It's ground and pound in the NFC East
RICHMOND, Va. — The NFC North was long known as the black-and-blue division, rife with stout defenses and run-first offenses committed to grinding out long drives and bruising yards. Now, it's stacked with quarterbacks, part of a leaguewide obsession with the passing game.
The NFC East, however, has gone in another direction. Welcome to the new black and blue.
“It' s kind of the way it' s been built,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “You look at the history of the NFC East, usually the team that runs the ball the best is the one that wins it and the one that stops the run the best is the one that wins it.”
Teams across the division have invested heavily in their run games and loaded up on defense.
The Giants took Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft and he was the NFL's second-leadin grus her as a rookie. The Cowboys selected Ezekiel
Elliott with the No. 4 pick in 2016 and he has led the league in rushing twice in three years, including last season. The Redskins added Oklahoma great and future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson last year and he ranked No. 8 in rushing. The Eagles traded for Jordan Howard, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in two of his first three seasons, and will pair him second-round pick Miles Sanders.
“That' s smash-mouth football ,” Red skin sc orne rb a ck Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. “... The game changes, you've got to change with it.”
The source of the philosophies aren't difficult to trace. The Giants are led by general manager Dave Gettleman, who built the Panthers into a Super Bowl team with a bruising run game and bulky defense.
The Cowboys have always been most successful when they run the ball with a strong offensive line. Emmitt Smith won three Super Bowls and became the NFL's career rushing leader running behind one of the NFL's best offensive lines. Then Dallas ended a four-year playoff drought when DeMarco Murray was named offensive player of the year in 2014. The team fell to 4-12 without Murray in 2014, but has been to the playoffs twice in three years with Elliott.
Gruden wants a balanced scheme in Washington, which has also drafted running backs Derrius Guice (second round in 2018) and Bryce Love (fourth round this year), a Heisman Trophy finalist two years ago. The Redskins jumped out to a 6-3 record last season by running the ball and playing strong defense.
Gruden's roots can be traced to his father, Jim, who coached running backs at Notre Dame, Indiana and with the 49ers. Jay's brother, Jon, won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay thanks, in large part, to a commitment to“pound the rock .” Jon Gruden even put a piece of granite in the locker room during that season.
In an age where the league has tweaked rules to benefit the passing game, the NFC East has moved in the opposite direction. Whether that's been a conscious decision from a particular decision-maker or a product of draft position and coincidence, the change is clear — and, predictably, has also produced an emphasis within the division on stronger front sevens to stop all these backs.
The Redskins have clearly done so in taking Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat in the first round of the past three drafts. In addition, Washington added safety Landon Collins, who is adept at playing physical in the box.
The Eagles feature Fletcher Cox, Tim Jernigan, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry up front.
The Giants traded away space-eating defensive tackle Damon Harrison, but have invested high-draft capital in Dexter Lawrence, B.J. Hill and Dalvin Tomlinson.
“We're trying to match their aggressive nature with their offensive line in Dallas and the Giants and the Eagles,” Gruden said, “with our share of good players on defense. And conversely on offense, the same thing [with the offensive line] and having the running back stable that we have we can be able to run the ball with great balance.”