5:00 AM: Give Moro Ojomo the assist.

He called out the fourth-and-1 play with 1 minute, 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 10-7 win at Green Bay on Monday night, signaling to the defense, “Inside zone this way! Inside zone this way!” as he lined up in the right defensive tackle position.

That’s exactly what the Packers ran.

But Jalen Carter blew up the play with penetration and running back Josh Jacobs tried to cut right. Edge player Jaelan Phillips was there waiting. He and safety Reed Blankenship knocked the ball loose, Blankenship recovered, and the Eagles took possession of the football.

On Wednesday, Ojomo talked about the origin of recognizing the play.

“They had a similar play early in the game during the touchdown drive that they had. The quarterback (Jordan Love) came up and he said a word, they ran the play, and the same thing happened on fourth-and-1,” Ojomo said. “It was like déjà vu, so I just wanted to let everybody know that they just had this play.

“It was like a one-word play. They did that exact thing. I was like, ‘Hey guys, this is what’s coming.’ Jaelan Phillips and JC made a helluva play on that.”

Ojomo then made a great point: “Football is such a game of communication and it can be high level. So the tidbits that you get – BG (Brandon Graham) and Fletcher Cox have probably seen that on such a high level and being able to learn from that and your coaching telling you to learn from things that you see … you’ve got to play fast. We were able to play fast because we knew what was happening.”

Knowing the play before it happens, it’s a football superpower and it comes from studying film, learning what tips to watch for, and, in this case, listening and absorbing. Ojomo said that is one of the main strengths that Carter has – a very high football IQ to go along with great physical skills and a desire to be great. That is a superstar combination.

“There is a different sense of confidence when you know something is coming,” Ojomo said. “If you play baseball and you know what pitch is coming, you’re going to swing harder and with more confidence. Same here. Keep learning. Keep looking for tips. Every bit of it helps you make plays, play faster, and help the defense.” – Dave Spadaro