Doug Pederson owes this Philadelphia Eagles team an apology

So, how do you feel as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles fan base now?

It’s called the 24-hour rule, and if you’re a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles or a fan of any of the other 31 NFL teams, it can be defined in two different ways. On one hand, the 24-hour rule states an accurate theory that you’re allowed one day to celebrate a win or get over a loss, and then, you have to get ready for the next game. Most would agree with that.

The 24-hour rule can be defined in another fashion as well. Too often do we call football an emotional game but still criticize players for statements they’ve made immediately after playing a three-hour contest that they’ve given their hearts. minds and souls to completing.

Maybe you should give them some time as well because, if not, something like this can happen. This clip comes courtesy of the NFL’s official YouTube channel.

Richard Sherman was criticized for that, but again, what do you expect? We live in a social media age where people stay on Twitter all day and desire information immediately but then find offense when we get emotional and rea responses.

It’s for reasons like that one, that our staff at ITI waited before addressing what we all saw in Week 17. A verdict has been reached, though we all still don’t agree on it, and it’s this. Doug Pederson owes his team an apology.

Here’s a story you must hear if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan.

Some of you who watch NCAA football yell the term ‘southern bias’ a lot, but let’s be honest. Some of the best football at the collegiate level is played in the south. That, however, wasn’t the case during a game that was played on September 17th of 2016, a game in which the Clemson Tigers were named the victors over a South Carolina State Bulldogs program after three quarters when Oliver Pough waived the white flag after the Tigers racked up a 59-0 lead after three quarters.

Pough is a legend in the MEAC, but, amazingly, he didn’t lose the respect of his team that day. How do you motivate your program moving forward when the head coach quits on them? It was one of the most embarrassing things that has ever happened at any level of football. That is until Doug Pederson quit on his team in the last game that we, as fans, saw them play.

This story will play out in the minds of Philadelphia Eagles fans for some time.

Now, if you’re one of those fans that can’t see past ‘winning means we don’t get the sixth-overall selection’, you won’t get this. Yes, that’s a very valid concern, but come on. Once you saw your Birds playing the Washington Football Team, wasn’t there a part of you, even if it’s a small part, that told you that you can’t cheer for a loss?

Weren’t you curious about whether or not Jalen Hurts could lead his team to victory in the fourth quarter? Did Doug Pederson not rob him of that opportunity? Didn’t the Eagles legends who may not be with this team in 2021 deserve to go out on a high note? Can you not see why Miles Sanders was upset?

Let’s be honest. Those of you who are New York Giants fans and are angry are upset not because the ‘integrity of the game’ was questioned. You’re just mad about the result. Those of you who are Birds fans that can’t understand Sanders’ comments don’t understand the mindset of a professional athlete. They don’t play to lose.

Did Philly tank? Yes, they did. Was Doug Pederson forced to throw what might be the swan song of at least ten Eagles legends? We may never know. Does he owe his team an apology? Has he lost this team? Both of those statements are debatable. Here’s what we can state though.

If the plan was to bring Nate Sudfeld, maybe that should have been done at the beginning of the third quarter. If the goal was to win, maybe the best course of action was to kick a field goal that would have tied the game at 17 and forego the earlier plan to play Sudfeld at all.  Week 17 was the continuing proof of something though. The ‘new norm’ is bad football and an apathetic culture. Like it or not, the facts are the facts, and as long as Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman are around, that’s a fact that probably won’t change.