I’m Not Done Bashing The Eagles

Sorry, if you want me to drop Sunday’s unforgivable loss, you can fu**in’ forget it. I’m far from done taking the Eagles to task for spraying diarrhea all over the Black Hole. Too bad I didn’t heed my own words before sitting down to watch the game.

I wrote the following on September 24th:

"Which of the next three opponents will the Birds flop against? Despite their recent pre-bye stumbles, I think they win this week, and they’re usually excellent after a bye, which leaves October 18th at the Raiders as the prime candidate. I doubt I’m alone in thinking that 4-1 seems too good to be true. Especially the way this team’s luck is going."

I knew what was coming but chose to ignore it. Here’s what the Eagles are through six weeks of the 2009 season:

– A team that rotates guards and believes there is nothing wrong with that. Know any other quality NFL teams that do this? Playing three guards every week is no different than playing three quarterbacks. It means you don’t have one guy who is talented enough to get the job done by himself.

– A team that refuses to commit to the running game even when the passing game is a complete failure. Let’s face it, the Eagles will never run the ball when they really need to, because Andy Reid is convinced it’s an archaic way to win football games in the 21st Century. He may have 100 wins under his anaconda-sized belt, but he has ZERO titles due to this flawed philosophy.

– A team that has no serviceable middle linebacker. Line up Gaither, Mays or Trotter, it makes no difference. None of these guys is a three-down backer like Stew Bradley. This defense will continue to be exploited by tight ends and running backs for the remainder of the season. Get ready for Chris Cooley, Jason Witten, Kevin Boss, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Greg Olsen, Vernon Davis and Tony Scheffler running wild and scoring touchdowns.

– A team that has one legit pass rusher. I feel sorry for Trent Cole because Reid and Heckert have done him a disservice by providing him absolutely no help other than Darren Howard through the draft or free agency. Chris Clemons is a waste of cash. Victor Abiamiri spends more time in the training room than he does opposing team’s backfields. Bryan Smith was a monumental bust. Trevor Laws looks like a bust. Which begs the question, where the hell is Jason Babin? The guy played his ass off in the preseason and has been rewarded by being deactivated all but one game. Why did they bother to sign the guy? You can’t honestly tell me he’s a worse option than Clemons.

– A team that takes dumb penalties and can’t tackle. Asante Samuel is the modern day Deion Sanders. Lots of picks, but no contact. Not to mention the guy can’t make it through a game without getting hurt. He must have inherited that claim to shame from Jevon Kearse. He was baited by a rookie wide receiver into a unsportsmanlike penalty. Good job, Asante. Way to set an example for the young guys.

– A team that flops against lesser opponents. Here’s a brief history of Andy Reid tank jobs over the last eleven years:

2001: Eagles (6-3) lose to the Redskins (4-5) 13-3.

2003: Eagles (11-3) lose to 49ers (6-8) 31-28 in OT.

2006: Eagles (4-2) lose to Bucs (1-4) 23-21 on a last second 62-yard FG.

2006: Eagles (4-3) lose to Jaguars (3-3) 13-6.

2007: Eagles lose opening day in Green Bay 16-13 because they don’t have a capable punt returner.

2007: Eagles (2-3) lose at home to Bears (2-4) 19-16 by allowing them to march 97 yards on a game-winning TD drive.

2008: Eagles (5-4) tie the Bengals (1-8) 13-13.

2008: Eagles (8-5-1) lose to Redskins (7-7) 10-3 with a playoff spot on the line.

2009: Eagles (3-1) lose to Raiders (1-4) 13-9.

Not exactly the resume of a championship organization. Luckily, the only so-called “bad” team left on their ’09 schedule is the Redskins. Not that it matters. I’m sure just when we think this team is legit, they’ll do another face plant. That’s what they always do.

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