After watching Sunday’s Eagles 24-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, it left me completely sick. For the third consecutive week the Eagles had a lead going into the fourth quarter and came up holding sand. There’s nothing more frustrating as a fan then rooting for a team that has high expectations only to wind up disappointed. On paper the Eagles are a championship team (I know Vince Young called it a “Dream Team”, but contrary to popular belief, that phrase was taken out of context and the media ran with it), but on the field they’re embarrassing. It’s a bad state in Philadelphia when the Eagles are blowing a lead to the 49ers and the crowd starts chanting “Let’s go Phillies” (consequently when the Phillies blew their lead the Cardinals the crowd started chanting “Let’s Go Flyers”). So after four weeks in the NFL season, what exactly is wrong with the Eagles?
Offense
Aside from Shady McCoy the Eagles offense has some serious problems. They are unable to play a game without turning the ball over numerous times and they lack leadership. Both of these issues land directly on Michael Vick.
Look, I know Vick has been banged up this season, but the bottom line is protecting the damn ball. He scrambles down the field like he’s carrying a loaf of f**king Italian bread that he’s afraid might get crushed as opposed to a football. It’s nothing for a defensive back to hit Vick’s arm, causing yet another fumble. This results in the late turnovers that have been killing the Eagles.
He also needs to start showing some leadership. Part of the reason the Eagles handed him $100 million wasn’t just because he knows how to score, or for his good looks. It’s so he can take control of HIS team and be a leader on and off the field. He needs to talk to the media, not bitch and complain about the officiating and he needs to get in the face of teammates for their mistakes. Take a little responsibility for the failures of this team Mike.
Vick has a tremendous arm but under threw two balls against the 49ers. One Deshawn Jackson should have had and the other was intercepted by Carlos Rogers. He’s all or nothing and you don’t know what you’re getting sometimes. Even though he had 491 total yards against the 49ers, the offense only managed to put 23 points on the board. To a defense that isn’t very good! That’s embarrassing and unacceptable. Vick needs to find the consistency he did last season
Speaking of Jackson, for a wide receiver that thinks he’s the best in the league and is looking for a big contract he sure as hell isn’t playing like one. He still makes big plays, but then he disappears and his head isn’t in the game. When Carlos Rogers intercepted Vick, did Jackson try and tackle Rogers? No, he was too busy wanting to know why he didn’t get a flag for pass interference. Bitch to the officials AFTER you make the tackle jackass.
Jeremy Maclin is another big ball of suck. He’s putting up good numbers thus far, but he’s a wide receiver who would rather be a hot dog and see his mug on Sportscenter than play smart. In the Eagles final drive against the 49ers; they were marching down the field. Vick was throwing 10 to 15 yard out passes and the receiver would catch the ball and jump out of bounds (for once Andy Reid was being smart with the clock). In the Eagles final offensive play Maclin was hit with an out pass. Maclin ran down the line and once the defense had him, instead of going out of bounds, like all the receivers were doing, he tried to get five extra yards. This resulted in a fumble that the 49ers recovered. The Niners went to 3-1; the Eagles went to 1-3.
As far as the offensive line goes, they looked good in Sunday’s loss and I think line coach Howard Mudd is doing the best he can with what he has, which aside from Jason Peters isn’t much.
Defense
Despite adding Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins Dominque Rogers-Cromartie, and Nnamdi Asomugha, the Eagles defense is an abortion. My main concern coming into the season was the linebackers. While the Eagles added a ton of defense it’s something they failed to address and it shows because opponents run all over the Eagles.
Casey Matthews has no right even being on a football field and if I was his brother Clay I would deny any relation to him because he can’t hold Clay’s jockstrap. It actually took the coaching staff three weeks to realize he sucked; something the fans picked up on training camp.
Babin and Jenkins have really given some help to Trent Cole on the defensive line, but the other additions have been garbage. Rogers-Cromartie is rarely used and Asomugha has been terrible. The excuse I hear in Philly is because he’s a one-on-one cornerback and he’s adjusting to zone coverage. I say bullshit. If you’re as good as you’re hyped up to be, switching coverage’s shouldn’t be this much of a problem. It also doesn’t explain why he can’t tackle.
On the subject of tackling the Eagles can’t spell tackle, no less do it. It is f*cking ridiculous. I’ve watched games this season where defensive players were colliding into each other, while an opposing running back is running 65 yards down the field. They look like the keystone cops on the field and yet no one is held accountable.
A big reason for the accountability is this team hasn’t had a defensive leader since management let Brian Dawkins walk away and go to Denver (well done Joe Banner; dick). This team has no natural leader like a Dawkins, Reggie White, Jeremiah Trotter, or Ike Reese. It’s a bunch of guys who just try and play their own game and end up looking like a Division III college team. Someone on the defense needs to step up and get in the players faces and make them work hard on that field.
Who will step up? To be honest, I don’t know. Asomugha was vocal in Oakland but here he gets beat by receivers on a weekly basis and keeps his mouth shut. Similar to Vick, Asomugha needs to take his game to the next level and hold the defense responsible when they miss a tackle or get burned by an opponents #3 receiver.
Special Teams
Its two rookies who are doing the best they can, although they should have re-signed David Akers. With the state of the Eagles, special teams are the least of the team’s problems. Just don’t miss field goals inside 40 yards. This is the NFL, not the University of Florida. Make your f**king kick.
Coaching
This has been the bane of my existence as an Eagles fan for years. I loathe Andy Reid and feel he should have been run out of town years ago. There are Andy lovers here in Philly (and they’re a**holes), who love Reid based on the fact that the Eagles make the playoffs every year. Making the playoffs is fine, but he’s unable to take the team to the next level. He’s the fat ugly sister who while her six other sisters have gone and gotten married, she still lives in her parents basement taking care of her five cats; always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
He is hands down the worst coach in the NFL when it comes to time management. He doesn’t know when to use a time out, and a two-minute offense isn’t in his playbook.
When he named Juan Castillo defensive coordinator, I really scratched my head. I questioned Castillo’s qualifications for the job. Not because he’s Hispanic, but because his prior job was he was the Eagles offensive line coach! When the hell has he worked with the defense? Reid said part of the reason he picked Castillo was because he wanted a new offensive line coach but didn’t want to lose Castillo on his staff. Using that logic, it’s like the janitor at a company doing a sh**ty job, but instead of firing him you make him head of human resources.
Above all, he’s an arrogant a**hole. If you have ever seen a post game press conference, Reid talks about what he wants to, he won’t answer certain questions from the media, and when he does answer it’s a four word answer. It’s as if he’s been the coach here so long he’s above being questioned; wrong answer idiot. It’s about time the media starts getting on your ass about your terrible play calling and poor coaching.
Enough is enough. If there’s a God out there I pray that Andy Reid is given his pink slip at season’s end and a real coach like Bill Cowher comes to Philadelphia and rights this ship.
You might think I’m panicking, but I’m not. I’m facing a cold reality that the City of Philadelphia is feeling. Can the Eagles still make the playoffs? Sure, but they need to get their s**t together before it’s too late.
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