May 16, 2008

Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson never will be known as anything but a pressure-based 4-3 guy, but the Eagles might opt to work in a few more 3-4 packages this season. The Eagles are young and deep and linebacker, making it possible, and they also have added a few potentially versatile pieces who could offer interesting rush potential. Chris Clemons has spent his career as a down lineman, but Johnson will at least experiment with him as a stand-up rusher from time to time. A similar niche could be worked out with undersized rookie DE Bryan Smith. “I think it comes down to our linebackers and our depth at linebacker,” Johnson said at last week’s minicamp. “How much will we do it? We will do it some. We’ve done it a little bit before. It’s always kind of a mixture for us. … You have to be (creative) a little bit. Just like (LB) Chris Gocong last year, we were able to take advantage of his pass-rush ability and his drop ability. … The biggest thing I think we have is we are a faster team. We’re trying to get speed on the field. You want to be physical and you want to make sure you have speed. We’re still looking for that guy who can be that physical guy who has speed, who can rush the passer, but who can still drop. Those are the things that go into your creative packages.”