PHILADELPHIA − For the Eagles, the quarterback sneak is a misnomer.
Everyone knows it’s coming when the Eagles have about a yard or less to go for a first down or a touchdown. Yet just about every time, quarterback Jalen Hurts will line up under center, take the snap from Jason Kelce and push his way forward.
No doubt, the Eagles would do it against the Cowboys on Sunday night if faced with the situation. They ran the QB sneak seven times last week against the Arizona Cardinals, converting five times.
It’s easy to see why the Eagles are so good at it, and why they do it so often.
“If you run the play properly as an offense, you should execute it most of the time,” Kelce said. “You only need a yard. You know when the snap count’s coming. There aren’t many reasons why it shouldn’t work.”
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Then Kelce added an aspect that Hurts brings to the equation, even though it’s not a prerequisite.
“Obviously, having a quarterback that squats 600 pounds helps,” he said, referring to Hurts. “Carson (Wentz) couldn’t squat 600 pounds, though, and he was just as decent at it too.”
Hurts downplayed his success at it, saying “it’s a testament to the guys up front. And I just kind of follow their lead.”
But Hurts does bring a dynamic to it that other quarterbacks don’t, beyond the willingness to sacrifice his body and keep churning his legs forward for that one yard.
Against the Cardinals, the Eagles faced a 3rd-and-1 from the 2 early in the second quarter. Hurts ran the sneak and got the first down at the 1. He ran it again and was stopped for no gain. He ran it a third straight time and scored. That gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead in their 20-17 win.
Hurts also scored the Eagles’ other touchdown on a sneak from the 1.
But there’s an art to it, too, as Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson explained:
“It starts with the center, the center and guards creating that wedge, getting low,” Johnson said. “It looks like a dumpster dive every play. That’s pretty much what it is, a dumpster dive. And we’ve gotten pretty good at dumpster diving.
“Teams know that we’re doing it. Really, the thing for us is staying low, moving your feet and trying not to jump offsides. Sometimes these guys (on defense) will move last-second (before the snap) and try to get you to jump offsides.”
But there is one underrated part of the play that is too often taken for granted. Johnson knows this from his days playing quarterback at Kilgore Junior College in Texas.
“When we had a sneak like that, all I cared about was getting the ball and not bobbling the snap,” Johnson said. “Kelce is firing out of there quickly, low, and you gotta get ahold of the ball and not create a turnover.”
But just because the Eagles do it often, and effectively, they do have alternatives. And it’s possible the Eagles would show some variations against Dallas.
“With Jalen, it’s different because he’s a mobile guy and there are a lot of variations on a lot of plays that we can do that makes it difficult for a defense to contain him,” Johnson said. “He’s got a knack for it. He really does.”
Eagles fully healthy on O-line
In addition to four starting offensive linemen cleared to play Sunday after dealing with injuries − left tackle Jordan Mailata (shoulder), left guard Landon Dickerson (ankle), Kelce (ankle) and right guard Isaac Seumalo (ankle) − the Eagles’ top backup is returning, too.
Left tackle Andre Dillard was activated off injured reserve Saturday and is expected to be on the game-day roster. Dillard was placed on IR after breaking his forearm during a practice in late August. Dillard would have started in place of Mailata last week.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
