Time For The Philadelphia Eagles To Tank

Who Would Want This?

What coach would come into Philly with a two year plan to rebuild laid out before him? I think it would be a very persuasive discussion. 2016 becomes a year where there is no owner expectation of record. Rather than jump right out of the gate to a playoff appearance, the team would be working to develop young talented players from a voluminous draft. In year two, let the poor 2016 record drive the Eagles to a top draft pick, enjoy the fruits of compensatory picks, and load up in 2017 for a serious run that season.

The debate of wishing ill for a Philadelphia Eagles head coach is becoming all too commonplace.  Head coaches fail when they cannot find a solid quarterback to groom.  Andy Reid found Donovan McNabb.  When Donovan was traded, Andy faltered.  Chip Kelly arrived and instituted a system that was less dependent on elite quarterbacking, but eventually the lack of quarterbacking necessitated a trade, which may have hurt the team in the 2016 draft.

The key is to link the head coach of the future with his choice of quarterback of the future as quickly as possible.  To do so, you need to end up with a top draft pick.  To earn a top draft pick, the team suffers through a bad season.  Media calls that “tanking”.  But the real facts are that it takes time to play at the top of your game in the NFL.  Some positions simply take time to learn.  Offensive line is a team – a symbiotic group of five large men whose overlapping responsibilities creates trust and efficiency.  When each man knows their role, and the role of others, they get better.

Wide receivers build trust in their quarterback by being where they are supposed to be when the ball is thrown, and by catching that ball after it is.  Cornerbacks rely upon that same window of trust of knowing what coverages dictate staying with their man versus letting him go to the next man’s coverage.  The more complex the system, the more time players need to learn it.

But complexity is needed in this NFL.  Simple offenses – ala Chip Kelly’s version – can be deciphered by defensive coaches and players keying on tendencies.   The more simple, the easier to defeat.  The more complex, the longer to learn.  We want to be complex, so we need to allow time for players to learn.

Next: Why Two Year Strategies Work?