Eagle Eye Observations: Week 6
Rather than rehash what was a horrific performance yesterday, I’m going to use this time to address a sentiment that has been bothering me the last few years.
Why are some fans okay with dismissing this loss as the Eagles being the Eagles? The line of reasoning goes something like this: Yeah they sucked, but they do this every year. Losing to a bad team is okay as long as they bounce back and make a playoff run.
WTF!
Don’t people get that dropping games to inferior teams is not a good thing? The tie in Cincinnati and the week 16 loss to the Redskins last season are exactly why the Eagles almost didn’t make the playoffs. It’s exactly the reason why they had to play three consecutive road games to reach the Super Bowl.
Sorry, but I kinda like having home field advantage, or at the very least one playoff game at the Linc. It makes the postseason trek a lot easier to endure. Anyone who doesn’t think a loss to Oakland won’t affect the Eagles playoff aspirations is wearing blinders.
The NFC is loaded with legit teams. Whether or not the Birds are one of those teams is open for debate. The only elite opponent they faced throttled them 48-22. Adding an inexcusable defeat to one of the league’s worst teams doesn’t do much to pad the “good team” resume. Right now, they are a middle of the pack club. Their most impressive win was opening week. Since then, they have been equal parts explosive and sloppy.
Here we go again. Another season where we have to wait until November to figure out if Andy Reid‘s Eagles are for real. Personally, I’m sick and tired of watching this team stumble and fumble before they “find themselves.” It’s like watching the same B horror flick over and over and over again.
How about showing up every week and giving it your all? Is that too much to ask? Why not put the effort in for 16 games, instead of 13 or 14? Does that sound unreasonable?
It’s one thing to lose to a division rival having a down season. It’s another thing entirely to lose to an out of conference opponent considered to be the laughing stock of the league. Obviously, gang green thought they had this one wrapped once they stepped onto California soil. Apparently, they felt a vanilla gameplan and minimal effort would get the job done.
They were “surprised” when the Raiders blitzed? Are you fu**cking kidding me? An NFL team decided to blitz another team that throws 70% of the time. Gee, that is shocking. I’ve been watching football for twenty-five years and I’ve never seen that groundbreaking strategy employed. Tom Cable is a genius!
Losing this game is not okay. I don’t care that there’s lots of football left. I don’t care that the team is young. I don’t care that their stud left tackle left the game with an injury. I don’t care if it was a west coast game.
I do care when the team looks disinterested in playing. I do care when I see guys smiling and laughing at halftime after playing like garbage. I do care when the head coach and quarterback botch timeouts and clock management after being together in the same offense for eleven years. I do care when fundamentals like tackling, blocking and catching are nonexistent.
If the Eagles should lose the division or miss the playoffs, I want everyone to remember this game. They lost to a team that had no business being within 20 points of them. It was a problem in 2001. It was a problem in 2008. It’s a problem now.
It would be nice if one of these years, besides 2004, they could flip the script and perform like a contending team week in and week out, instead of masquerading as one only when they feel like it.