An 11-5 record, followed by the eighth playoff appearance in the last 10 years. 429 points scored, an Eagles franchise record. Six Pro Bowl players. DeSean Jackson breaks out. Trent Cole dominates again. Asante Samuel ties for the league lead in interceptions. Rookies Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy showed tremendous promise.
0-3 against the fucking Dallas Cowboys. 0-5 against playoff teams. Lost to the Oakland Raiders. I repeat, they lost to the OAKLAND RAIDERS (and not just any old version of the Raiders, the ultra-bad, quarterbacked by JaMarcus Russell Raiders). 14 points TOTAL in their last two games. 22nd in the league in rushing offense.
Those two paragraphs accurately sum up this season: some good, some bad and in the end yet another disappointment. This team's struggles against the Cowboys in the last two games left us with a sobering reality. This team wasn't as good as we thought it was.
Yes, there is promise. A ton actually. Andy Reid and the front office were able to rebuild on the fly, without actually going through a "rebuilding" year. That is commendable and is probably a good reason that Reid received a contract extension. The Eagles were the second youngest team in the NFL this year and are likely to get even younger if vets like Trotter, Westbrook and McNabb are jettisoned. Perhaps, as I think about it even more, 11-5 was actually an overachievement.
Most fans, however, don't want to hear about youth. This team has been competing on a high level for 10 years now, so 10+ wins and the playoffs has lost its luster. What this team needs is a championship, its first in what will be 50 years in 2010. It's becoming harder and harder each year for fans to say, "well, maybe next year."
So, as with most of the past offseasons, the questions remain (mostly) the same. Will the Eagles ever develop a consistent running game? Is Donovan McNabb really the guy to lead this team to a title? How quickly can we fix the defense? Will they finally give Asante medication to cure his allergy to tackling? How much fatter will Andy Reid become training camp? Who gave Macho Harris his nickname and why is he so incredibly bad? Why is Marty Morningwheg still in the NFL?
On a side note: Marty Morningwheg elected to KICKOFF to begin an overtime period. Think about that. Is that really the guy you want running your offense in a big game? It still leaves me dumbfounded that he's a coach on this team AND that he calls the plays (or so says Reid). Just shoot me.
At this point we don't know the answer to these (well at least the serious ones). This offseason is sure to be eventful with questions about McNabb's future, the defense and why the hell we're so bad against Dallas. We can't speculate on free agents or the draft yet as we wait to see what happens with the CBA and see what underclassmen decide to declare. So we're here, again, left empty, with nothing to watch but the 76ers (who suck) and the Flyers (who play hockey).
And to think, two weeks ago, it all looked so good.
To be continued...
If Macho starts next year I quit the band.
ReplyDeleteI disagree actually. Dude had to learn both safety spots, corner, and play special teams in his ROOKIE SEASON. add that to the fact that the eagles don't run the easist defense in the world and you're gonna get some mistakes. should he have been a starting safety for a contender this year? probly not. but dude doesn't suck -- he's just young
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