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Restoring the Beast
Posted: January 16th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor
The Giants hired Steve Spagnuolo to run their defense. The Skins hired Bill Callahan to be their OL coach. They are still looking for help on the defensive side of the ball. It is possible that Vic Fangio will get that job. Dallas kept all of their coaches, except Callahan. Some Eagles fans will be disappointed by the fact that the competition is making good moves.
Not me.
The Eagles need the NFC East to be better. Playing in a soft division doesn’t help you. Think about the 1980-1991. The Skins and Giants won 5 Super Bowls in that stretch. Dallas played in 3 NFC title games and made the playoffs a few other times. The Eagles played in one Super Bowl and had a historically good defense at the end of the period. Those teams pushed each other to be great. If you could have a great season playing against that kind of competition, you were going to be ready for the playoffs.
The Eagles won a soft NFC East last year and then finished 2nd this season. I never thought the Eagles looked anything like a championship team.
Think about the NFC West. The Seahawks, Niners, Rams and Cardinals have been pushing each other for the past 5 or so years. The Cardinals were a playoff team in 2008 and 2009. The Niners went to NFC title games from 2011-2013, and the Super Bowl in 2012. Seattle won the Super Bowl last year and might repeat as champs. The Rams have remained on the bottom of the division, but have had their moments. They had back-to-back shutouts this year. That hadn’t happened in the NFL in years. The Skins were the worst team in the NFC East. They didn’t do anything historic this year. Their biggest highlight was knocking the Eagles out of the playoffs.
Eagles fans should be happy to see the other teams making smart decisions. The goal is for the Eagles to win a championship.Teams that win titles generally have to pass tests along the way. Green Bay went 10-6 in 2010 and won the Super Bowl. They lost 2 overtime games and played in several tight ones. The team went 15-1 in 2011 and looked like a juggernaut. That squad lost in the divisional round. If you look at final scores, you’ll see that 9 of their games were decided by 10 points or less. But look at the box scores and you’ll find several games where opponents scored late to cut into a big lead and make a game look closer than it was. That Packers team was dominant, but they just weren’t challenged very much and I think that caught up to them in the postseason.
Playing in a tough, competitive division doesn’t guarantee you anything. You do have to win those games or else you become the Rams all over again. The point is to build a good team that can really battle during the season and then be ready for postseason play.
This doesn’t mean every division game will be close. You want the teams around you to push you. Think about our 2 favorite 2014 games…wins over Dallas and the Giants. Tony Romo wasn’t healthy in the Thanksgiving blowout. The Giants didn’t have Odell Beckham at his peak and were banged up the night of the shutout. Those were still fun games, but it was different than the Eagles beating a team at their best.
Do you remember the last Eagles team to win in the playoffs?
That was 2008. The Giants went 12-4 and won the division. The Eagles beat the Cowboys on the final day to secure a wild card berth. That was the 44-6 game. Still, Dallas was 9-7. The Skins were 8-8 that year. Not one losing team in the division. That Eagles team had some good wins (DAL, NYG, PIT) and some tough losses (DAL, NYG, WAS). That team was ready for the pressure of the playoffs. They won at the Vikings and then at the Giants, only to fall short in the title game at Arizona.
Playing tougher competition might mean an extra loss or two a season, but it if helps the team to be better overall, then it is a good thing. The key is to win enough games to still get into the postseason.
The NFC East has been mediocre in recent years, but it looks like that might be changing. And that is good news for the Eagles.
Posted: January 16th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor
The Giants hired Steve Spagnuolo to run their defense. The Skins hired Bill Callahan to be their OL coach. They are still looking for help on the defensive side of the ball. It is possible that Vic Fangio will get that job. Dallas kept all of their coaches, except Callahan. Some Eagles fans will be disappointed by the fact that the competition is making good moves.
Not me.
The Eagles need the NFC East to be better. Playing in a soft division doesn’t help you. Think about the 1980-1991. The Skins and Giants won 5 Super Bowls in that stretch. Dallas played in 3 NFC title games and made the playoffs a few other times. The Eagles played in one Super Bowl and had a historically good defense at the end of the period. Those teams pushed each other to be great. If you could have a great season playing against that kind of competition, you were going to be ready for the playoffs.
The Eagles won a soft NFC East last year and then finished 2nd this season. I never thought the Eagles looked anything like a championship team.
Think about the NFC West. The Seahawks, Niners, Rams and Cardinals have been pushing each other for the past 5 or so years. The Cardinals were a playoff team in 2008 and 2009. The Niners went to NFC title games from 2011-2013, and the Super Bowl in 2012. Seattle won the Super Bowl last year and might repeat as champs. The Rams have remained on the bottom of the division, but have had their moments. They had back-to-back shutouts this year. That hadn’t happened in the NFL in years. The Skins were the worst team in the NFC East. They didn’t do anything historic this year. Their biggest highlight was knocking the Eagles out of the playoffs.
Eagles fans should be happy to see the other teams making smart decisions. The goal is for the Eagles to win a championship.Teams that win titles generally have to pass tests along the way. Green Bay went 10-6 in 2010 and won the Super Bowl. They lost 2 overtime games and played in several tight ones. The team went 15-1 in 2011 and looked like a juggernaut. That squad lost in the divisional round. If you look at final scores, you’ll see that 9 of their games were decided by 10 points or less. But look at the box scores and you’ll find several games where opponents scored late to cut into a big lead and make a game look closer than it was. That Packers team was dominant, but they just weren’t challenged very much and I think that caught up to them in the postseason.
Playing in a tough, competitive division doesn’t guarantee you anything. You do have to win those games or else you become the Rams all over again. The point is to build a good team that can really battle during the season and then be ready for postseason play.
This doesn’t mean every division game will be close. You want the teams around you to push you. Think about our 2 favorite 2014 games…wins over Dallas and the Giants. Tony Romo wasn’t healthy in the Thanksgiving blowout. The Giants didn’t have Odell Beckham at his peak and were banged up the night of the shutout. Those were still fun games, but it was different than the Eagles beating a team at their best.
Do you remember the last Eagles team to win in the playoffs?
That was 2008. The Giants went 12-4 and won the division. The Eagles beat the Cowboys on the final day to secure a wild card berth. That was the 44-6 game. Still, Dallas was 9-7. The Skins were 8-8 that year. Not one losing team in the division. That Eagles team had some good wins (DAL, NYG, PIT) and some tough losses (DAL, NYG, WAS). That team was ready for the pressure of the playoffs. They won at the Vikings and then at the Giants, only to fall short in the title game at Arizona.
Playing tougher competition might mean an extra loss or two a season, but it if helps the team to be better overall, then it is a good thing. The key is to win enough games to still get into the postseason.
The NFC East has been mediocre in recent years, but it looks like that might be changing. And that is good news for the Eagles.
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