Three Things the Philadelphia Eagles Can Learn From The NFL’s Final Four
The NFL’s conference championship games are set to take place this weekend, and while the Philadelphia may not be playing in those games, they can still learn a few things from those teams.
The Eagles did manage to go 10-6 this season, but next year is a big year for Philadelphia. Call it playoff win or bust, but this team needs to take that next step. Here’s a few things they can learn from the four teams that could help them take the next step in 2015.
1. Franchise Quarterback
The last time a team without a franchise “elite” quarterback won the Super Bowl was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003, and that trend is going to continue this season.
The final four teams quarterbacks include Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers. If you want to take it as far as last week as well, those quarterbacks eliminated Joe Flacco, Peyton Manning, Cam Newton, and Tony Romo– all franchise quarterbacks. Those are all quarterbacks that you can build your team around-unlike Shaun Hill.
While some may still think Nick Foles is the answer, the Eagles need to find their franchise quarterback that can stay on the field sooner rather than later.
Teams like the Cardinals who dont have a franchise quarterback, but have a solid defense still got ousted in the first round. This is a quarterback oriented league, and that just happens to be one of the Eagles’ biggest needs.
2. They beat good teams
The final four teams went 18-16 against teams with a winning record. While that may not seem all that great, when you take into consideration that the Eagles went 3-4 and lost their last two down the stretch, 18-16 is pretty good.
Chip Kelly has yet to prove that he can beat good teams, teams that make the playoffs. If the Eagles want to take the next step, they have to be able to compete with the league’s best.
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3. They aren’t one-sided
The Philadelphia Eagles are known as one of the best offensive teams in the NFL. However, they are also one of the worst defensively.
Aside from the New England Patriots, three of the final four teams had a unit in the top ten whether it be offense or defense but the other unit whether it be offense or defense was able to hold its own.
The Seahawks have the number one ranked defense, the Colts have the number three ranked offense, and the Packers have the number six ranked offense.
While the Colts have the number three ranked offense, their defense is ranked a respectable 11th. The Packers are ranked 6th on offense and 15th on defense. And the Seahawks are first on defense and 9th on offense. The Patriots are the only anomaly ranked 13th on defense and 11th on offense.
The Eagles finished the season ranked 28th defensively and 5th on offense. Thats not good enough. If this team wants to compete in 2015, they must significantly improve defensively. As the saying goes, defense wins championships.
The Eagles are looking to take the next step in 2015, and with the Cowboys cap situation and the Giants’ coaching changes defensively, they will have an opportunity to do so, but it starts with the three things listed above.