Where Have All The Iggles Gone? South...

Where have all the Iggles gone?
By Matthew Kory

To paraphrase a folk song from the '60s "Where have all the Eagles gone? Gone to golf courses every one." The problem is they left a couple weeks too early for Philadelphia's taste.

When Andy Reid took over the Philadelphia Eagles five years ago the team had just finished a 3-13 season. Most fans in Philadelphia would have been happy to just win as many as they lost, let alone get to the playoffs. Winning a playoff game was not even on the radar. Respectability was the calling of the day.

These days that calling has changed. The Eagles have just lost their third consecutive NFC Championship game, and the second on their home field. Discontentment has come to Cheesesteakville. The question 'What is wrong with our Eagles?' seems to echo around the city, as people grudgingly furl up their banners and wait for another season. There is a palpable sense of frustration crossed with disappointment in Philadelphia, as if your best friend didn't show up for your wedding (again). There are questions to be answered about this latest loss, and unlike the last few years when the Eagles were viewed by locals as an 'up and coming' team, someone needs to be held responsible for the latest disaster.

"Andy Reid needs to get a real wide receiver or quit!" said a caller to the local sports radio station. The word "quit" was punctuated by the slamming down of the receiver. It seems Eagles fans know all about slamming their receivers, in fact Eagles fans are notoriously fickle, willing to turn on you at the drop of a hat. But, somewhat surprisingly, for the balance of Andy Reid's tenure here as Eagles coach there has been enormous support for 'the big cheeseburger.' (Eagles fans are big on nicknames). Reid has brought a hard working and (most importantly) winning brand of football to this working-class city, and the fans have up to now appreciated it. But for the first time in five years one of the problems on the Eagles off-season fix up list seems to be the Head Coach. At least according to the fans.

Reid has had his run-ins with the fans before, of course. He is very pragmatic when it comes to choosing his players, and Philadelphians prize loyalty above all else. This leads to public relations problems for the head coach. For instance, Reid let fan favorite Hugh Douglas leave for Jacksonville after last season even though it opened up a hole on the Eagles defensive line. Reid saw that Douglas was older and his production was likely to drop as he aged. Eagles fans saw a hard working productive player who had been with the team for a long time. The year before that Reid allowed Jeremiah Trotter to sign with division rival Washington rather than pay the pro-bowler what he demanded. Trotter wanted to be paid like one of the best linebackers in the game, but Reid was unwilling to blow his salary cap up for one player. Eagles fans were convinced that Trotter's departure would leave a huge hole in the defense.

Would the Eagles have won a Superbowl, or indeed even one NFC Championship game had Reid re-signed those two players? There is a strong sentiment here that that is the case. If you ask an Eagles fan about Trotter they will most likely bring up last year's NFC Championship game with Tampa Bay and the dump pass over the middle to Joe Jerivicious that ended up going for big yardage because the middle linebacker signed to replace Trotter was too slow. If you ask about Douglas you might hear about how the Eagles could not generate a consistent pass rush all season long, a problem which finally came back to bite them in (you guessed it) the NFC Championship game.

What you won't hear, however, is that Trotter has not played up to expectations in Washington and is in danger of becoming a salary cap casualty. The same is true of Douglas, who after one season in Jacksonville managed just four sacks and 27 tackles. Based on their performances with their new teams you would have to say that, objectively, Reid made the right call both times. Of course, objectivity can take a long walk off a short pier. If I had a dollar for every time I heard Reid's lack of loyalty to his older players I could buy Donald Trump a decent hairpiece.

Reid's biggest asset, according to the prevailing wisdom here, seems to also be his biggest failure. His predilection for character guys who don't challenge coaches, don't mouth off to the media and don't show up their teammates has put him in somewhat of a bind. Reid's teams could accurately be described as workman-like. With the notable exception of perennial pro-bowler Donovan McNabb, each year the Eagles seem composed of a bunch of scrappers, guys left off or dumped by other teams. They are always one of the hardest working teams in the league and Reid's ability to pick guys up off the scrap heap and insert them into his system speaks volumes about his coaching abilities.

However, there comes a time when a team can only go so far. The Eagles, it seems, have hit their ceiling, and it is ****ing off the city of Philadelphia something awful. The salt in the proverbial open wound is Reid's insistence that there is nothing wrong with the team. Asked if he liked his wide receivers, a hard working group, but one who by just about any standard ranks among the worst in the league, if not dead last, Reid replied simply, "I like our guys." The problem, according to Andy Reid is that he hasn't put the players in position to win these last three years. Eagles fans feel that Reid is somehow missing what is right under his own nose. There is nothing worse than having an obvious problem ignored, especially as a fan because you have no actual control over the situation. Imagine this: your car has two flat tires. You have it towed to your mechanic, who after examining it for a moment declares "Nothing wrong here."

"But," you say, "the two front tires are flat. The car isn't going to drive very fast with two flat tires."

"I like these tires." Says the mechanic before heading back into the shop. You can see how that might be a bit frustrating.

And so it goes for Eagles fans. Will Andy Reid's steadfast belief in himself as a coach and a talent evaluator be his eventual undoing in Philadelphia? Public opinion is leaning that way. There has been more grousing about the head coach here in Philadelphia this off-season than anytime since Reid took over the team. Public perception is that the Eagles are in need of a number of upgrades before next season begins in order to remain competitive. The most often sited area of need is their wide receiver corps, though a good middle linebacker who can last the season, and someone to put some pressure on the opponent's quarterback wouldn't hurt either. Fans see that the Eagles are very much under next year's salary cap and want them to go out and spend money on big name free agents to fill the holes in their roster. The trouble is, it doesn't appear that any of those additions will be made this off-season. Or at least they won't be made in the way that Eagles fans want them to be.

Reid has never been much for following public opinion. He is most likely going to go about his business of staying below the salary cap, plugging holes by signing medium priced free agents and trying to put his players in position to win more games next year. Undoubtedly he will do a good job, and the Eagles will be a contender next year. The thing is that might not be good enough any more. Eagles fans have come close, so close, three years in a row, and they are demanding a Superbowl.

Next year looks to be much more competitive year in the NFC East.

The Eagles are going to have to work hard to get back to the Championship game, fighting through what could very well be the most difficult division in all of football to win. With Bill Parcells in Dallas, Joe Gibbs back in Washington, and Tom Coughlin taking over the Giants all those teams are likely to improve. Perception is that the road to the Superbowl will never be easier than it was this year. Andy Reid has a lot of work to do this off-season, because next season anything short of a championship, a parade and an order of rings just won't be good enough. Without a Superbowl, discontentment could turn into full scale hostility.

[nakedwake]

I'm still here. didn't read the whole article but what I did read
was a little painful. We have more holes in our team than a pair
of fishnet stockings. It's a miracle we did as well as we did this
year. People laugh and make fun of the fact that we lost 3 in
a row but in my opinion we didn't play well enough to get there.
Still wondering how we did.