Cardinals vs. Eagles: Up-tempo Philadelphia a non-concern for Arizona
Oct 25, 2014, 7:00 PM | Updated: 7:00 pm
TEMPE, Ariz. — Tempo? What tempo?
As the Arizona Cardinals prepare for their showdown with Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles, it would appear one of their last concerns is the pace at which their opponent likes to run its offense.
Though the Eagles are not fond of huddling before plays, the Cardinals don’t really see what all the fuss is about.
“I don’t really call it up-tempo,” Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “They’re snapping the ball at, maybe, an average of eight seconds, still. These guys are just not huddling up — they have that ‘check with me offense.'”
What that means, Peterson said, is that while the Eagles may get to the line of scrimmage quicker than most, from there they spend time looking over at the sideline for the play call while also surveying the defense. By the time they snap the ball, he said, there’s still usually eight to 10 seconds on the play clock, which is pretty average for most teams.
And from there, they’re just playing football.
“It’s not that much different because the routes are the same,” he said. “It’s just that they come up with these funky formations; that’s the only different thing about this offense. And they get to the ball much quicker than a normal offense. That’s about the only different thing.”