Philadelphia Eagles And The Two Safeties That Were Not
By Matt Giraldi
The Philadelphia Eagles fan-base deserves to be apathetic at this point in the season. The Super Bowl is three days away and it has become clear that defenses win championships in the NFL. This is contrary to the offensive records set in the past few years. It has flown in the face of the new emphasis on rules governing defenses. It has shown that a stout front seven and Pro-Bowl caliber players in the secondary will trump any prolific offense more often than not. And above all else, the Super Bowl will reinforce the “what if” movement from Eagles fans across the globe. On Sunday, Super Bowl XLIX will feature a former Philadelphia Eagle safety in Patrick Chung and arguably the biggest draft miss ever by the Philadelphia Eagles in the draft: Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas III.
"“I have no desire to suffer twice, in reality and then in retrospect.” – Sophocles"
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Patrick Chung had his chance in Philadelphia and failed miserably. I, nor anyone else, will exaggerate about Chung’s production as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Chung has shown this season that even marginal talent can perform at a high level when surrounded by equal, or in this case better, talent in the secondary. Nonetheless, it’s disconcerting to watch Chung play in the Super Bowl while the Eagles sit at home.
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Zach Berman provided a good read about Patrick Chung that covered in-depth the circumstances that not only led to Chung’s failures in Philadelphia, but also his resurgence in New England. And despite the vitriol that has been attached to Chung’s short-lived career as a member of the Eagles, it’s great to see him overcome injuries and stay healthy.
As for Earl Thomas, what more really needs to be said about the All-Pro safety? He is a Super Bowl champion, a four time Pro-Bowler, a First-Team All-Pro in three consecutive seasons, and one of the most intimidating safeties in the National Football League. There is just one more minute detail about Earl Thomas. He was available in the 2010 NFL Draft when the Philadelphia Eagles moved up 11 spots to the 13th spot. Fortunately for the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles selected defensive-end Brandon Graham from Michigan. The rest as they say…
On Sunday, when these two safeties are doing everything they can to help their franchise record another Super Bowl victory, it should serve as a keynote address to the Philadelphia Eagles franchise. We must have more production from our top-end defensive draft picks. Marcus Smith II hardly played his rookie season. For a defense that finished near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every category, that’s simply unacceptable. As a fan, I am looking forward to the day that it will be our turn to celebrate. In order to do that, we don’t just need the highest rated talent. We simply need talent that fits and excels within defensive coordinator Billy Davis’ scheme.
This is not an indictment against Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly nor his coaching staff. It’s not even an open criticism of former General Manager and now “Executive Vice President of Football Operations” Howie Roseman. Instead, it’s just another desolate and lonely trip down memory lane where all the Philadelphia Eagles fans seemingly wind up during Super Bowl week. As we ponder the hypothetical parallel universe where Chung stayed healthy and Thomas was drafted by Philadelphia, we must instead focus on what could be for the future of the franchise. The first step in doing so involves the off-season and several pending roster changes. Because as Kurt Vonnegut said,”Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, ‘It might have been’.”