Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
After an excellent Week 1, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks has come back down to earth. The second-year man has struggled to make an impact in each of the last three weeks and has had a tough time transitioning to the inside linebacker position in a 3-4.
This is to be expected for a second-year player transitioning to a new scheme. The first year in a brand new system is always tough for any player, let alone a guy who is still relatively new to pro football. Kendricks was expected to be a guy that flew around and made plays this season. Besides, a great debut it just hasn’t happened for the young linebacker.
Kendricks seems hesitant — like he doesn’t know what he’s seeing out there. Any time you are playing slow and thinking on the football field, it is never a good thing. This has led to some mental breakdowns and too many missed tackles for Kendricks. Too be fair, the entire defense is struggling right now. It is the bottom-ranked unit in the league. Singling one man out would be an injustice.
However, Kendricks was being counted on to be one of the strengths on the defensive side of the ball. He and Demeco Ryans forming a solid unit on the inside of the 3-4. Ryans has been his usual productive self, but Kendricks needs to snap out of what seems like a sophomore slump and get his play back in gear.
The Eagles are facing as close to a must-win situation early in the season as possible. Kendricks playing at a high level would go along way toward that win on Sunday.
