It's All Downhill From Here

As Eagles fans, we've been lucky over the last decade to witness such consistent success. Other than 2005, we've avoided watching a team just spiral out of control. Unfortunately, that's all changing now.

In hindsight, this was completely foreseeable. Andy Reid deserved to be fired after the 2011 season. His decision to go with Juan Castillo was indefensible (morbid humor), and the personnel holes were inexcusable. Lurie kept Reid around, though. That alone was probably a bad move, but he compounded his mistake at the same time by issuing an ultimatum for improvement. 8-8 wasn't going to be tolerated this season, and while we can debate the specifics, some combination of winning the NFC East or a playoff game is probably the bar Reid has to beat.

For many observers, myself included, that kind of ultimatum was comforting at the time. Lurie wasn't issuing a blank check to Reid. He was setting a standard and giving him one last chance. The problem that I didn't consider (and Lurie probably didn't either), is what happens if Andy can't reach that bar? What happens if he realizes, say, six games into the season, that his job is about to go down in flames?

Maybe he would fire his defensive coordinator, the right move but too late. Maybe he would start seriously considering starting a rookie quarterback to give the Eagles "a spark." And that might cause his starter and team leader to give up, even though he was far from the team's biggest problem. Maybe the rest of the team would smell the desperation and respond in kind. Change becomes a reason to trash people anonymously, and adversity becomes a reason to give up.

As a generic football team, you wouldn't count them out at 3-4. Not yet. But all indications are that this team has entered a death spiral. Morale is at an all time low, and desperation is peaking. The bye magic is gone. The coordinator change didn't work. The lame duck head coach will try anything. The offseason roster purge looms. They've even lost Dave Spadaro. 

It's the end times.

Photo from Getty.

No Excuses

I meant to write about this a couple weeks ago, but it got lost in the shuffle of next week’s big news (teaser). From Dave Spadaro:

“There should be no excuses at all,” said Jenkins… “With as many veterans as we have on this team, if there any grey areas, they have to be resolved. It can’t be something that carries over into the season. We have the pieces here.

“It was good to get back out here with the team. It’s good energy out there coming off the season last year. There’s a lot of determination this year. You can just see it in everybody, where it’s a different feel from last year. We weren’t out here this year because of the lockout, but you can just see the difference in everybody.

“I know the second I got here and I heard the phrase ‘Dream Team’ going around, that was just something like, ‘No, no, no.’ Hopefully, we don’t have anything like going around this year,” said Jenkins. “We can just work for it and know we have to work for it.”

I think last year’s team came into the season with the expectation that they were going to be good. Based on comments by Cullen Jenkins and others, this year’s team seems to know that they better be good, or else. That should be positive.

Furthermore, a veteran like Jenkins really couldn’t have a significant impact, leadership-wise, last season — both because of the lockout and the simple fact that he was new to the locker room. I expect that to change this year.

Still Waiting for Jaiquawn Jarrett to Show Something

Dave Spadaro, via Tommy Lawlor:

I don’t see Kurt Coleman being challenged for the starting job by Jaiquawn Jarrett. Coleman had a very strong spring and is in terrific shape. The real question is: Where does Jarrett fit into the equation here?

Spuds coaches his comment with the idea that Coleman is just doing a great job, but when Jarrett can’t even get a qualified endorsement from the team’s own media (let alone coaches or other players), it’s very worrisome. Jarrett has no legitimate competition for back up safety, but if he can’t demonstrate anything positive now, over a year since he was drafted, at some point the team has to admit the mistake publicly and cut its losses. I’m starting to wonder if that time will come this offseason.

Brandon Graham, Bust?

Dave Spadaro:

Graham is back at square one, in a sense. The Eagles are counting on him to deliver the promise that made him a first-round draft pick. Is he that special player who the Eagles coveted so much that they traded up in the first round to acquire? Or is he just not the right fit in the league?

Or is Graham somewhere between the two extremes?

“Day by day,” he says. “I’m just taking it day by day.”

Maybe I’m the only one, but this was the first time I read a puff piece on the Eagles website and came away thinking the profiled player was more of a bust then when I started reading.

Spuds Speaks on Vick, Eagles QB Situation

Spadaro:

To me, the true value of making that decision to sign Vick has yet to be determined. I wonder, looking ahead, what is next for Vick and for the Eagles. The entire quarterback situation is a fascinating one, and head coach Andy Reid is correct when he says the Eagles have a great situation there with Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and Vick all under contract through 2010 (Vick’s deal is a team option worth a reported $5.2 million). How many teams have three quarterbacks who have won games in the NFL?

At the same time, it would be highly, highly unusual to have all three playing in ‘10 on the final year of their contracts. Imagine the constant questions and scrutiny and the endless speculation about the future. It would seem — and this is merely my perspective — that the Eagles would be best served to listen to any offers that might be forthcoming and use the quarterbacks as assets and see how they can strengthen the roster by dealing a quarterback or two should solid offers reach the trading table.

Because we all value his expert opinion so much. Hmmmm, the Eagles should listen to all offers. So brilliant.