Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland gave his players a homework assignment this spring.
He asked them to pretend they were NFL defensive coordinators and to come up with a strategy for effectively defending the run-pass option plays (RPOs) that were so effective for the Eagles offense last season on the way to the franchise’s first NFL title in 57 years.
“I said, ‘You’re the defensive coordinator playing us and I want you to come up with one defensive scheme that will hurt this part of our game,’ ’’ Stoutland said.
“It’s been interesting. We’ve got some really smart players, and it’s been interesting to hear some of the theories.