Considering the widespread perception that the Eagles' primary failures this past season were on defense, the team's fans might not be so happy that three key elements of that unit are returning in 2012: coordinator Juan Castillo, line coach Jim Washburn and the controversial "Wide Nine" scheme.
The "Wide Nine" method -- in which the two defensive ends play more to the outside for better leverage on their pass rush -- has been criticized for telegraphing to an offensive lineman what his man is going to do on every snap, and for leaving gaping holes available for opposing running backs.
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But Eagles defensive end Jason Babin doesn't want to hear it. For Babin -- who finished tied for second in the league with 18 sacks last season -- the "Wide Nine" is just fine.
"The sooner we got some clarity on those situations, the sooner we could move forward," Babin said Monday, via the Philadelphia Daily News.
"When something isn't working, and you have a new component, what's the first thing people look at? The new component," Babin added. "It's human nature. If we would have won, what's the first thing (analysts) would have looked at? The 'Wide Nine.' "
