If you're an Eagles fan frustrated by the number of shotgun runs you've seen this season, well, be prepared for some more frustration this Sunday.
The Eagles and Dolphins are among the league-leaders in percentage of runs out of shotgun as opposed to from under center. In fact, several Eagles defenders said Wednesday that the offenses are very similar in terms of number of shotgun runs, inside zone and outside zone plays.
Miami has been a more physical team since Dan Campbell replaced Joe Philbin and that's evidenced in the play-calling. Excluding the Patriots blowout, Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor — formerly the Eagles' quarterbacks coach under Chip Kelly — has called 8.3 first-down rushes per game with Campbell as head coach. Under Philbin, the Dolphins called 4.8 first-down runs per game.
Dolphins RB Lamar Miller is most dangerous running to the outside. The Dolphins are third in the NFL with 6.35 yards per carry off left end or right end, behind only Pittsburgh and Arizona. Miller himself has 19 carries for 100 yards on runs off left end or right end. Only five running backs in the NFL with that many carries to the outside have more yards: Ryan Mathews, Doug Martin, Latavius Murray, Darren McFadden and LeSean McCoy, in that order.
"Everything looks similar," Brandon Graham said. "Only difference is they run the read-zone because they have a running quarterback. They throw a little bit more trickery in there than what we do."
Some of that trickery involves reverses to speedy wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who has 12 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown this season.
Safe to say setting the edge takes on added importance this Sunday.
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"With the spread offense, there's so many different weapons they can throw at you. We just have to be technically sound," Graham said.
"Landry is a big-time guy we've got to stop in their offense along with Lamar. He's pretty fast and he's tough, too. We just have to have a mindset of what we're going to focus on, and I think a big focus is stopping [Landry] and stopping the run."
Graham said a key against the Dolphins is not over-pursuing, not trying to do too much. If you do, Landry or Miller could change course and hurt you on the backside.
"Just got to stay backside and just know if the play's going away, more than likely my teammates don't need me to make the play, they need me to make the backside play," Graham said. "So we've got to just make sure we stay sound and make sure we don't try to make other people's plays."
If Landry is handed the ball on a reverse, odds are he's getting outside. But Bennie Logan, a former teammate of Landry's at LSU, lit up when asked about the potential of getting to tackle him.
"If he was to get a chance to run it in the middle, I don't think that'd be a good idea for him," Logan said. "I wouldn't say a career decision, but we'd definitely meet and I'd welcome him to Philly."
The Eagles' vaunted run defense has struggled the last two games, allowing 338 yards on 62 carries to Dallas and Carolina. But take away the 37 rushing yards on six carries from QBs Cam Newton and Matt Cassel and the 43-yard gain on a reverse to Panthers WR Ted Ginn and the numbers don't look as bad — 55 carries for 258 yards. Still, that's 4.7 yards per rush and that's unlike this defense.
It should help that whenever the Eagles watch film of themselves, they're seeing the things they need to prepare for against Miami. Miller has 91 carries this season and 66 have been from shotgun. That's 73 percent.
The Eagles' trio of DeMarco Murray, Mathews and Darren Sproles has 209 carries this season and 167 have been from shotgun. That's 80 percent.
"We're very familiar with how they want to run their offense," defensive end Cedric Thorton said. "But I don't think their offensive line is gonna be as good as ours."
We'll see.