Eagles pick apart Jets' secondary

PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles moved the ball so efficiently during Sunday's 45-19 rout of the Jets that it looked as if they were reading the defense's collective mind. Turns out they were. Sort of.

"There were a lot of times this game where they were calling out our defenses," safety Eric Smith said. "A lot of coverages. They'd line up and they'd look over at [Michael] Vick and say, 'Oh, they're in Zero' or 'They're in Cover One.' "

Philadelphia took advantage of those pre-snap reads and gained 420 yards, including 274 through the air. Brent Celek was the prime benefactor; the latest tight end to torch the Jets had five catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.

Celek, who set up one of LeSean McCoy's three touchdown runs with a 73-yard reception to the 1, said he didn't think the Eagles did anything special reading the defense. He credited their offensive game plan.

"They were doing different things," Celek said. "There were times where I was on [Antonio] Cromartie. It's not like they weren't paying attention to me."

The Jets were without safety Jim Leonhard, who was lost for the season last week, and Brodney Pool started in his place. Smith said Leonhard, the defense's quarterback, was missed but wasn't the reason for the Eagles' offensive success. Smith also said the Eagles didn't do anything unexpected -- other than predict the Jets' defense.

"A lot of that stuff we saw on film," Smith said. "It's just when you have someone like Vick, he makes plays with his feet, and when the receivers break their routes, it makes it tough to play man-to-man."

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Smith was asked if the Eagles' effectiveness at calling out coverages was a result of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine simplifying things. "If it is, that's not something he needed to do,'' Smith said, "because Brodney and I have a good grasp of the defense. We've been in it for two years, so it shouldn't have been something that was done."

Tight ends have caused problems for the Jets all season. Celek is the third to go for more than 100 yards against them, joining New England's Rob Gronkowski and Dallas' Jason Witten. Washington's Fred Davis had 99 yards in Week 13.

Rex Ryan addressed the Jets' struggles against the tight end with his typical humor.

"I think part of the deal is because our corners are pretty darn good," Ryan said. "But yeah, it was a great scheme on their part."