Clement, Adams pull off Birds’ basic victory plan
PHILADELPHIA >> Low on expectations, lower on defensive backs, Doug Pederson still had one option Sunday as he tried to salvage the Eagles’ season. He could rely on what Corey Clement said all those weeks ago. He could try trusting his running backs.
Clement’s famous recommendation had first leaked in October, after the Eagles had lost Jay Ajayi for the season with a knee injury, and while Darren Sproles was, true story, unavailable. That’s when Howie Roseman came to him for an eye-to-eye, wondered if he needed to hire another running back, and was assured by Clement that there were already enough qualified employees on staff.
The Eagles beat the Giants that week, as they did again Sunday, 25-22, in the Linc, as they always do, as they apparently always will. They beat them once, and they beat them again, not with any PhillyPhilly gimmickry or jumpinto-the-stands celebratory style.
They won because they trusted the running backs, neither of them spectacular, both of them, Clement and Josh Adams, reliable in an old-style, NFC East up-the-middle way.
“Just letting guys play,” Clement said. “Whoever had the hot hand was going to keep rolling. And hats go off to Josh Adams for basically carrying the workload. He’s a rookie. It’s definitely not easy to be given a chance to show what you can do in primetime situations. That’s awesome.
“And just being part of this running back committee, that’s all I want to do.”
Neither Adams nor Clement will threaten to win a Pro Bowl spot. Chances remain long that they will reach the playoffs. But what they did Sunday was make sure the Eagles’ season did not essentially crash before December. That, they did with consistency, strength and a combined 27 fumble-free carries and three critical point-producing runs from their backs.
Adams, the walk-on from Notre Dame who’d begun the season on the practice squad, rushed for a career-high 84 yards on 22 carries, including a go-ahead, fourth-quarter, one-yard statement score. Clement ran five times for 45 yards, a 9.0 average. Each back ran for a twopoint conversion.
For many reasons, that shorten-the-game, basic approach was the Eagles’ only chance to recover from a two-game, seasonthreatening losing streak, the last flop by 41 points in New Orleans. Even Pederson, famed for his willingness to trick-out a game plan, was determined to take the button-down approach to recovery.
“Going into the game, we knew we were going to have to control the ball a little bit,” he said. “We just wanted to help out some of the young guys on defense. And our guys really rose to the occasion. They wanted the ball in the second half. They were coming to me and saying, ‘Keep running, keep running.’ So they did a really nice job. And also it helps your quarterback.”
After Adams scored with 10:15 left, his twopoint conversion provided a three-point lead. The Giants were able only to manage a field goal to tie, and with 5:49 remaining, the Eagles essentially would have the chance for the game-winning drive. So it would be, 10 plays worth, six of them Adams runs, Pederson continuously trusting his line. That was sufficient to set up Jake Elliott for the game-winning 43yard field goal. As the drive ended, Lane Johnson approached Pederson, finally able to exhale.
“I just told him that I am proud of the guys and proud of him,” Pederson said. “And I said, ‘How good does that feel?’”
For the Eagles, it was therapeutic, pushing them to 5-6 with the possibility that their next game, Monday against the visiting Redskins, would be for a share of first place.
“We’re at a braking point in our season,” Johnson said. “We can talk about it all we want. I thought we ran the ball well when we needed it. It just felt good to be balanced. It felt good to get a win.”
Some team will win the NFC East. It won’t be the Giants. The Redskins’ top quarterback, Alex Smith, is out for the season. Dallas won in the Linc, 27-20, three games ago, with Adams and Clement combining for just 60 rushing yards and Wendell Smallwood adding four. The race figures to be tight to the end. If so, it will be reduced to basics. The Eagles still have a reliable run-blocking game, giving them the opportunity to run the clock and limit the responsibilities of their tattered defense. And they have a renewed confidence in two young backs.
“That is a key for us,” Carson Wentz said. “We come into every game wanting to be balanced. The offensive line plays best when we are. It gives them confidence. They were coming off the ball firing. And that kind of lightens the pass-rush, too.”
Rely on the line.
Run the ball.
Blunt the pass rush. Shorten the game. Can football in 2018 really be that basic?
“Like Chris Long said, if you keep things simple, guys can have fun and play loose,” Clement said. “I don’t disagree with that at all. Everybody played loose today. And everybody was explosive today.”
At a time when there were so few options, it was a necessary display of trust.