PHILADELPHIA -- No pass rush, poor coverage and sloppy penalties have turned a strong defense into one of the NFLs worst in a short span.The Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) have lost three straight games by an average margin of 14.3 points per game. While the offense has reasons for struggling -- rookie quarterback, injuries to their leading rusher and top receiver -- the defense has no excuses.Its the same group that was ranked sixth in the NFL after nine games.For nine weeks you probably could not mention best defenses in the NFL without mentioning the Eagles, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. The last three, you probably cant mention worst defenses in the NFL without mentioning the Eagles. Hey, facts of life, man. Thats what it is. Same scheme, same players. Were in a slump. We have to own that.When the defense was going well, Schwartz got plenty of positive attention. The former Lions head coach appeared on his way to getting another opportunity to run a team after this season. But now hes taking heat for the defenses struggles and suddenly hes no longer one of the hot coordinators.I think any time things arent going well, youre looking at everything that you can, whether its schemes, whether its individual effort, whether its collective effort. Its a tough situation, Schwartz said.Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton torched the secondary the past two games and neither quarterback was sacked. The Eagles had 20 sacks in the first five games, but have only six in the last six.Fletcher Cox started the season playing like a guy who deserved the big contract ($63 million guaranteed) he signed in the offseason. Cox had four sacks in the first four games but none since Week 5. Vinny Curry signed a deal that included $18 million guaranteed. He has 1 1/2 sacks and has only played 43 percent of the snaps.Schwartz relies on his front four linemen to pressure the quarterback because he doesnt like to blitz. The Eagles simply dont have shutdown cornerbacks who can cover receivers man-on-man without safety help.Sometimes the best answer to being able to cover them is get the ball to come out quicker, Schwartz said. There was a double edge to that, too. If they pick up that blitz, you can get isolated in coverage a lot.The Eagles have shown they can dominate games start to finish on defense. They shut down the Steelers and Falcons, two of the most potent offenses in the league.But theyve allowed 85 points in the past three games and an average of 413 total yards per contest.It has a lot to do with confidence, and we need to get back to that, and they need to know that first nine weeks, they were respected for what they put on tape, and the last three, weve been in a slump, and we need to get back to those first nine, Schwartz said.It wont be easy Sunday against the Redskins (6-5-1). The Eagles lost 27-20 at Washington on Oct. 16, allowing a season-worst 493 total yards, including 230 rushing.The main thing is, as a team, we have to be better, Cox said. With a group like that, we have to play our best game and set the tone against those guys by playing physical and stopping the run.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddiDre Kirkpatrick Jersey . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. Chris Worley Jersey . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. http://www.cheapbengalsjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-deshaun-davis-jersey . 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Yankees beat writer Andrew Marchand and ESPN Stats & Informations Mark Simon debate.Read their arguments -- then vote below.Marchand: Sanchezs start unmatched in historyGary Sanchez should be the Rookie of the Year. There are still some games to be played, but when you compare him against his main competition -- the Tigers outstanding rookie starting pitcher Michael Fulmer -- the Yankees catcher comes out on top.The main knock against Sanchezs candidacy is attendance. He has not been in the majors for very long, so how can you give him the Rookie of the Year award? On Thursday, Sanchez played in his 44th game this season. Some say that is a disqualifying figure.However, Fulmer has appeared in 24 games. Thats it. So if your argument is that Sanchez hasnt played enough, then the facts seem to trump that. Well, you say, Fulmer is a starting pitcher, so his impact is different. Maybe so, but it hasnt been greater than Sanchezs.Fulmer is 10-7 with a 3.03 ERA, which is very good. However, a deeper look at the numbers show he has trended in the wrong direction. In the first half, he was awesome, going 9-2 with a 2.11 ERA in 13 starts. In the second half, he is 1-5 with a 4.00 ERA in 11 starts. If you favor Fulmer over Sanchez, youre handing out the Rookie of the First Half award.Meanwhile, Sanchez might be having the greatest start to a career in the history of baseball. His 19 homers through the first 45 games of his career (43 games this year, plus two games last season) have never been matched in the history of the game. The next best home run start belongs to the Boston Braves Wally Berger, who needed 51 games to reach 19, way back in 1930.Sanchez is also exceptional on defense, with maybe baseballs best arm and a knack for pitch-calling and blocking balls. Sanchez has nearly single-handedly given the Yankees a chance to make the playoffs. He deserves the award over Fulmer or any of thhe other leading candidates, including Clevelands Tyler Naquin.ddddddddddddFulmer has had a very good year, but Sanchez has been better. And the fact he has made such an impact in so few games is a credit to him.Simon: Fulmer has been here all yearTake nothing away from what Gary Sanchez has done for the Yankees, but lets not forget that for a good chunk of the season, Tigers starter Michael Fulmer was the Gary Sanchez of pitching.Over a 14-start stretch spanning late May to mid-August, Fulmer pitched 93? innings and recorded a 1.44 ERA. He started that run by becoming the second pitcher in major league history to make four straight scoreless starts of at least six innings while allowing three hits or fewer, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. In those 93? innings pitched, he held opponents to a .176 batting average. For 2? months, he made opposing hitters look barely better than pitchers at the plate.Fulmer was a legit Cy Young contender until his recent fade (he has allowed six runs twice in his past five starts). He throws hard, and, after some early struggles, began throwing his changeup with greater frequency, which directly correlated to his run of success. You would want a Rookie of the Year to be a good learner, right?If we use Wins Above Replacement as our metric of choice, Fulmer is at 4.7 WAR, according to baseball-reference.com. Thats the same as Cole Hamels and a hair lower than Chris Sale. It ranks tied for sixth among AL pitchers. Sanchez is at 3.2 WAR.You could make the case for pro-rating Sanchez over a larger number of games, which would basically put his numbers on a Ruthian level. But that would presume he maintains his current level of production, which seems a faulty presumption. But is it faulty to presume that, had Fulmer made 30 starts instead of his 24, he would be a 6-WAR pitcher instead of a borderline 5-WAR pitcher? Maybe, maybe not, but its at least plausible.Point being: I wouldnt have a problem with Sanchez winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. But -- at the moment -- Fulmer is legitimately deserving, and he earned his way to that honor over virtually the euldnt have a problem with Sanchez wball Jerseys[/url] Wholesale Basketball JerseysWholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '