Sometimes, it feels like a team with a history that is as extensive as that of the Philadelphia Eagles would incorporate more of a fraternity-like atmosphere. Think about it. Remember those old Miami Hurricanes teams? It was pretty commonplace to see that team win and send future stars and Pro Football Hall of fame inductees to the NFL.
It was even more common to see former Canes on the sideline during games as they cheered on a newer generation of Miami legends and provided wisdom and support. It’s called ‘The U’ for a reason, right?
What if you saw Randall Cunningham or Jeremiah Trotter more often? How cool would that be for a Jalen Hurts? Sure, those guys have lives of their own, but when you see how the Philadelphia Eagles have treated Duce Staley and Zach Ertz, two guys that have done everything right (and a guy that his restructured his contract twice to help cover Howie Roseman’s contractual blunders), it makes one feel like we should all expect more from a team whose history dates back to 1933.
A former Philadelphia Eagles star isn’t enjoying what he’s seeing.
It doesn’t always take long for guys to plant their flags in the hearts of Birds fans forever. LeGarrette Blount was in town for a year. Fans will never forget him. Nick Foles played in Philly twice and was present for 46 games if you include his playoff appearances, but you can make the argument that he’s one of the greatest Philadelphia Eagles of all time.
Then, there’s Chris Long. His tenure with Philly was even shorter. In two seasons, he played in 37 games, but he’ll always be remembered for getting to Case Keenum and altering the flight on a pass that led to one of the greatest pick-sixes in Eagles history.
We say one of the best Pick-sixes because you have to think about Eric Allen’s return versus the Jets and James Willis’ interception and lateral to Troy Vincent, but either way, Long stuck his head in for some of the more memorable plays of his two-year run in the City of Brotherly Love.
He’s earned the right to voice his opinion, and recently, he did exactly that when he aired his grievances on his Green Light podcast in a discussion that began about why JJ Watt wouldn’t want to join the New England Patriots and then transitioned to a theory that included a few thoughts about his former team.
Hold on to your seats. This isn’t for the faint of heart. Here’s what Long had to say.
"I love Philly fans…I had some Philly fans taking it personally. I’m like ‘listen, you’re not even in the conversation.’ It’s a burning building in Philly right now. That’s not to say that they can’t put it out, but do you think a Hall of Famer is gonna run from one burning building to the next burning building? He’s not doing this to be a mentor to guys in struggling programs, he wants to win."
You know what? He’s right! It hurts to say that as a Birds fan, but come on. This team got turned down by Adam Gase the last time they were looking for a head coach, and they just hired a guy that wasn’t on their head-coaching radar when they began their search because just about everybody they truly wanted wasn’t interested.
It’s amazing how far this Eagles team has fallen. That Super Bowl win feels like it was ten years ago. Just ask Zach Ertz if you disagree with that theory. Hopefully, things get better soon, but at the rate that things are going, it’s hard to imagine how they will.