For the last couple years under former head coach Chip Kelly, the Philadelphia Eagles' Brandon Graham played the majority of his snaps as a stand-up outside linebacker. His primary responsibility was rushing the passer, of course, but he also dropped into coverage more often than his skill set would seemingly dictate that he should.
Under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, the Eagles are moving back to a 4-3 defense. That means Graham is returning to his more natural position as a defensive end. It's safe to say he's pretty fired up about that fact.
"I'm loving the scheme," Graham said, per NJ.com. "I'm loving how Jim just teaches. I'm just happy to be back to just 4-3. It's two-dimensional. It's about stopping the run and getting after the quarterback. That's one thing I really like about Schwartz. He simplified it and just wants you to go out there and just play. He loves the energy. He wants you to bring a lot of energy. That's it. That's D-line talk."
Schwartz famously prefers to get pressure on the quarterback without blitzing, preferring to turn his defensive linemen loose and let the linebackers and defensive backs behind them worry about coverage and tackling in open space. He did it with the Bills a couple years ago, the Lions before that, and the Titans before that. He'll more than likely do it again with the Eagles. No more exotic blitz schemes. Just linemen getting after it.
"All they want you to do is rush, crush and close," Graham said. "That's it. That's what I'm used to. I'm just excited. We've always had the 4-3 personnel, anyway. I'm just happy for once we get full strength, get everyone back, get this thing going and we'll see what we have."
