Eagles know 2 games isn’t enough to judge Sanders
Pederson professes his confidence despite RB’s lackluster performances
PHILADELPHIA — No way are the Philadelphia Eagles giving up on rookie running back Miles Sanders after two games. They know what he can do, he knows what he can do and they’re not dwelling on what could have been against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday night.
Sanders more than once tried to bounce outside for big plays when there were openings up the middle for smaller but safer ones. He paid the price against what might be the fastest defense in the NFL, finishing his team’s 24-20 loss with 10 carries for 28 yards, which actually raised his season average to 2.5 yards per carry.
After running with great success in their season-opening win over Washington, the Eagles couldn’t get anything going on the ground against the Falcons. Their longest rush was five yards.
Sanders knows that can’t continue to happen, or he will fall to the bottom of a depth chart that features Jordan Howard, Darren Sproles and Corey Clement.
“I don’t want people to question my effort,” Sanders said. “After watching film, there were like one or two plays where I felt like I could definitely stick my foot in the ground and get going more north. But that just comes with having more experience as the season keeps going, getting better at that.
“… But at the end of the day, I definitely believe I have the ability to bounce it out and beat anybody with speed if I had to to, so it’s just me
making decisions, having more sharp decisions and not really hesitating, just trusting my eyes.”
Through two games, Sanders ranks first on the Eagles with 21 rushing attempts but dead last among the running backs in efficiency. Sproles (5.2 yards per carry) and Howard (4.4) are way ahead. Clement hasn’t had any offensive touches.
“I think it’s all part of the process, really,” offensive coordinator Mike Groh said. “There were some moments in there where you’d like him to stick his foot in the ground and get north, and he can’t outrun everybody in this league like he might have been able to do in [college]. That’s the learning experience of a young player.
“We know he’s going to learn from it. It’s been pointed out and he’ll be better for it. We’ve got a ton of confidence in the guy and he’s going to be a really good running back.”
Key words: “going to be.”
“I’m really confident in Miles,” coach Doug Pederson said. “I think the more opportunities he gets, he’ll get better. He missed some things
“I’m really confident in Miles. I think the more opportunities he gets, he’ll get better. He missed some things … missed a couple of the holes.” — Eagles coach Doug Pederson on Sanders
… missed a couple of the holes. A couple of the holding calls he tried to bounce outside, and we got a couple holding calls, which are going to happen. There are some things that he can get better, but our confidence in him is really high, extremely high and we are going to continue to play him and get him the reps.
“These are all things we’ll show him on tape. … It comes from playing and then watching himself on film and making the corrections.”
Nevertheless, this approach with someone who’s not as accomplished as any of the other three running backs behind him on the depth chart will continue to be an issue if Sanders doesn’t show more production soon.