Will losing Jim johnson hurt the Eagles and help the rest of the NFC East and our Skins?

[Bill B]

Whenever the Skins play the Eagles you would always hear that Jim Johnson was a defensive mastermind. Will he is on a indefinate leave of absence now and Sean McDermott is replacing him. With that in mind how much will the Eagles fall if any in the NFC East race?

Eagles tap Sean McDermott as new defensive coordinator - NFL - SI.com

[CRedskinsRule]

It definitely will be interesting for both the Eagles and Giants, to see how the teams respond to the new DC's. I think both will suffer setbacks, and in Philly's case, the loss of a Defensive leader like Dawkins will compound the drop off.

(certainly that's what I hope happens)

[MTK]

Anytime you lose a great coach it's going to have an impact.

[Bill B]

I am hoping that this leads to a season sweep of the Eagles. With the NFC East division as tough as it is this year winning on the road is going to be very tough. CredskinsRule - I forgot about the Giants losing their coordinator as well - I think the Giants have a better chance of overcoming losing their D Coordinator more than the Eagles do with the Giants D-line one of the tops in the league.

[Monksdown]

We were lucky to have someone of Blache's caliber able to step up into Gregg's shoes. Our defense changed some things, but for the most part, didn't lose it's effectiveness.

I can't see how McDermott can have a resume as deep as Greg Blache, but maybe he does.

Did Gregg leave Washington in the offseason following Sean Taylor's murder? If so, then Greg Blache certainly deserves credit for filling that gap without missing a beat. Can Sean McDermott do the same?

[skindeep]

Lito Shepard, Dawkins, and Jim Johnson, with there departure will leave a big whole in Philly's D, I dont see them being very dominate as in years past. Dawkins wont be replaced his kind of leadership hard to come by these days.

[Chico23231]

Without a doubt the defense will take a step back...Johnson is easily one of the best D-cordinators in the league

[53Fan]

Well I'll probably piss off some G.Williams fans but I never put him on the same level as Johnson anyhow. I think the Iggles will feel the loss.

[Lotus]

I think McDermott will be good and the Philly Pigeons will be no pushovers on defense. That being said, Johnson will be missed on the football field. I hope he's relatively ok, even if he worked for the Pigeons, because this can't be good health news for him.

[NYCskinfan82]

It comes down to having good Assistants, we did and still do so i think the Beagles and little people do to.

[Beemnseven]

Most importantly, I hope Jim Johnson recovers and beats the cancer.

As far as the football aspect goes, there would be an adjustment, but every season I think the window has closed for the Eagles, and just about every year they are still in contention.

[Schneed10]

Despite the absence of Dawkins, I think that defense will play with a little more heart for Jim Johnson. Johnson will be missed schematically at times throughout the year, but they'll play inspired ball on his behalf.

The fan in me wants to say that team will suck balls, but with Jason Peters in the fold and Shawn Andrews back healthy, I think they're the favorite to make the Superbowl on the NFC side.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

Most importantly, I hope Jim Johnson recovers and beats the cancer.

As far as the football aspect goes, there would be an adjustment, but every season I think the window has closed for the Eagles, and just about every year they are still in contention.

That's the first thing I thought when I read this thread title.

Anyway, losing Johnson and Dawkins will hurt, but Philly will be a force to be reckoned with. Even if their D takes a bit of a step backwards, I think their offense is going to be pretty damn good.

[djnemo65]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Despite the absence of Dawkins, I think that defense will play with a little more heart for Jim Johnson. Johnson will be missed schematically at times throughout the year, but they'll play inspired ball on his behalf.

The fan in me wants to say that team will suck balls, but with Jason Peters in the fold and Shawn Andrews back healthy, I think they're the favorite to make the Superbowl on the NFC side.

Totally agree, the Eagles are beastly this year. Regarding this thread, I wish the circumstances were different but losing a coach of Johnson's caliber will certainly have an impact.

[GTripp0012]

Their linebacker play was very scheme-based.

Their DL and Secondary is still laced with all the talent it ever was. If anything, Johnson's departure might help those units. But they might have a big weakness at the second level that teams can exploit with the pass now.