An Eagles Comeback Falls Short
I could spout a bunch of vitriol, but what would be the point? The 2009 Eagles just aren’t a very good team. Their execution is poor, their fundamentals are non-existent and their lack of intelligence is alarming.
Due to a spate of injuries, inexperienced players are being asked to perform at a level they are not yet capable of achieving. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the Birds is that they don’t appear to learn from their many mistakes. Dropped passes, inaccurate throws, missed tackles, ridiculous penalties and awful game management have haunted this team since week one.
Where is the improvement? Nowhere to be found. The offense can’t score in the red zone or convert in short yardage situations. The defense can’t make the “big stop” on third down. The special teams can’t go a full game without committing multiple errors. If there’s a silver lining to be found, I’m at a loss where to locate it.
You know it’s bad when you make the withered LaDainian Tomlinson look young again. The depth in the secondary and at linebacker has all but disappeared. You can point the finger at guys needing to step up, but they simply don’t have the talented bodies to do so. Not against good teams, anyway.
I’m not one to push the panic button, but it’s pretty clear this team is not equipped to make a Super Bowl run. Even if they string together some wins and earn a playoff spot, the coaching and personnel required to capture February glory is not in place.
Making note of Jason Avant’s career day, or the admirable effort put forth by the undermanned offensive line, or the inspired second half from the thinned defense, seems moot. Brian Westbrook’s season and career could be over after suffering a second concussion. Sheldon Brown injured a hamstring and was unable to return. A downhill slide is getting steeper.
I’ll endure the final seven games and hope for a miraculous turnaround, but I’ve been here before. We’ve all been here before. 2006, 2008 and 2009 are all eerily similar. The Eagles are a good, not great, team. They don’t possess the killer instinct that championship teams do. They don’t play the consistently smart brand of football that championship teams do.
As another year in the Reid/McNabb era disappears quietly into the night, we will once again be left to wonder what if. A decade of missed opportunities has taken a toll. The Eagles have become a broken record permanently set to skip. Something has to give.
