Philadelphia Eagles debate table: Is it time to sit Jason Peters?

Somewhere along the line, the Philadelphia Eagles abandoned what made them great. Look no further than their handling of Jason Peters.

At this point, it’s no longer appropriate to refer to Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Peters as ‘The Bodyguard’. Here are terms that are more appropriate. He can be called ‘The Icon’. He can be called ‘The Beast’. He can even be called ‘The G.O.A.T.’ if you want to call him that.

Sure, there have been left tackles in the NFL who are better, but as often as that term is thrown around, no Eagles fan will complain if it lands on the man who will wind up in Canton one day.

Heck, if you’re a hip hop aficionado, you can even go the route of lending him a nickname like ‘Big Pun’ or ‘Big Poppa’. Sure, neither of those terms figure to stick, and never has he never been called ‘Big Poppa’. Still, the ‘Big Punisher’ is a name that we can all get behind.

Here’s one name that doesn’t apply anymore, ‘The Bodyguard’. Even at 37 years old, Peters is better than the majority of the offensive linemen in the NFL, but he isn’t the Jason Peters that we all remember.

To call him ‘The Bodyguard’ forces us to remember what he was when that nickname made sense. Calling him ‘The Bodyguard’ creates disappointment because we expect him to be perfect at left tackle, and we’re hurt by the realization that statement may no longer be true. Calling him ‘The Bodyguard’ reminds us of a time when Philly cared more about being competitive than paying guys they felt were at the end of their run.

This team said goodbye to Duce Staley, Jeremiah Trotter, and Brian Dawkins when they could still play. These days, the order of the day is nostalgia. The Eagles have gotten soft. They continue to pat guys on the back when a kick in the tail is the more appropriate response. They say guys are producing when they aren’t. They’ve become a team that seems like they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

Is Peters a legend? Yes, he is, but there’s a difference between respect and evaluating someone incorrectly. It’s Andre Dillard‘s time, and we all should be able to see that. Peters’ best days are behind him, and he makes too much money.

That’s the reason, they stress over Jadeveon Clowney and Jalen Ramsey rentals and obsess even more about having to sign them to extensions. They’d rather extend the old guys, and that’s admirable in a way but it’s also costing them wins. You do realize DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery are guaranteed to return in 2020 right? That can’t continue to happen if this team wants to remain relevant.