Phil Sheridan | McNabb's history suggests Eagles can climb to the topBy The run is not over.
While the Eagles may not be the winning machine they were in their Super Bowl season of 2004, they certainly are not the 6-10 junker of 2005. If you had to chart the prospects of the 2006 version of Andy Reid's team, you'd put them much closer to '04 than '05.
To be precise, they are about where they were in 2003, the third year of their run.
Start with the most basic truth: Every time Donovan McNabb has been the full-time starter for an entire season, the Eagles have won at least 10 games and gone to the playoffs. This fact, which is ignored by those with obvious agendas, is why it is more rational to expect this team to win 10 or 11 games than seven or eight.
It has become popular to pick against the Eagles. That's because there is no sizzle in picking a consistently successful team to remain successful. The TV empty-headers care more about creating a reaction than about being accurate, so they must create the illusion that they're separate from the pack.
The irony, of course, is that the entire herd thinks the same way. And that's why so many of your national so-called experts are talking about the Eagles as if last season proved their run was over.
All they forget is that (1) McNabb was seriously injured; (2) he was NFC offensive player of the month for September despite being injured; (3) Terrell Owens sawed away at the support beams holding up Reid's entire program; (4) injuries decimated the offensive line; (5) Mike McMahon, barely an NFL QB, had to play behind said decimated line; (6) half the projected starting defensive line, Jerome McDougle and Corey Simon, never played a down for the Eagles; (7) Todd Pinkston missed the whole season; ( Brian Westbrook got hurt; and (9) did we mention Terrell Owens' epic sabotage job?
Last season wasn't just unusual for Reid's clockwork organization. It was as complete a breakdown as any sports franchise has experienced in recent memory. We're talking Murphy's Law to the nth power.
If you believe the Eagles brought some of that on themselves - failing to re-sign Simon? Reid's pass-crazy, fog-of-war play calling? McMahon as a backup? - then fine. There is plenty of blame to go around in a 6-10 season. Let's sum that up by saying Reid and the front office were perhaps a bit full of themselves after reaching the Super Bowl.
And now? After choking on the exhaust fumes of the entire NFC East, after getting completely humiliated by his mentor in a 42-0 Monday night loss to Seattle, do you really believe Reid swallowed all that like a prime rib and loaded baked potato?
If so, you haven't been paying any attention since Reid took over in 1999.
The events of the last couple of weeks should make Reid's determination crystal clear. By trading for Donte' Stallworth, whacking Pinkston and Koy Detmer, and signing A.J. Feeley as a proven backup to the already upgraded backup QB, Reid has demonstrated what he'll never deign to say in a news conference.
He had allowed some dry rot to set in. He spent the last six months cutting it out. And then, after seeing that McNabb is healthy and the defense is back, he took steps to load up for another shot at a championship.
If, in his heart, Reid thought maybe 2006 was going to be a one-step-back, two-steps-forward kind of season, that's gone. McNabb has only so many seasons left to play. Every one is a chance to win a Super Bowl. So Reid owes it to himself, his quarterback, his coaches and players, and, especially, to Eagles fans not to waste another of those precious few seasons.
It is easy to understand the fans' hesitation to believe again. Getting close and losing hurts way more than just missing the playoffs, or losing a wild-card game on the road. Four years in a row, the Eagles fell short by just one play here or one player there. You get conditioned to look for that small weakness - depth at linebacker, skilled wide receivers - that proves fatal in the biggest games.
This is not a perfect Eagles team. But then, there is not a perfect team in the NFC, let alone its Eastern Division. The Cowboys have a wobbly offensive line and questions at quarterback, not to mention the sawing sounds provided by Mr. Owens. Washington would trade Mark Brunell and half of Dan Snyder's fortune for McNabb. The Giants are a mirage.
It has been a long time since the Eagles had the luxury of playing without the crushing weight of Super Bowl expectations. They should enjoy this, because it won't be long before that weight is back.
While the Eagles may not be the winning machine they were in their Super Bowl season of 2004, they certainly are not the 6-10 junker of 2005. If you had to chart the prospects of the 2006 version of Andy Reid's team, you'd put them much closer to '04 than '05.
To be precise, they are about where they were in 2003, the third year of their run.
Start with the most basic truth: Every time Donovan McNabb has been the full-time starter for an entire season, the Eagles have won at least 10 games and gone to the playoffs. This fact, which is ignored by those with obvious agendas, is why it is more rational to expect this team to win 10 or 11 games than seven or eight.
It has become popular to pick against the Eagles. That's because there is no sizzle in picking a consistently successful team to remain successful. The TV empty-headers care more about creating a reaction than about being accurate, so they must create the illusion that they're separate from the pack.
The irony, of course, is that the entire herd thinks the same way. And that's why so many of your national so-called experts are talking about the Eagles as if last season proved their run was over.
All they forget is that (1) McNabb was seriously injured; (2) he was NFC offensive player of the month for September despite being injured; (3) Terrell Owens sawed away at the support beams holding up Reid's entire program; (4) injuries decimated the offensive line; (5) Mike McMahon, barely an NFL QB, had to play behind said decimated line; (6) half the projected starting defensive line, Jerome McDougle and Corey Simon, never played a down for the Eagles; (7) Todd Pinkston missed the whole season; ( Brian Westbrook got hurt; and (9) did we mention Terrell Owens' epic sabotage job?
Last season wasn't just unusual for Reid's clockwork organization. It was as complete a breakdown as any sports franchise has experienced in recent memory. We're talking Murphy's Law to the nth power.
If you believe the Eagles brought some of that on themselves - failing to re-sign Simon? Reid's pass-crazy, fog-of-war play calling? McMahon as a backup? - then fine. There is plenty of blame to go around in a 6-10 season. Let's sum that up by saying Reid and the front office were perhaps a bit full of themselves after reaching the Super Bowl.
And now? After choking on the exhaust fumes of the entire NFC East, after getting completely humiliated by his mentor in a 42-0 Monday night loss to Seattle, do you really believe Reid swallowed all that like a prime rib and loaded baked potato?
If so, you haven't been paying any attention since Reid took over in 1999.
The events of the last couple of weeks should make Reid's determination crystal clear. By trading for Donte' Stallworth, whacking Pinkston and Koy Detmer, and signing A.J. Feeley as a proven backup to the already upgraded backup QB, Reid has demonstrated what he'll never deign to say in a news conference.
He had allowed some dry rot to set in. He spent the last six months cutting it out. And then, after seeing that McNabb is healthy and the defense is back, he took steps to load up for another shot at a championship.
If, in his heart, Reid thought maybe 2006 was going to be a one-step-back, two-steps-forward kind of season, that's gone. McNabb has only so many seasons left to play. Every one is a chance to win a Super Bowl. So Reid owes it to himself, his quarterback, his coaches and players, and, especially, to Eagles fans not to waste another of those precious few seasons.
It is easy to understand the fans' hesitation to believe again. Getting close and losing hurts way more than just missing the playoffs, or losing a wild-card game on the road. Four years in a row, the Eagles fell short by just one play here or one player there. You get conditioned to look for that small weakness - depth at linebacker, skilled wide receivers - that proves fatal in the biggest games.
This is not a perfect Eagles team. But then, there is not a perfect team in the NFC, let alone its Eastern Division. The Cowboys have a wobbly offensive line and questions at quarterback, not to mention the sawing sounds provided by Mr. Owens. Washington would trade Mark Brunell and half of Dan Snyder's fortune for McNabb. The Giants are a mirage.
It has been a long time since the Eagles had the luxury of playing without the crushing weight of Super Bowl expectations. They should enjoy this, because it won't be long before that weight is back.
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