PHILADELPHIA − Maybe there’s something more to the Eagles’ success at intercepting passes this season.
Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson leads the NFL with five interceptions. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry have three each.
In all, the Eagles lead the NFL with 12 interceptions and 18 total takeaways. On offense, they have committed just three turnovers. The differential of plus-15 is more than double the next closest team, the Baltimore Ravens at plus-7.
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That goes a long way toward explaining the Eagles’ 8-0 record heading into their Monday night game against the Washington Commanders.
Slay has a theory about the interceptions.
“We got hands in the secondary!” Slay said. “We got the best hands on the team. We should be switching over to receiver, the whole group. We might not be the better route runners, but we got the best hands on the team.”
And they’re not afraid to show off their wide receiver skills. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni recently said that Gardner-Johnson, who calls himself “a ball hawk,” lobbies for a chance on offense. Slay actually got an offensive snap last December against Washington. He was used as a decoy.
When wide receiver A.J. Brown was told this, he replied:
“A lot of defensive guys cannot catch the football,” Brown said. “That’s what separates the really good ones from the great ones.”
Then he added with a laugh about Gardner-Johnson: “He needs to stay on that (defensive) side. We’re good over here.”
There are plenty of examples, perhaps none more prominent than Richard Sherman, the longtime cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks. Sherman started his college career as a wide receiver at Stanford before becoming one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history.
Gardner-Johnson played both wide receiver and defensive back at Cocoa High School in Florida. But when he was recruited to the University of Florida, it was strictly as a defensive back. Gardner-Johnson wanted it that way.
“I didn’t feel like learning that difficult playbook,” he said. “So I’m good with where I’m at. Playing defense is simple − Cover-1, Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4.”
Slay, meanwhile, called himself “a shorter version of Randy Moss.” He played running back and defensive back in high school in Brunswick, Georgia. At Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, Slay played wide receiver and defensive back. He then went to Mississippi State for two years and played only cornerback.
“I don’t like depending on too many people when it comes down to my job,” Slay said about not playing wide receiver. “(An offensive lineman) can miss a block, (the quarterback) gets sacked, and I ran this hard-ass route, and damn, I’m open, but I can’t get the ball.
“On the DB side, you don’t worry about that. I’m just competing.”
But the wide receiver skills still resonate with Slay.
“I got 26 picks,” he said. “The position I play, picks get you paid, and it got me paid a lot of money.
“I’m pretty good at it.”
So are his teammates.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
