I know it has been several weeks since I last posted. I've been bunkering down at my job trying my best to make myself more efficient. Since I last wrote, the Eagles have gone 2-2 with losses to the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys but scored dominant wins over Tampa Bay and New York Giants. Yeah, I bought into the Foles hype, too. But then I had to pace myself and remember what I had thought all along, before the year started, that the quarterback of the future is still in the future, not on this team. Vick provides an exciting outlet and reason for fans to tune in. Foles gives hope that a younger gun slinger will be around for a long time. Barkley gives the ball to the other team.
See what I did there? Roped you in now, huh?
So, I often hear that the Eagles offense is high octane and the defense is no octane. Let's look at the stats, see where everything is right now.
OFFENSE: NFL.com has them at 9th in passing yards (1,822), tied for 12th in points per game (24.1 - no thanks to the three spot they put up last week), first in rushing (1,155 yards or 165 yards per game, but 4th in rush attempts at 223 (31.9 per game).
DEFENSE: They are 5th in total points (196), 7th in points per game allowed at 28, 1st in yards allowed (412.7 per game), second in total passing yards per game (2,181 total, 311.6 yards per game), oh and looky here! 17th against the run (708 total rush yards).
So, one thing I hear a lot of, since I listen to a lot of fantasy football shows, is to start all your offensive players against the Eagles. Maybe so. But I hate the blanket statement getting broken down further to "start all running backs." That is a fallacy. 101 yards per game is still not great, but that average is good enough for 21st against the run. You will also be surprised at some of the following stats:
WEEK 1 - Redskins average 25.3 points per game, but put up 27 on the Eagles
WEEK 2 - Chargers average 24 points per game, put up 33 on the Eagles
WEEK 3 - Chiefs average 24.1 points per game, put up 26 on the Eagles
WEEK 4 - Broncos average 42.6 points per game, put up 52 on the Eagles
WEEK 5 - Giants average 18 points per game, put up 21 on the Eagles
WEEK 6 - Buccaneers average 14.5 points per game, put up 20 on the Eagles
WEEK 7 - Cowboys average 28.6 points per game, put up 17 on the Eagles.
The stats there, well, it begs a question if the defense has started to hit their stride. The Giants game almost turned into a disaster, but in the fourth quarter alone, on three consecutive drives, the defense intercepted Eli Manning three times. Now, that's also just attributed to Eli being Eli. The next week, rookie quarterback Mike Glennon in his second start raises the team average. Well, it was a shoot out, and the Eagles were lighting up the once vaunted Buccaneers defense. Tampa played catch up. And Finally the Cowboys, who went tit for tat for tit with the Broncos mustered only 17 points. Now, perhaps the Cowboys are coming back to earth a little bit, but I do notice that every game when I hear Cedric Thornton's name stated repeatedly, well, the defense comes through. The Eagles defense is bad, and everybody knows it. But, I think you would have to be a 100% jackass, jackwagon, jackoff, carjack if you don't see some glimmers of hope for a future stalwart defense.
My biggest problem with this team isn't the team at all. It's not the coaches. It's not even the mascot - a gigantic bird of prey that's juiced up on bird seed yet makes not one noise. It's the fans. The fans are horrible gift receivers. They are the guys who in a fleeting moment said they wanted something, then somebody gets them that something for Christmas, and the guy complains about why you got him that gift. Do you know how many times in the past couple weeks I've heard that Chip Kelly is a bust? Our quarterbacks are tremendous! We have NO quarterback!!! Can't we get Castillo back to coach the defense?
It is getting borderline ridiculous. Buck up people. You were 4-12 last year. They have potential to go 6-10, if we are lucky. New coach, new system for the NFL in general, new defensive scheme, new philosophy on play calling/learning - just deal with it. You all wanted the change, and you have it. The Colts last year were an aberration. The Chargers this year will soon come back to earth when they play the two best teams in the AFC (Broncos and Chiefs). Andy Reid, the hated one you wanted out of this city after he lost a Super Bowl, inherited a solid squad and got a quarterback who is still technically on fire from last year. The Cleveland Browns can't get their shit right, Buffalo has their practice squad quarterback running all over because their prized running back can't, and Arizona is just another incarnation of a Kurt Warner-less Arizona. Eagles, in my honest opinion, are somewhere in between. Everybody wants to win now, though, and after that first game against the Redskins, well, the sky was too low to be the limit.
The fact of the matter is still that this Eagles team has a scheme on offense and defense that can be good, but the pieces aren't. Sure we can all say how the offensive line being back together is a major plus, but there have been a lot of defenders practically walking up to the quarterback. But that happens in games. The first game of the year, McCoy got hit right at the hand off, and I think it was Evan Mathis who just looked down at him, realizing it was his fault. It HAPPENS. Can't we just absorb what's happening with the team, and hope they compete? The fight is there, but as I said in a previous, preseason blog, the pieces Chip Kelly wants are not in place, but he will make due with what he has.
If you don't know me, you probably just clicked on this link and thought you would get something insightful. You won't. I'm a fan. I bleed red, but I put drops of green food color on my cuts. The Eagles are up there with my family and friends, and they all know that and accept that. I get to watch my favorite TV show 16 times (or up to 20 times) a year. That's it. I sometimes put my hard earned cash on the table to watch them live. I have left with my ass burnt several times over the past year. The last win I saw them get was on the road. Against their opponent this week, the New York vaGiants. I think the Eagles' 9 game home losing streak ends this weekend, and we can start playing catch-up with Dallas. I truly don't expect the Eagles to win the division or make the playoffs. I of course will always root for them. If they get only one more win this year, I will be screaming and hollering throughout that win. If they lose, and if the writing is on the wall that they are going to lose before the game starts, I will still hoot and holler. I will cheer the 30 yard run that means nothing in the big picture. I enjoy the game. Our championship window is still on back order, and the city of Philadelphia just needs to accept it. Just know that when it arrives, it will be a humongous sliding glass door of a championship window.
Go Eagles.
