Earlier this season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear that he has no problem with the short-yardage play the Eagles have perfected. As Dallas prepares to host Philly on Sunday Night Football with the division lead suddenly in reach, Jones was asked again for his thoughts on the play.
“I don’t have that kind of issue with those techniques,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “That to me will ultimately take care of itself. . . . Those things have a way of being adjusted after a period of time. Usually, it’s cyclical. And when you see something really going, gets an edge on offense, you’ll see the defense catch up with it. . . . And so I think you’ll ultimately see that plugged up, and they’ll be doing something else.”
Will it, though? The Eagles have perfected it. It’s unstoppable. And they’ve basically shortened the sticks, shifting first and 10 to something like first and eight.
Jones also pointed out that the pushing really isn’t making much of a difference.
“I don’t know that the pushing aspect of it is where the battle is won,” Jones said. “I think it’s the initial get off. I think it’s the initial positioning. I think it’s the lineman getting underneath the defensive guy. I think it’s the art of the quarterback to feel the soft spots, the crack. . . . But I think there’s an art of the deal here. And to me, it’s not a problem.”
He’s right about that. Even without pushing from behind, the Eagles’ quarterback sneak would be very hard to stop, given the quality of their offensive line and the abilities of quarterback Jalen Hurts.