Okay, so I know I haven't really been positive about this team lately, but let's put all frustrations aside and look at the bigger pictures. No game is scheduled next week, we have a bye week, and it cannot come at a better time. Starters can rest up their bodies, coaches can (hopefully) go over their gameplans, all in all, it's a much needed break from the hectic season we have experienced thus far. Look at our record, we are now 3-3, which isn't horrible, isn't great, but we'll need to be better than that in the NFC East. Looking at the standings though, things are not so out of reach. Granted yesterday's win against the Niners was nothing to brag about, a win is a win. Two out of the three losses we have experienced this season were give away losses where we beat ourselves. Against the Bears, we came in over confident after a huge win against the Steelers, and didn't play with any sense of urgency. The defense did not step up, it didn't resemble half of what showed up against the Steelers, and made Kyle Orton look like a Pro-Bowl quarterback. Also not taking into consideration Reid's horrible play calling at the goal-line. Against the Redskins, our 14 point 1st quarter lead diminished in a blink of an eye because once again, we got too confident and too complacent. But regardless of all that has occurred, looking at the standings, the Cowboys and Redskins have only one more win than us, and if the Giants manage to lose tonight, they'll only have one more win over us as well. So, although the season hasn't gone smoothly, there's still plenty of football left to play, and believe it or not, I have faith this team can still finish strong, once a couple of needs are addressed, as I will explain below. 1) Injuries. Not making excuses, but injuries impact a team greatly. Take the Patriots for an example, once the NFL power house has turned into nothing more than just your average, competitive, NFL team because of one injury. The Eagles have not had any luck dealing with injuries. At the start of the season, the Eagles were without their two starting receivers in Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown. Brown returned for a week, only to get injured again and sit out against the Niners. But, if all reports are true, our #1 receiver Kevin Curtis will return to action after the bye week, as will Reggie Brown. With the way Desean Jackson, Hank Baskett, and Jason Avant have stepped up in place of our two starters, I'm very optimistic about the prospect of having Curtis and Brown back into the lineup. Our #1 offensive weapon, Brian Westbrook, got injured in week 3 and hasn't really played since. Another week off should help him heal off and recovery from his injury, so that he'll be back with full strength against the Falcons. Give Correll Buckhalter props for stepping up in place of Westy, but let's be honest, Buck is nowhere near Westbrook's league when healthy. Shawn Andrews, our best offensive lineman, and one of the best in the league, hasn't played since week 1 because of back spasms. There hasn't been much news going around lately about him, but obviously he's taking time to recover. My guess is that he should be back out there on the field after the bye week, and the Eagles will welcome his blocking with open hands. Victor Abiamiri, our second round pick of last year's draft, was supposed to be compete for the starting job at DE this season, before getting injured. The coaching staff is very high on him, and I'm going to be very excited to see him on the field after the bye week. 2) Coaching. I love what Andy Reid has done for the Eagles franchise, and I respect him for that, but I can't help but to think he is not 100% focused on the Eagles because of the troubles he has been having at home, with his sons. Reid has always been a stubborn, arrogant mule, but unlike before, he no longer has the record to back it up. His coaching and play calling this season, for the most part, have been horrible. He cost us two games already because of his lack of creativity and his bone-headedness of some of the plays he has been calling. The biggest example of my complaint against Reid was in the 4th quarter against the Chicago Bears. The game is winding down, the Eagles were down only a couple, McNabb put together a nice drive and got us to the endzone. What did Reid do? Call the same exact play three times in a row, only to have our runningback get stuffed three times in a row at the endzone, call a time out, come back onto the field, and have our runningback go through the middle yet again, only to get stuffed yet again. If something doesn't work, you need to either fix it, or come up with something else. Reid needs to learn this concept and apply it. 3) Special teams. Generally, the special teams has improved drastically from last season. Having Jackson and Demps back returning kicks is a huge upgrade over JR Reed and Reno Mahe, or the failed attempt of Greg Lewis. Sav Rocca has been punting the ball extremely well this season as well. So what am I complaining about? The kicker. Believe it or not, the kicker is one of the most important players on a football team, because without a good kicker, you leave 3 points on the board, and you give other teams great position. Unfortunately for us, David Akers is not a good kicker. Just like Andy, I respect Akers for everything he has done for us in the past, but he's not working. Ever since his injury, he hasn't been the same. I will go as far as saying David Akers may be one of the worst kickers in the NFL, if not the worst. Everytime he steps up to kick ball, I always end up cringing because his accuracy is terrible. Look at his stats this season, he is 1-2 from 40-49 yards out, and 0-3 from 50+ yards out. It sucks when you watch opposing team's kicker make a 50+ yard field goal, when your own kicker doesn't even come close. Akers has lost all accuracy in his leg, as well as his power. His kicks during kickoffs don't go as far as they used to, and it ends up biting us in the ass because the opposing team gets good field position. Now, I'm not suggesting we cut Akers (although I may say so in frustration) because I'm not sure who can come in and replace him. But we should be looking for a replacement next season, because I can't deal with him any longer. Now, after analyzing our current situation, I still do think we're a pretty dangerous team once we get everyone back on the field and healthy, along with having the coaching staff on the same page. Some issues, such as kicker, may not be fixed, but it can be offset by gains in the talent, and coaching department. The NFL is wide open this year, there isn't a team dominating every single week like the Patriots, and no offense to the Giants, but I do not believe they are that good. Do I think we can win the NFC East? Homer fan says yes, reality says no. But you don't have to win the division to win the Super Bowl, just look at the Giants last year. I think that if everyone just settles down, get focused, get healthy, we're a dangerous team that can make the playoffs, and from there, anything can happen.
Adding something else... Tony Gonzalez is on the trading block. From what was said, the Chiefs are only asking for a 3rd round pick. Tony Gonzalez would be the extra lift we need to boost this team, because LJ Smith is not cutting it. Gonzalez is one of the best tight ends to ever play the game, and is still one of the best in the league. Considering how much McNabb likes using his tight ends (see Chad Lewis), Gonzalez would be a much needed bonus for this team. I really hope the front office realizes this and makes a big push. He would be a great addition to this team.
3-3 is far from being out of things. I think the bigger problem, though, is being 0-2 in the division. That's something that will have to be corrected. I think you need to be .500 in our division, to be honest, to have a good chance at the playoffs. See... I don't think it was horrible playcalling. He trusted his OL to get the job done. And you have the guys who can get it done. It just didn't happen. I didn't think they'd hold you out; they did... so Reid gets criticized. He trusted your guys to get the job done; they didn't. It happens. I don't think it was bad playcalling. Lack of execution. Giants are 5-1, 1-0 in the division. Washington is 4-2, 2-0 in the division. Dallas is 4-2, 1-1 in the division. Philly is 3-3, 0-2 in the division. This division probably sends 3 playoff teams again. Its as simple as this: philly needs to win its division games to get into the postseason. Injuries are always tricky. They impact a game. A lot. But you still have to win. And at the end of the game, it doesn't matter if the opponent is injured or not. A win is all that matters. Philly (like Dallas now) has to fight through it. Injuries make it more difficult, no denying that. I think Philly has done well despite their injuries. Losing Curtis and Westbrook is huge losses. Especially Westbrook. He is your primary weapon. I don't think its any coincidence your OL has struggled at times with Andrews being out. A big leg is sexy. But at the end of the day, it comes down to accuracy. Can your kicker make the field goals he needs to make. 50+ yarders are bonus points IMO. Its in the 40s where kickers separate themselves. Can Akers still make those? That's what matters, IMO. You have a QB who has big game experience, has a history of performing well, and is historically, hard to pick off. Add in Westbrook, when he is back.... and assuming Jackson continues to play well... there is more than enough offensive firepower to win. McNabb has done it with subpar weapons before.
The Eagles were the only NFC East team to win this week. The Giants got the train run on them by a Browns team that talked about this win hopefully "starting" their season, ouch. The Cowboys' franchise got completely blown up, and I'm talking about effects that will extend for another month. The Redskins lost to the Rams. That's all I've got on that one. The Eagles are right in the thick of things.
Good point. I completely forgot about the division records, that'll definitely play a factor when it comes down to the seeding. Looking back, that loss against Washington really hurt, because unlike the Dallas game, we were in control early on (14-0 lead) but just let it slip away. Ugh... The blame should go both ways. I agree Reid shouldn't get all the blame, but if something repeatedly fails, the only logical thing to do is try something different. But I, along with other Eagle fans wouldn't be piling up on Reid if this was the only instance. His playcalling these last couple of seasons have grown increasingly frustrating. From his disdain to run the ball for whatever reason, along with his "always pass the ball on 3rd and 1, always pass the ball on 3rd and inches." Obviously that was a bit exagerated, but it's kind of frustrating when you're facing 3rd and 1 and instead of just gaining the extra one yard, Reid for some reason decides he wants to go for the big play (which doesn't work a lot of times). Akers' accuracy is gone, or at least in my, and many other Eagle fan's minds. I don't think anyone has any faith in him anymore to make the game winning kick, something he was known for in the past. His stats this year really surprised me, because I was expecting a worse percentage, but it seems like he's still reliable for the 20 or 30 yard kicks, but everytime he has to kick a FG beyond the 40 yard line, I hold my breath. "McNabb has done it with subpar weapons before" True, but not with the division as strong as it currently is. I'm really disappointed the Eagles couldn't land Gonzalez, he would've done wonders for this offense. But I guess we just have to hope and pray for LJ Smith to step up. Wishful thinking, I know, but anything is possible...
I remember playing you guys... on 3rd and 1, we did a dive with Emmitt. Didn't convert. We lined it up and tried again. Stopped again. The easy thing to blame was Switzer for that playcall. But who in their right mind doesn't think we convert for 1 yard in two downs with Emmitt and our OL? I'd bet the farm on us converting. Same thing. At some point, you tell your OL to go out there and convert. It was a risk that didn't pay off. But its easy IMO to see why he thought it would work.
