Sheil Kapadia, at Moving the Chains:
The Eagles have given up 22 passing touchdowns, tied for second-most. And opposing QBs have a 91.4 rating. That’s a worse mark than last year (80.8). Who would have thought that they would replace Dimitri Patterson with Nnamdi Asomugha, add Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, improve the defensive line, blitz less and still be an easier team to pass against than they were in 2010?
That pretty much sums it up.
On Monday, Andy Reid pushed back against the gloom patrol, reminding everyone that the Eagles window is still wide open:
“People perceive us to be an old football team, but we’re really not an old football team.” he said on his radio show. “We’re one of the youngest teams in the [NFL]. That takes time.”
Unfortunately, that’s just not as true as it sounds. The Eagles are young, but the core of the team is actually reaching the end of their prime, with few replacements on the way.
The Eagles have 14 players on the roster who are currently 29 or older. Some of them may still have two or three more years left in them, but there are no guarantees in the NFL. Tell me how comfortable you are losing these guys in the near future:
Let’s see… That’s three starting offensive linemen, including both tackles. Three starting defensive linemen. Three of the top four cornerbacks. Oh, and a $100 million quarterback.
Even scarier, can you pick out any of these players and tell me who his replacement is going to be? The Eagles have no quarterback of the future. With Brandon Graham’s return from injury still an open question, they don’t have a single promising young linemen on the team ready to take over at offensive tackle or defensive end. Do you trust Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at cornerback? What about Brandon Hughes or Curtis Marsh?
And it’s not like many other positions are bursting with young talent. With the possible exception of Brian Rolle, not a single linebacker looks like more than a backup. There are three young safeties, but none have them have shown they can play at higher than replacement level. Jason Kelce looks like a keeper, but his fellow rookie Danny Watkins isn’t exactly a spring chicken.
The only place where the Eagles have proven youngsters is at the offensive skill positions. Unfortunately, it’s not clear how long that group will stay together. The DeSean Jackson departure appears imminent and Jeremy Maclin has never proven he can be a top wide receiver. Why the Eagles haven’t already thrown gobs of money at LeSean McCoy is beyond me.
It’s discouraging to glance up and down the Eagles roster. The short term outlook is bleak, with this season likely to go down as the worst in Reid’s tenure. And as to the future… there just isn’t much to look forward to.
Almost two seasons have passed since I wrote about Reid’s third 5-year plan. So far, that plan has failed.
Photo from Getty.
Bob Ford, for the Inquirer:
All that said, and all that considered, here’s one for you: If the Philadelphia Eagles actually believe the final four games of this season might mean something, they should release Vince Young immediately and sign McNabb. (I know, I know. I am aware there is a large percentage of you who must now blindly search the floor for your heads, because they have popped off your necks and rolled away. And, yes, there is a part of me that wrote the sentence just to have that happen. But let’s wait and see where the column goes. I have no idea, either.)
It’s nice when columnists admit they’re going off the rails.
Jason Babin, on Twitter:
Wow reading some of these articles, if u where in the L room & saw some of these reporters, u would understand. It’s like they never saw a; Tbrush, shower, and problly the only time they leave their mom’s basement….. I said some, other are dead on…
Poor hygiene, but at least we can spell?
Former Eagles tight end Chad Lewis, to Derek Sarley in 2009:
It’s a fine line and it’s very hard to define. You have to push to have strong team chemistry at the same time you push to win. Sometimes those are competing forces. Sometimes it requires Trotter in the locker room getting in someone’s face. Or it requires Donovan sharing a joke to keep people laughing and cut through and dissolve some of the pressure that every one of us feels is on us to perform.
Andy fostered that team chemistry. But it’s dynamic. It’s alive and moving. Once you get it, it doesn’t mean it will stay forever. You have to care enough to keep it or get it back.
What does it take to be an effective locker room leader? Through most of the Andy Reid years, the Eagles have had no shortage of leaders. But what are the necessary traits? I’ve narrowed it down to five requirements, complete with one players who embodies the trait and one who doesn’t.
If you look up and down the Eagles roster, you’ll find players that fit into the first four categories. There are talented veterans who are outspoken role models for the youngsters, but there’s a real shortage of players who’ve been with the organization for the long haul.
Why is this important? A good team has players that set an example for others to follow. Sometimes they get in your face, sometimes they crack jokes, but they hold everyone accountable and united.
These players aren’t around anymore, though. Look at the following graph, which shows the Eagles starters by the number of years they’ve been with the team. This isn’t NFL experience, but rather experience with this organization in particular.
Click for bigger version:
The 2011 team has the most first-year starters of any team after 1999. It’s tied with 1999 for the most first and second year starters. It has more starters with three or fewer years with the organization than any other in Andy Reid’s time as coach, and is tied with 2000 for the most four years or fewer. The 2011 Eagles are also only the second team to have not a single standard-bearer who has been with the team for more than seven years.
In real terms, that means the team has exactly four starters — Brent Celek, Todd Herremans, Trent Cole, and Mike Patterson — who have been with the Eagles for longer than four years. DeSean Jackson and Asante Samuel are de facto veteran role models at four years a piece. Not a single starter has played in a Super Bowl as an Eagle.
In retrospect, it’s not a coincidence that this team is falling apart any more than it’s surprising that the 2008 team stuck together and engineered a deep playoff run. That squad had a wealth of veterans on their second contracts, players who knew how to band together and make the sum greater than the individual parts. Those were players who conveyed what it meant to be an Eagle, and the team had reinforced that notion by keeping them around.
Now almost all of those players are gone and no one has been groomed to replace them. The front office drafted “high character” guys who haven’t seen the field. They brought in veteran free agents to fill a void, but as outsiders they can’t set the locker room attitude.
But the biggest problem is that this leadership vacuum isn’t going away any time soon. The free agent pickups are getting older. Most of the draft picks from 2006-2010 washed out, and those that didn’t (e.g. DeSean Jackson) largely haven’t been extended.
What’s the core of this team? Who are the locker room role models going forward? If those questions can’t be answered, the team might be closer to “blow it up” than “one more year.”
Photo from Getty.
Sam Lynch, at Iggles Blitz:
As we go through the rubble of this epic disaster of a season, there is a great deal of evidence that this team’s figurative guidance system has been broken for some time. More bluntly, the team’s front office philosophy and personnel appear to be fundamentally flawed. And when we think about how to fix this franchise, it is the front office that needs the most immediate attention. Even before we think about what the implications are for the coaching staff.
What are you still doing here? Go, read.
After last night, it seems pretty clear that the Eagles have hit the low point of Andy Reid’s tenure as head coach. The only question now is whether you have any hope that he can turn things around. I assume many of those folks who have stubbornly supported Reid over the last few games are starting to change their minds, but we’ll find out.
7.9 = Vince Young’s interception percentage this season. For comparison, Mike McMahon had a 3.9 percent interception rate in 2005. I’ve never seen a team get four second half possessions, and give the ball away in three of them. If Michael Vick is out again, Mike Kafka will undoubtedly get his chance next week.
57.9 = Young’s completion percentage this season, worst season of his career. What happened to quarterback gurus Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg?
6 = Two game stretches when Reid has had a worse point differential than the last two games. It’s one thing to get blown out by New England, but Seattle?
1 = Torn ACL for Colt Anderson. It’s not fair that one of guys who consistently plays the hardest had such a career-threatening injury in a meaningless game.
137.0, 6.7 = Tarvaris Jackson’s QB rating and Marshawn Lynch’s yards per carry from last night. What was that about the Eagles defense improving?
133 = Total yards from scrimmage for LeSean McCoy. Bright spot!
0 = Emotional reaction to yet another embarrassing loss.
Photo from Getty.
Smash the hipster!
Week Thirteen
Philadelphia Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks
8:20 pm EST on NFL Network
Also, bonus video! The Whiskey Saints basically show us the Eagles season in three minutes: