AUTHOR: Ryan Messick | IN: Eagles | COMMENTS: None Yet |

The combo of Ernie Sims and Stewart Bradley received a lot of attention at camp.

Make no mistake, the Eagles linebackers this year are far better than last season.  The trio is probably as good as Philadelphia has had since Jeremiah Trotter was in his prime.  Perhaps most importantly, all three – Stewart Bradley, Ernie Sims and Akeem Jordan – can play every snap.

“Big.  It really is big.  And this gets back to us being healthy, for the most part, right now,” said defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.  “We got banged up in a game the other night.  But, for the most part, we’re healthy.”

That means McDermott can capitalize on the versatility of a unit that doesn’t really have a specialist against the run or pass.  “They look like they’re building that chemistry from being out on the field together, which is important.  There seems to be balance both in the run and the pass game,” McDermott said.

Overall the Eagles run defense, statistically, wasn’t bad last year – it ranked in the top third of the league.  However, look no farther than the last two games of the season, a pair of drubbings at the hands of the Cowboys, to see why the Eagles need a better performance against the run this year.

Dallas ran 67 times in those two games for a total of 377 yards, or 5.6 per carry.  It’s nearly impossible to win when allowing that kind of yardage on the ground, which also leads to lopsided time of possession.  The Cowboys held the ball for 79:57 in the two games, compared to the Eagles’ 40:03.

But this season, the Eagles hope their defense is bolstered against run-heavy offenses.  McDermott wants the interior to set the tone. “Well, you would hope so.  The core of your defense and the strength down the middle of your defense needs to be just that,” he said.

In Stewart Bradley, Ernie Sims and Akeem Jordan the Birds hope they’ve found what they were looking for at linebacker.  “They’re young and they’re fast,” said McDermott.  “They’re very tough, which I like in our linebackers and our overall defense.”

They’ll need to be all of those things and more, given the first team on the regular season schedule.  McDermott’s already aware of what Green Bay is capable of. “We’re keeping an eye on them,” he said. “Keeping an eye on all 59 points the other night.”

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PHILADELPHIA - They're young and they're hungry.

Most importantly, they're fast.

No one knows right now just how good this season's Eagles defense will be. It's hard to imagine them playing as poorly as they did at the end of last season, when they were embarrassed by the Cowboys in back-to-back games. But it's still too early to guess if they're going to be vastly improved.

One thing for sure, though. Through just two preseason games, the first team has shown a quickness it hasn't displayed in years.

"We have a very fast defense this year,'' end Trent Cole said. "I'm just excited to see what's going to happen.''

Aren't all Eagles fans?

Take Cole, add rookie defensive end Brandon Graham, new linebacker Ernie Sims and rookie safety Nate Allen - along with maybe the biggest part of the equation, middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, and what you get is one fast-moving attack.

These guys cover a lot of ground in a hurry.

Will this added speed translate into better play? Will it mean more wins? Will these guys give defensive coordinator Sean McDermott the power to run the pressure defense he learned from Jim Johnson?

Hard to say, but for the Eagles' sake, it better.

Let's face it, this isn't the biggest defense in the world. They're not going to overpower many teams with their size. So the Eagles better hope the old saying rings true: speed kills.

"This really isn't something new for us,'' said Bradley, one of the quickest and most aggressive middle linebackers in the league. "We always had a downhill style. An aggressive style. We just have a few more players we can use to run that style this year.''

Bradley was lost for the year during "Flight Night" last preseason at Lincoln Financial Field and the Birds defense basically struggled from there.

Oh, sure, it put up some decent numbers, had its share of takeaways, caused enough havoc to get the job done most games. But all in all, it had its share of problems, especially late in the year.

This year, with all the new additions, things could be different.

"The more guys you have causing problems the easier it (getting to the ballcarrier) is going to be,'' said Cole, who caused opposing offenses many problems as his 12 1/2 sacks will attest. "We have a lot of guys this season, more than a handful of guys that can cause a lot of problems and that's what I like.

"Being fast and flying around the ball. You can tell that's what (the coaching staff) wants. They want a fast defense and they built a fast defense.''

That's one of the reasons the brain trust decided to move up in last April's NFL Draft to take Graham. The Michigan product weighs about 265 pounds and is barely 6-foot-2, but he's got quick moves.

Like Cole, Graham likes the fact the Eagles have built their defense around speed. But Graham thinks the Birds can actually shift into another gear.

"Well, I think it can be faster,'' Graham said. "I know we're fast already, I just think we're not all the way where we need to be by the first game, but I think we're going to be there."

By Jeff McLane

Inquirer Staff Writer

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20100823_Eagles_Notes___Reid_upbeat_on_Sims__potential.html#ixzz0xZnMh1eK
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By GEOFF MOSHER • For the Courier-Post • August 23, 2010

Sims, the starting weak-side linebacker, wasn't credited with a tackle in one half of work. Both he and Reid were surprised to see the goose egg on the sheet after the game. But after film review, both were relieved by what they saw.

"I thought he played a heck of a game," Reid said. "He is a tempo setter and he's always right around the ball. There were a lot of times where (Stewart) Bradley was running free because Ernie absorbed either a lineman or a fullback or a tight end. He's a physical guy."

Sims, a 2006 first-round pick of the Lions, came over to the Eagles in an off-season trade. During camp, an impressed defensive coordinator Sean McDermott referred to his new weapon as a shark in the water.

"After the game, I wasn't disappointed, but the type of player that I am, I want my name to be heard out there," Sims said. "And it wasn't heard. But every play I did my job and I was pretty physical at the point of attack and I did not have any MAs (missed assignments) out there.

"When I got a chance to watch the film, it made me feel a little bit better, but it's still not where I want to be. When it comes game time, game one, I want to be on my Ps and Qs."

Sims, who made a name for himself during camp by consistently drilling offensive players in noncontact drills, seemed enthused and jealous about the crippling hit doled out by Bradley that left Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco woozy and confused.

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