I wrote yesterday that if DT Antonio Dixon puts it all together in the new system, Mike Patterson better watch out. A couple of people wondered about that comment. Hyperbole?

No.

Dixon was a good backup early in 2010. Then Brodrick Bunkley got hurt and Dixon took over his starting spot. He started off red hot. Here are my game notes from the first 3 starts. Well, technically he was a backup vs SF, but Bunk got hurt so Dixon played most of the game.

vs SF – DIXON — Good game. Took over for Bunk early on and played well. Had 4 solo tackles and a sack. Played the run well. Shed block on opening drive and tackled Gore for minimal gain. Showed great hustle on screen pass to chase Gore down on the opposite side of the field. Penalty wiped out play, but Antonio ran really well for a guy his size. Plus, one of the knocks against him when WAS cut him was hustle/conditioning. Slanted to the inside on 2nd Qtr run and held Gore to a short gain. His performance has me less nervous about Bunk’s injury.

vs ATL – DIXON — Started at RDT. Played well. Finished with 3 tackles. Showed good hustle when chasing a screen from behind. That tackle forced 3rd/1, which we stuffed. Hustled down the LOS to tackle Turner on run play. Gave up 4 yards. Pushed G back into Ryan on 3rd Qtr pass play. Ball got out, but pass was incomplete. Just shoved LT Sam Baker out of his way on pass play in late 3rd. Didn’t really get much pressure, but it was fun to watch. Antonio was stout at the POA, but also hustled throughout the game. Good stuff.

vs TEN – DIXON — Started at RDT. Dixon started his second game in place of Brodrick Bunkley. Dixon was outstanding. I wrote in my preview that he could be in for a big game because the blockers he would face were the weak links on the Titans’ line. That’s exactly what happened. Dixon overpowered the LG and C time after time. He was very disruptive. Dixon had a couple of tackles-for-loss. He tied for the team lead with six solo tackles. He batted down two passes. He drew a holding call on an early run play. Are you getting the picture? Dixon was a force to be reckoned with. The matchup favored him and he took advantage of it.

Drove the LG back on a run play and drew a holding call in the process. Got a sack in the mid-1st when he drove back his blocker and just engulfed Collins. Pulled him to the ground hard. Deflected a pass in the mid-2nd. It fell incomplete. Disrupted run play when TEN was backed up by their GL. Drove the LG backward and helped stuff CJ for a loss. Batted down a pass in the late 3rd. Disrupted a screen pass. Couldn’t tackle the RB, but slowed him enough to limit the play. Blew up a 4th Qtr run by driving the C backward. Shed him and tackled CJ. Blew up another 4th Qtr run by driving the C into the backfield. Antonio and Sims got CJ for a big loss. Got moved off the ball by a double team on a 4th Qtr run. That led to CJ’s best inside run of the day. Got in on a tackle of CJ on a run in the mid-4th Qtr. Took the blocker and flowed to the ball. Shed him and joined Cole in the tackle.

In those 3 games, Dixon totaled 14 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 pass deflections, and a TFL. Dixon’s play dipped after that. He still was a solid DT who showed big time flashes, but he didn’t have the same kind of production. As we all know, the key to being a good player is consistency. And that was Dixon’s biggest challenge.

The system change for Dixon was tough. Suddenly he wasn’t playing 2-gap. He was now told to fire off the ball and be disruptive. Dixon has the quickness off the ball to do that, but it takes time to adjust to that new style of football. I think Dixon also had to adjust to Jim Washburn’s “play all out” style. That requires DL to go 100 mph on every snap, knowing that they will come out of the game after 4 or 5 plays. Then rest, go back in, and repeat. Some guys adjust well to a platoon system. Others take time.

Dixon lists at 6-3, 322. I’d love to know if he’s lost weight since Wash came in or is still basically the same size. He carries that weight well and does hustle on the field. Part of Dixon’s game is power so you don’t want him getting too small.

I think Dixon can be a good starting DT in the Wide-9, but we have yet to see that. Dixon was very up and down last year. I did think his best game was the one vs SF when he got hurt. It was as if the light had finally come on for him, only to be snuffed out by an injury.

If Dixon plays up to his full potential and adjusts to the Wide-9, he will take Patt’s starting job. That’s no insult to Patt. He’s been a highly underrated player his whole career. Dixon just has more natural talent. The thing to understand here is that Dixon may not play up to that potential. He’s got to show up in good shape for the mini-camps. He needs to play well at Lehigh. I don’t think Dixon is a full lock to make the team. Dixon is shooting for Patt’s job, but Derek Landri is shooting for Dixon’s job.

Wash needs DTs that can be disruptive. Dixon has 3 career sacks and 5 career TFLs. Landri played in 34% of the Eagles snaps last year and had 2 sacks and 8 TFLs. That is disruptive DT play. Dixon needs to show serious progress to keep his job, let alone make a push for Patt’s. Like I said earlier, it did appear that the light was starting to come on last year when he did get hurt. I am really curious to see if Dixon can have a breakthrough year. He has the size, strength, burst, and talent to do that and thrive in the new system. Now it is up to him to show us what he can do.

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Draft notes are up at ScoutsNotebook on CB Josh Norman and a pair of Pitt DL. All 3 guys could be Eagles targets.

Matt Alkire decided to take the Wonderlic. See how that turned out.

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Someone asked yesterday about NT/UT roles in the Wide-9 vs other schemes. The primary jobs are the same in all 4-3 defenses. The difference lies in a couple of things. If you play 2-gap instead of 1-gap, that is a huge difference. The UT still lines up in the same place. He just comes off the ball and plays the run first instead of attacking into the backfield.

The other difference is the type of players you have. In 2010 Patt was our NT and Dixon the UT. Dixon was huge for UT and isn’t a natural pass rusher. Dixon is now a NT in Wash’s system.

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For the anti-Dan Snyder fans…enjoy. Very funny.

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Couple of questions…

Can Dontari Poe play UT for us? Yes. I think he’s a more natural projection at NT, but he’s got the athleticism to play UT. Since Wash likes his guys to get to the QB, Poe would have to do that enough to keep the job. I don’t think you take Poe at 15 and project him to UT. I think you plan on him as a NT and then see if he can handle the other spot.

Could Luke Kuechly slide to 32, as he did in a recent mock? Highly doubtful, but possible. Ray Lewis is a Hall of Fame MLB. He’s a living legend. He last played in the Super Bowl in 2000. Why then? DTs Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa dominated the LOS. They shut down running games. Lewis is great, but still just a MLB. Games are won on the LOS. Kuechly is “just a LB”. Those guys are devalued in the NFL today.

I think some team is likely to jump on Luke in the 20s if he does fall that far. He just becomes too good of a value pick at that point.

As for Fletcher Cox, I know for a fact that multiple teams have him rated as a Top 10 player. Sadly, I don’t know if the Eagles are one of those team. I have serious doubts about Cox getting to pick 15. Teams behind us that have met with him are discussing trade scenarios.

I do not know if any team has Luke rated in the Top 10. Everyone loves Luke, but because he’s a LB (that doesn’t rush the passer) there isn’t as much buzz on him. He has supreme value to the Eagles because we need what he does well…tackle. Most other teams have functional MLBs and don’t want a tackler. They want a playmaker. Luke is a nice sedan when most people want a sports car. Personally, I’m hoping to ride around in a brand new K-car in a couple of weeks.