I Hate Being an Eagles Fan Sometimes

Yay, we swept the Giants.... or not yay. Not yay at all, because we have a lower draft pick now. Not yay at all, because we will play a second place schedule instead of a third place schedule. Not yay at all, because instead of playing the Rams in London, we'll play Seattle out there. I hope that 35-30 win felt really good.

Had the Philadelphia Eagles lost yesterday, they would have finished 6-10, instead they are 7-9. The win made the Eagles the second place team in the NFC East, meaning next year they will host Atlanta and visit Seattle, while the Giants will get to play St. Louis and New Orleans. The Giants get to pick ninth, the Eagles 13th in the draft.

Obviously this is hard, because no self-respecting coach or player is going to throw a game. Should Pat Shurmur, who is probably fired today, have played all back-ups? Yeah, I'd say so. Does that mean the Eagles would have lost? Tough to tell. You know that in a week where their coach was fired, there was a pride issue in the Eagles locker room, and a desire to show they really do have talent. They went out and played hard, and got a win, which is what you hoped for all year.

Unfortunately though, for the second straight year, a meaningless Week 17 win in the Meadowlands means the Eagles give up draft slots. This year it cost them scheduling too. On next year's schedule now are playoff teams Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Washington, Seattle, Green Bay, and Minnesota. Tack on .500 Atlanta, and four other division games, and it's a tough schedule. The Eagles would be underdogs at least three times at home, right now, and probably be a toss-up in four of the other five games.

Well, at least they played hard, and won a game, and swept a season series, or something. I hope it was good entertainment.

Bye-Bye Chip: Thank You, Jeffrey Lurie

I was never a Chip Kelly fan, so I'm not shocked about the stories coming out of the NovaCare Complex. As amazing as it is, college coaches don't have an easy transition into the NFL, even the great ones. Chip was a very confident guy, and many fans took to that confidence, however I found it to be grounded in nothing. The truth was very cold on Chip Kelly- people thought he was a great coach, because people thought he was a great coach. People thought his style would work, that it was different, that it was innovative. Today, the truth is clear.

Yes, Chip Kelly had some early successes. His team won the division in his first season, and they went 10-6 in consecutive years. He started out his NFL career 19-9, and it seemed that he had proven people like me wrong. Then the last 13 months happened. He finished 1-3 last season, and is 7-12 since last Thanksgiving. He lost three in a row to Washington, and is an OT win against a Romo-less Dallas from losing three in a row to the Cowboys. They did beat the Patriots, without Gronk, this season, but have losses against the NFC's big boys in Carolina and Arizona, got manhandled last season by the Seahawks and Packers, and took a punishing loss in his rookie season to Denver. Chip did not fare well against the NFL's elite, but he was probably mostly done-in by his personnel decisions. He famously cut DeSean Jackson, but really felt the effects of that after letting Jeremy Maclin walk. He drafted Marcus Smith and Nelson Agholor. He traded LeSean McCoy for a stiff in Kiko Alonso. He signed Byron Maxwell and DeMarco Murray to big money contracts and then misused both on the way to underachieving seasons. He kept Riley Cooper around. He cut Evan Mathis. Yeah, Miles Austin happened too. Chip wanted to push out Howie Roseman, and he did, but he made the team worse with almost every move he made. Chip the GM has a mixed record, one that spans his first 28 games, and another his final 19. Chip, the football boss of the Eagles, has a terrible record that is one-sided. As a coach, I would have considered firing him, but maybe waited a little longer. As a GM, he had to go now.

And so the story goes. Jeffrey Lurie talked to Chip, and apparently told him he wanted to take away his control over personnel. Chip refused, and was fired. It ended up being a simple choice over insubordination, or philosophical disagreement, or whatever drove Lurie. Regardless, the situation was so bad within the Eagles organization that Kelly had to be "released" from his contract with five days until the final game of the season, a meaningless game at that. Lurie decided to do the deed immediately. I couldn't support him more.

Another off-season of Chip's arrogant bluster, his "i'm smarter than you" moves, would have destroyed this team for much longer than his bad moves already have. To be clear, I expect the Eagles of 2016 to be much worse, and I'm okay with that. Coming into a new coach with the expectation of a three year rebuild is fine by me. Allowing that coach to have complete control over the draft and free agency will keep us from digging a deeper hole under a coach who was clearly overmatched running an NFL franchise. Yes, it will cost money to release Chip, but it's worth every penny. I did not want to watch him put us through another over-hyped soap-opera.

My preference is a defensive-minded NFL assistant coach. No more gimmicks, no more college guys, give me a nuts-and-bolts football coach that stresses blocking and tackling, disciplined football, and uses his players right. I had enough of the last three seasons. Enough with the drama. Let's get an NFL coach in here and start to build a real winner.

Bradford or Not, I'm Avoiding the Eagles Off-Season Soap-Opera

After the Eagles make their decision on Chip Kelly, which I suspect will be his return for 2016, the next major soap-opera drama in Philadelphia will be whether or not they re-sign Sam Bradford. You'll hear it on talk-radio and see it on Twitter arguments. Fans of a team that is woefully inadequate on the whole will argue passionately over whether one borderline piece of the puzzle should be back or not.

For what it's worth, I'm not totally anti-Bradford. He got better as the year went on, and if you watched him, he really wasn't bad at all. If they had Marcus Mariotta instead of him, as supposedly Chip dreamed of, they wouldn't be in a much better position than they are right now. If they had Nick Foles, it would have been much worse. Bradford was not the big problem that some fans like to imagine. He also isn't a superstar though. He's not an elite QB that you want to commit big money to. If they can sign a reasonable deal, fine. I'd like to see them go look at other options, both in free agency and the draft, before they do that. Perhaps a more club friendly deal can be reached that brings in a "buy low" candidate, which could obviously fail, but also might have a higher ceiling. If he's back though, it won't upset me.

None of this matters though, which is my main point. I don't think Chip Kelly can hack it in the NFL, at least not in his current role. I'm not going to buy into media narratives that the Eagles are some kind of big players in free agency, just to keep the attention on a franchise that is neither close to winning, or has won in my lifetime. The Eagles are going to end up a six or seven win team. They last won a championship when my father was three. They seem to do a great job of winning the attention-grabbing game in the off-season. That hasn't helped matters though.

Will Chip re-sign Bradford? Will he fire Billy Davis? Will he cut DeMarco Murray? Will he cut Jason Peters? What veterans will he bring in from free agency, or rookies from the draft? I'm not paying attention to these small-time stories. If the Eagles make a fundamental change (to be read a complete nuking of the roster or a coaching change), I'll certainly give that a look. Anything less than that isn't going to change the outcome much. This team is not currently good enough to contend. They haven't been since 2008, at least. I'm going to avoid buying in too much to headline grabbing while the core of the roster isn't there. In short, I'm not going to watch this off-season as closely unless events dictate it's worth it. The Eagles haven't earned the over-abundance of attention they get from their fans.

Chip Kelly, Go Back to College (Or Not)

The Eagles season is over. I don't care if they win or lose next Sunday, I might not even watch. Why bother? They are 6-9, and they aren't even a fun 6-9 team that you enjoy. They just stink. They aren't winning the division. They aren't a playoff team. They aren't even a .500 team. Winning Sunday has no value. In fact, let's be honest, beating New England and Buffalo did nothing but hurt draft position. This team has been done since they imploded against Miami.

The Philadelphia Eagles gave Chip Kelly complete control over the football operations of the team last off-season. He proceeded to re-make the football team in his image. Out went McCoy, Foles, Maclin, Mathis, Herremans, and others. In came Maxwell, Alonso, Bradford, Thurmond, and others. The team went from ten wins to six so far. They were not a Super Bowl contender in 2014 as a ten win team, and now they aren't a .500 team. The road forward got pretty long.

I personally want the Eagles to fire Chip Kelly and move on. I think his "system" has been figured out, and that he puts far too much confidence in his scheme. I think he was never the right hire in the first place, and that we've now seen three seasons without a playoff win. I think it's time we stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole. The team is going to need an actual rebuild, and that should start under someone with a longer leash, with a fresh perspective. I'd like to end this experiment now, and try something else.

I don't think that's going to happen though. My perspective on Chip Kelly is not that of Jeffrey Lurie, a man who has never been quick on the trigger with his coaches. I believe Chip will be back, at least for one more season. It doesn't matter if he changes coordinators or not, though he might do it to appease Lurie, the team will remain Chip's team.

The bottom line is that I'd like to see Chip Kelly leave Philadelphia. He won't though, for now. With that said, I'll hold out hope another week or so, and maybe we'll all get lucky.

The Eagles, Tonight, and the Future

Tonight at the Linc, the Eagles will play a do-or-die football game against DC. If Washington wins the football game, they win the division. If the Eagles win, they have to win again in week 17 to win the division. In the mediocrity that is the NFC East, we're talking about a 6-8 football team winning the division. This is basically what purgatory feels like.

I have a hard time getting pumped up about a 6-8 team's chances. Even if they do win out, and win the NFC East, they aren't a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Oh sure, they beat New England, so "any given Sunday" me all you want, the Eagles will have to beat four teams in a row in playoff games, to win a championship. That means, in direct terms, beat Seattle, Carolina, and Arizona, the last two on the road, to reach the Super Bowl and try to beat a New England, Cincinnati, Denver, Kansas City, or Pittsburgh. Let me rain on the parade- no chance. It's not happening. Last year I said I didn't believe that Chip's squad was a contender, even when they were flying high, but this year's team is even more obvious mediocrity. They have their moments, but this team is a .500 team at best. They are nowhere near contending.

So, you'll have to forgive me for not being too pumped up for game day today. This isn't a game that leads us to the parade down Broad Street that Eagle fans deserve. This is a survival game to keep us mildly entertained by our mediocre football team. If they lose, at least we don't have to keep up faux hope about a "post-season run." If they win though, we have one more game that decides if we get to put up another NFC East Champions banner. I'd like to have that banner, mostly to deny it to Washington and New York, but it doesn't mean a lot. Even so, I want them to win. I'm just not willing to be upset over it.

I've had more than a singular conversation over whether it is best to win or not. Some friends who also like the Eagles have actually said to me they'd rather lose the last two, in hopes that Chip Kelly gets fired and Sam Bradford is gone. They fear continuing down a hopeless road with Chip, and committing real money to Bradford, who they never see winning a championship. If I actually thought losing the last two games would make Jeffrey Lurie fire Chip Kelly, I might share their view. I don't though. Jeffrey Lurie's Eagles will be worth more next year than this year, and he'll make a profit on the football season. Oh sure, he may act like things are rough (or at least he does while trying to squeeze Temple for some extra money to play at the Linc), but times are good for Lurie, if for no other reason than the Eagles' blue-collar fan base continues to spend their hard earned cash on his team. Jeffrey Lurie allowed Andy Reid to probably stick around five years too long. Unless you think he's suddenly going to change, expect Chip Kelly back. This is life as an Eagles fan. This is the culture of Jeffrey Lurie. I won't leave, because they're my team, but I know how it will go at this point. Chip is probably coming back next season, no matter what. 6-10 will do. Ticket sales will be fine. Merchandise will sell. Don't expect fast change. Don't cheer against your team in hopes that you'll get a better one.

So, go Eagles. Win those last two. Go 8-8. Win the NFC East. Get that one home playoff game, and the money it generates, and then pay Sammy Bradford. Keep Chip around for the full five years. Maybe things will change next off-season. They do have some good players on this roster. They have some who should bounce back next year too. I guess I'll hope for the best, because what else can you hope for? Hopefully tonight, Philadelphia beats Washington.

A Fitting Disappointment for a Disappointing Eagles Season

You're going to hear a lot of talk about playoff scenarios this week for the NFL. The Eagles will still be in those scenarios, because someone has to win the NFC East. In fact, at worst, they can only be eliminated on Saturday of Week 16, just like last year. The Eagles are 6-8 this season though, not 9-5 going into that game. The Eagles cannot have a winning record this season, given that they are already at eight losses. In other words, this team is worse than last year's team. This team is not a winning team. Yes, they can still win the division, but they are not closer to winning a championship by a long shot. It's true, they played the best three teams in the NFL this season. Those are not the ugly games that have made the 2015 season a failure though.

The Arizona Cardinals embarrassed the Eagles last night, plain and simple. They beat them in all areas of the football game, and ran them out of their own building. The Cardinals are a 12-2 football team though, a record I never really believed the Eagles could achieve. I thought they'd be better than this though. I said all pre-season they'd win 9-11 games this season, totals they can no longer reach. They've underachieved my expectations, and not necessarily by losing to the good teams like Arizona. Losses against Tampa, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Washington, and Miami are much more damning, and cut the knees out from under this season. A lot of Eagles fans assume those losses are underachieving performances. I don't anymore. While you can look at wins against teams like the Jets and Patriots and say the Eagles are better than this, a 6-8 team that got handled fairly well by the top two teams in their conference is what it is.

Last night should not have shocked anyone. The Eagles are what they are. They are a disappointing team, and last night's game drove that point home. We can definitively say last off-season was a loss now. We can definitively say they are a mediocre to bad team. Last night's 40-17 loss fits with the full-season performance the Eagles have given. They are a 6-8 team. Teams like that get run out of their own building by 12-2 teams. Let's not act like last night was anything more than a good team beating a mediocre one. Sure, they can still win the division, and all Eagles fans should hope they do. That doesn't change that this season has been a real disappointment.

The NFC lEast Leading Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are 5-7, and hadn't won in three games before their Sunday win. They now are tied for first place. All that because they hung on and beat a busted up Patriots team on Sunday afternoon, and the Redskins became the latest NFC East team to cough up the advantage in the division.

The Redskins-Cowboys game last night was tough to watch. No one scored a touchdown until there was about two minutes left, and nobody played that well throughout the battle of field goals. In the end, Dallas managed to win, after blowing a touchdown lead in the final minute. They are 4-8, and just one game out of first.

It's easy to get excited about being in first place, but I'd caution Eagles fans against getting too excited. The next two weeks are Buffalo and Arizona, two teams with playoff aspirations who have a lot to play for. Even if the Eagles do win this division, they would end up playing Seattle or Minnesota in the first round. I don't see them winning against either.  I'm being cautious, even now.

The Eagles are back in first. This means there's a chance to win. It's not a good chance, but a chance. Even so, let's not take this too seriously, a 7-9 team may win this division.

Is Chip Kelly a Racist? Re-Visiting LeSean McCoy's Comments as he Returns

In case you didn't circle it on your calendar, it's LeSean McCoy week in Philadelphia. He's coming back to Philadelphia with his Bills, in a game that now matters to both teams. The 6-6 Bills are one game out of the AFC Wild Card. The 5-7 Eagles are at most one game out of the NFC East. Pass the popcorn- you knew this would be a big week.

Chip Kelly traded LeSean McCoy to "go in a different direction." People have speculated whether he meant "a north-south runner," which seems unlikely given his use of DeMarco Murray, or a different type of personality, which would seem to be more likely, given the fireworks that came after McCoy was cut. Kelly won't go back into it, so we won't know, but we do know there is some bad blood now. McCoy went after Chip Kelly in the press afterwards, even going so far as to call him a racist. He also didn't take his call, seeking to clear the air.

So is Kelly a racist? Was McCoy out of line. Let me start by stating the obvious- I don't know. I've never met Chip Kelly a day in my life. McCoy did, and he says he's a racist. McCoy also just got traded away from the only team he ever knew. Other players ran to Kelly's defense. They also are not objective though, given that he's their boss. Let's establish a few things though-

• Leave out whether you think Kelly is a good or bad GM and coach. I think he's obviously not that great, but that has nothing to do with McCoy's comments.
• Leave out whether or not you like LeSean McCoy, whether you are mad at him for having a party in the off-season (get over it, no harm in that), his "baby mama drama" on Twitter (none of our business), or any other incident involving him. He's never been accused of being bad in the locker room, breaking the law, or doing anything else objectively wrong, nor would that have any baring on what he's saying here anyway.
• Yes, Chip Kelly employs other African-American men on his team, and no that doesn't prove anything. That's the "I have black friends" of pro-sports. It's in his interests to sign the best players, regardless of race, and to win games. That he does so proves nothing about his day-to-day demeanor, or whether or not he's racist.
• Chip Kelly has never said or done anything in the public space that is racist. All we have to go on is the word of others, none of whom are objective at all. 
• Chip, at best, mishandled both the McCoy and Jackson situations, on a personal level. Yes, he called McCoy, after he had traded him, "anonymous" sources talked about his flaws as a back, and McCoy had called him a racist. The Jackson story was even uglier, with accusations "anonymously" flying about Jackson being in street gangs and being involved in murders. This is not how well-run organizations cut ties with players.

Given all of those facts, it's not obvious or clear to me either way. Some people dismiss McCoy's accusations out of hand. There are plenty of reasons for that- dismissal of McCoy and Jackson themselves, fan allegiances, and a desire to not see Kelly labeled with one of the worst terms in our society. I don't dismiss the accusations out of hand, because I have no clear way to. I also don't know Kelly at all to say he's a racist (though being accused by Stephen A. Smith probably helps him, because it's Stephen).

Given that I don't know either way, I don't particularly care about this debate. As far as the circumstances that jettisoned McCoy from Philadelphia, I tend to side with him- it was a bad, stupid, disrespectful trade. Even so, it really doesn't matter a whole lot now. I view McCoy favorably, for his on the field heart and hustle that made him a great player in Philadelphia. Obviously he's going to get booed by a fan-base that will be back on the Kelly bandwagon after beating New England, which is fine I guess. In the end, the important part of Sunday will be who wins or loses the game.

I Don't Know Who This Team Is?

The Eagles are a half game out of first place and the Patriots are third in their conference. Just when you thought you had it all figured out, you don't. The Pats were undefeated until last week, and now they wouldn't even get a bye. The Eagles lost to teams like Detroit and Tampa by wide margins, but now they remain alive for another week. Sure, the Eagles rode interceptions and special teams play to this win, and they almost blew it at the end, but they won the game. Up in New England. It's a strange world in football.

If you needed to learn again why it's a long season, you saw it last night. Injuries matter. The best team in October is not necessarily the best team in December. The season takes a long time to play itself out, and the twists and turns take the defending champions from the best to third in a matter of two weeks. That's football.

As for the Eagles, don't get too excited. They remain 5-7. Their next two games against Buffalo and Arizona will decide if they even have a viable shot to win the division or not. Shady McCoy will make his return to Philadelphia, against the team whom he owns the career rushing record for. The Eagles remaining schedule is against all teams with playoff hopes yet, a stout challenge for a 5-7 squad. They remained alive for another week, and probably put to rest any logic for tanking the season. Now they need wins- four of them- in improbable fashion. Then again, we would have said that before yesterday, too.

So the Eagles Fell in Detroit, And....

....It's fair for you to stop caring.

The Eagles are a joke of a football team in 2015. They are inconsistent. Their talent is questionable. Their effort is not stellar. They are a bad team. They are a fitting 4-7, and that record is going to get worse, quickly. The only gift we got from them playing at Detroit yesterday is that they won't play Sunday. With games against New England, Buffalo, Arizona, Washington, and New York left, there is a legitimate chance the Eagles do not win a single game the rest of the season. It's absolutely possible they go 4-12.

Don't tell me how they are only 1.5 games back of the Giants right now- I really don't care. This team is not capable of competing with the NFC's best for three straight weeks in the playoffs, let alone a fourth game in the Super Bowl. In fact, the best thing that can happen is they don't win again. Getting a higher pick will allow the Eagles an opportunity to rebuild this thing a little bit faster, and perhaps get the franchise quarterback they so desperately need.

Many of the same people who cheered Chip Kelly all off-season with their "in Chip we trust" crap, are now burying him for this team. They didn't bury him for cutting Evan Mathis for no reason. They didn't bury him for trying to sell us that DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews would be better than LeSean McCoy. They didn't bury him for the insane rumors about chasing Mariota in the draft, or for trying to sell us that Sam Bradford might be the upgrade we needed at quarterback. They didn't bury him for trying to sell us that Kiko Alonso would be healthy and awesome either. They didn't bury him for drafting Agholor, or anything else Chip did. I remember being called a "downer" for questioning those moves. No doubt, even I thought it would be better than this, but it was clear to any objective fan that Chip Kelly the GM had no idea what he was doing all along.

And so now they play out the string. After taking a beating from Detroit, there is little reason to hope the Eagles win another game. Should Chip Kelly come back? That is a complicated question that is partially driven by the two years left on his deal. I thought that Chip the GM had made some bad moves, but I figured Chip the coach would keep them winning games at least, and I'm surprised at how he's lost the team on the field. Lane Johnson criticized the fans last week, then got caught on camera taking downs off yesterday. That's symbolic of the team on the whole. Given the poor effort by the players, I'm not sure Chip is the guy to fix it. Of course, I never thought he should have been hired as head coach, let alone given complete control of the team. His blend of control over everything and attempts at reinventing the wheel always lined up for a total disaster. In a purely football driven world, I'd send Chip packing for USC, LSU, or wherever else his heart desires, on the first plane I can find.

Anyway, here's hoping for 4-12 and a top five pick. That's the only way to start digging out of this mess.

The Eagles Really Stink

During the off-season, I had a lot of Eagles fans arguing with me because I said they were not a real Super Bowl contender. Mind you, I spent most of the time saying they would win 9-11 games this season, and maybe even the division,  but I was being called a downer. How could I not see the brilliance that was Chip Kelly? Why was I not buying in.

So then yesterday happened, and the team lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team who had the worst record in football yesterday. Their top overall draft pick, rookie QB looked like Tom Brady against the Birds. They ran the ball at will. Their defense had three interceptions and a touchdown. The Eagles anemic offense looked lost and confused. The team MVP was the punter. The fans booed for a while, then they just left. The team fell to 4-6. It was an ugly sight to see.

Sure, the Eagles are one game back of the 5-5 Giants in the division, though if you've watched both teams all year you'd think it's more. They also are only one game better than the Cowboys, a team who didn't have Tony Romo for two months. There really isn't many rational reasons to be hopeful about this team, unless that's just what you want. Chip Kelly's scheme and culture shtick from the off-season appears to be failing, as his scheme has been figured out by the league, and it turns out that culture doesn't beat talent.

This is sad to watch. I never was a Chip believer, but I thought this team was better than this. I thought they'd at least be a respectable, playoff caliber football team. They are not that. Sure, Detroit is next, and Detroit hasn't been good, but they've won three in a row and this game is there. On a short week even. The Eagles will probably lose this game. This season will probably go off the rails. At this point, it's best to view things as they are, and not as you hope for them to be. If you're an Eagles fan, it's time to jump off the "ChipBot" train, and come to grips with reality. This team will probably need an overhaul, again, and to be a lot worse before they get better. In other words, welcome to Philadelphia and join the club.

Sure, the Eagles are Alive, but Who Cares?

The Philadelphia Eagles are a half-game out of first place. Now that i'm done with the good news, here's reality- they stink. The Eagles are a disappointing 4-5 on the season, and remain alive because the Giants can't seem to beat them, and can't seem to put away a division they have been the best team in most of the season. The Eagles were a very hyped team during the off-season, but they have not lived anywhere near up to that hype.

Yesterday the Eagles had a 16-3 lead after the first quarter, and seemed to be on their way to an easy win over a 3-5 Miami team coming in. Three quarters and just three more points scored later, the Eagles lost 20-19, and now the two teams are matching 4-5's on the season. The difference? Miami has been left for dead for weeks, firing their head coach after a 1-3 start. The Eagles continue to stay alive, as many fans remind us, despite their consistent mediocrity this season. Sure, their quarterback is hurt (and none of them have been all that good anyway), their offensive line isn't great, their running game is anemic, and their receivers drop a lot of balls, but their offense hasn't eliminated them yet. Their defense gave them another solid effort at 20 points, but they also aren't going out and shutting down teams to the point where their anemic offense can get them enough points. Oh yeah, and they missed another field goal that would have given them more points than the opponent. It wasn't such an impressive game.

Of course though, the Eagles are alive. Their 4-5 record puts them in third place in the NFC East (thanks to their loss in DC), but the first place Giants are 5-5 on the season, thanks to a 54 yard field goal at the end of regulation yesterday. Sure, the Eagles haven't been very good, but they still have a shot, right?

Who cares? Has the play of this team made you think they can make a run in the post-season. Yes, they hung in there with the Panthers, on a night where Cam Newton was totally awful, but they still lost. Minnesota and Arizona have been very consistently good so far, so while neither necessarily scares you to death, both would be favored against the Birds. Despite the struggles of the Seahawks and Packers, I'd place my money on both against the Eagles. Yes, the Eagles should have defeated Atlanta, but they didn't. Even if you see room for them to beat some of these teams on a good day, which I agree is possible, it's not likely they'd win three games in a row to win the NFC, or four in a row to win a title. It's far more likely they'd lose in the first round. So again, why would we be excited by this team's chances to win the division? I watched receivers look like they didn't know they were the targets on play, and one Mark Sanchez pass hit DeMarco Murray in the numbers, in the back of course. This team looks mentally unprepared and inconsistent when they are on the field.

The Eagles are not so hopelessly flawed that Chip Kelly should be fired for the poor performance of this team. It is really the first season of his rebuild, and his personnel was always going to need some time to gel. Even so, they don't have the quarterback, the line, the running attack, or the deep threat receiver right now to contend. The team has obvious holes, and will need to use the coming off-season to fill them. As is, this 4-5 team is not contending to win much of anything that matters this season.

Great Win for the Eagles, but We'll Still See...

To it's credit, Sunday Night's Eagles-Cowboys game wasn't the ugliest Prime Time game of the week. To be fair, it was an exciting football game. It was also an ugly football game. I'm quite happy the Eagles pulled it together against some insanely bad calls late in the game, and beat a Dallas team that looked like it badly wanted to win this game. While it wasn't a well-played football game, at least it was a victory.

I'm being realistic though, it was an overtime win against a team that is 2-6. The Eagles are 4-4. They are a .500 team that doesn't look like they could ever beat the New Englands and Carolinas of the world. That's the reality we're living in.

The road ahead is not so hard though. Miami, Tampa, and Detroit are ahead this month, and none of them are winning teams. Even the hard stretch after- New England, Buffalo, Arizona- isn't a three-loss lock. After those games, a home game with Washington and a road game with the Giants to finish the season are games that the Eagles can win. If they just beat the teams who don't have winning records the rest of the way, they go 9-7. The idea of them going 10-6 isn't insane on this schedule.

Yet, neither is the idea of the Eagles going 7-9, because they aren't that good yet. They have some key injuries, and some existing holes even in health, and frankly they can be beaten any given week. You find me the absolute lock victory on the remainder of the schedule. It's impossible to find, because this team is inconsistent.

Do I think the Eagles are a playoff team? I think they could be a playoff team. Do I want to bet on that? Absolutely not. This team is still not consistent enough to contend for the Super Bowl, and they could completely collapse altogether, but i'm going to choose to be cautiously optimistic about what's ahead. The schedule is light, and they aren't buried yet. Sunday didn't definitively prove anything for me though.

The Eagles are Basically What They've Been

The Eagles 27-16 loss at Carolina last night was only really surprising if you thought this team would win the Super Bowl, something I never thought they could do. When the team was 1-3 a couple weeks ago, I wasn't sure they'd be as good as I thought they'd be, but now at 3-4, I'm confident they will be a relevant team down the stretch. The Eagles are basically who I thought they were, a team that should win 9-11 games before the season, but will be frustrating to watch at times as the season goes on. They are good enough to get your hopes up, but not good enough to compete with the elite teams in the NFC.

The Birds have a nice defense. Even last night, they gave up 24 points until the offense turned the ball over deep in their own end at the end of the game. When the Eagles win, they hold the team in the low 20s and have to hope the offense can keep up. The offense is not a 30 plus point a game offense this year though. The quarterback isn't good enough. The running game isn't good enough. The offensive line isn't good enough. The receivers aren't good enough. The scheme and play calling, guess what, isn't good enough. The Eagles ran into a defense every bit as good as their own, if not better, and an offense that does what it does very well, and last night resulted in a loss. Carolina is emerging as one of the best teams in the NFC, up there with Green Bay, just ahead of the Arizonas, Atlantas, and surprisingly Minnesotas in the conference. The Eagles are not there right now.

The Eagles are going to have to win the division to reach the playoffs, most likely. While they have a similar record to Seattle, the odds of the Birds out-kicking Seattle down the stretch for a Wild Card isn't likely, and even so, they'd have to beat out a Minnesota or Atlanta, neither of which looks great right now to happen. The Eagles will play a relatively easy schedule in November and December, with only New England, Arizona, and New York having winning records. The Eagles can still win nine or ten games fairly realistically. Obviously the inconsistency is going to make that hard, but it's possible. Thinking beyond that though has always been foolish. The Eagles are not a championship contender.

The Eagles were a ten win team the last two years. This off-season their moves made the defense a bit better, but the offense got a bit worse. It's left them right back where they started. If things go well, they will be a ten win team again, and there could be a playoff game in South Philly this January. If not, this team could flop as far as 6-10. They basically are who we thought they were the last couple of years. Not much has changed. In other words, keep your expectations in check.