media members. "Our coverage just wasn't tight enough. (Britt) made the plays and we didn't. It was one of those days where every time we rolled the dice, we crapped out."

Hobbs was the man primarily matched up with Britt, who had 6-199-2 receiving in the second half (4-159-2 came in the final period alone). But several times in zone coverage, Hobbs passed Britt off to Allen, who was supposed to have over-the-top coverage. More than once, Collins hit Britt on a deep corner route — a double move that requires (a) pass protection and (b) loose coverage. The Eagles afforded both, time and time again.

So that brings defensive coordinator Sean McDermott into the conversation. He's being crushed in Philadelphia for his apparent unwillingness to adjust to the Britt-Collins mayhem, and there's some truth to that. When he blitzed, he left Hobbs covering a far quicker player; when McDermott played
zone, or zone dogs, Allen was late to react and get to the softer spots in the coverage.

The blame can be spread to those men, plus the front four that was not able to pressure adequately in the fourth quarter against a wooden Collins who doesn't move all that well in the pocket. If there's a common theme this season it's that the Eagles have been outplayed — in all phases — in several fourth quarters. That blame belongs to the whole team that has lacked a killer instinct at times, and whether or not you chalk that up to youth or not, it's a problem that must be fixed. 

Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2010/10/25/britts-performance-not-all-on-hobbs-allen

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