Going from underdogs to top dogs will change everything for the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are no longer the underdogs.

Thursday’s victory parade was the culmination of something incredibly special. Fifty-eight years of futility, ineptitude and lost potential down the drain. This Philadelphia Eagles team made it a point to drain the swamp and then fill it with Bud Light and confetti. The underdog was on top of the world and basking in the glory of success.

That was then. The NFL Scouting Combine begins in 16 days. There are 207 days until the Eagles raise the championship banner and open the 2018 season. For head coach Doug Pederson, Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie, that’s a lot less time to prepare for Week 1 than other franchises have. Unlike the playoffs, however, no one is crying for the (former) underdog. There are 30 other franchises preparing their own underdog story, all with the desire to replace the Eagles and New England Patriots in the final game of the season.

The focus towards getting another one of those parades down Broad Street officially began at the conclusion of Jason Kelce‘s legendary speech. For Pederson, he’s behind the eight ball with work to do. He also has to deal with losing valued members of the coaching staff. Perhaps more importantly, he will have to deal with the ramifications where players are involved.

Here’s a quote from Coach Pederson.

"These guys are well deserving of everything that they are going to be exposed to in the next coming weeks (and) coming months. And there’s a side of success that’s not the glamorous side, and it’s the side that’s … ‘Who’s going to hold out in OTAs? Who’s going to want the next big contract? Who’s going to miss this or that for an endorsement deal or an autograph signing? It’s the not-so-glamorous side of success."

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The net impact of losing players to free agency really might be minimal, but as Pederson mentions: Can this team avoid any unexpected problems? Patrick Robinson will likely seek greener pastures, and deservedly so, given his performance this season. Fortunately, both Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas are waiting in the wings.

The other spots on the defense might be a different story though. Jordan Hicks, as good as he is, is having difficulty staying healthy. Nigel Bradham will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Bradham was one of five defensive starters that played 100% of the snaps in the Super Bowl victory. Beau Allen likely could sign elsewhere. Then there’s the elephant in the room.

This may be the biggest of them all.

What are the Eagles going to do with Brandon Graham? A pending free agent next offseason, Graham is definitely a candidate to be a holdout if he wants to make an attempt at long term security with the Eagles. Spotrac rates Graham as having a market value equivalent to Calais Campbell and Everson Griffen. If that’s the case, one of the heroes from Super Bowl LII might be entering his last season with the Eagles in 2018.

Life in the salary cap era has it’s limitations though. Trusting in Roseman should provide Eagles fans with peace of mind. His mastery of the salary cap aside, he finally had success in finding the talent to match up with the fancy number jamming. The team is inevitably going to lose players. Thanks to the deep run they made in the playoffs, time is being lost as well.

Imagine if the Eagles play in the Hall of Fame Game. Given that both Terrell Owens and Brian Dawkins played for the Eagles, it’s within the realm of possibility. In that event, the Eagles start training camp a week earlier. Anyone have an idea of who the Eagles quarterback will be?

Here’s a hint.

There’s something else to consider. There’s a distinct possibility that it could be Nate Sudfeld. Of course, the Eagles likely won’t make a decision on Nick Foles‘ status for quite some time. Losing quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo to the Minnesota Vikings makes the situation even more interesting. Though, there’s already plenty of speculation who could slide into the position from a coach’s perspective.

Reuben Frank said it best on his Twitter feed:

“I would guess wide receiver coach Mike Groh coach moves into the QB coach spot. Groh played quarterback at Virginia, coached quarterbacks at Louisville and was (Los Angeles) Rams’ passing game coordinator last year.”

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The more things change, the more they stay the same (hopefully).

Regardless of coaching changes, the offense will flow directly from Pederson. With Pederson at the helm and Roseman managing the personnel, the Eagles want to establish a new norm in Philadelphia. They want a norm where the perennial underdog always gets to eat.

While it might prove to be more difficult to find the same level of disrespect moving forward, there’s always non believers. After all, just ask Las Vegas, who recently established odds for next years Super Bowl champions. The defending champs are already playing second fiddle to the team they just beat. Looks like Eagles fans don’t have to mothball those German Shepard masks quite yet. Woof.

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The Philadelphia Eagles have gone from underdogs to top dogs

By Matt Giraldi | Feb 11, 2018