A lot of you guys, including me have confidence that this team can turn it around, but is this confidence based on anything? I mean, besides what we did last season, are we basing this hope that we can turn the season around on anything? We claim this team is too talented to be playing this bad. We claim the team is better than this, but what so far this season has shown that they are? I think we are looking at what this team did last year and saying to ourselves "We got to the SB last year and kept most of the team so we should be better than this."
Let's break down this team:
-Without TO we have average receivers
-A good TE, but not magnificent
-A RB who can't run the ball well right now
-A struggling QB
-A mediocre offensive line
-Bad defense line
-Bad linebackers minus Trotter
-A secondary with big names but little production
-Mediocre special teams
So my question is are we overrating this team and are they just not as good as we thought or are they as good as we thought but just not playing like it? Do we just have a bunch of good players playing poorly or do we just have a bunch of mediocre players that are getting exposed by other coaching staffs around the league? I mean it has to be one of the two. Either we are overrating these players and they are really not good and last year was a fluke or they are good but are just playing so poorly for no apparent reason.
The only major problem is inconsistency. Both the offense and defense have shown flashes of greatness this season, but they haven't put together a whole game. The defense line may still get no pressure, and special teams will suck ass all year, but there are enough problems that can be corrected to make me think they've got a shot in any game.
Quote from: General_Failure on November 07, 2005, 02:33:05 AM
The only major problem is inconsistency. Both the offense and defense have shown flashes of greatness this season, but they haven't put together a whole game. The defense line may still get no pressure, and special teams will suck ass all year, but there are enough problems that can be corrected to make me think they've got a shot in any game.
This team may never be able to put it together. The biggest problem IMO is the pass rush and we've had 8 games to get a pass rush. We've yet to do so. If we don't do it against Dallas then it's pretty much season over. We will NOT will a SB without a pass rush. Whether we get to the playoffs or not is irrelevant.
Well guess what. Nobody is going to magically find a pass rush. What you see is what we've got, and they frighten nobody.
Over on the Hogs.net, they are acting like they just won the NFC Championship game. It's pathetic. They barely beat a sorry ass Eagles team and they are christening themselves the champs. Morons!
So par for the course there then.
For years now...we haven't had a pass rush. For years. So, its not like its a 2005 exclusive problem. It just sucks to see it year after year. Without the blitz, we have no pressure....but remember that comes from lack of size too...we don't do too much against those teams with mountains for men on the O-Line.
Dmac...I'm not too worried about D-Mac....I'm more worried that who ever is calling plays actually things the 'WR screen' or most any other play for that matter is going to work on a consistent basis or just plain work at all. The only play that works for us is that play action fake to the left side and sit in the pocket and throw (which worked last season)...and maybe that pitch to the running back/tight end cutting through the inside. That's all. It seems like all of these basic plays, WR screens, HB screens, Sweeps, running between the tackles....etc., work for every other team but us.....but remember...that's always been the case. It's always seemed like that for a long time now.
Lately, our secondary has been playing like a bunch of little bitches. Sheppard and Lewis are the head bitches. Since when do we as a defense have to respect anybody? I don't understand how we were giving these guys all of the room today to run slants/underneath routes or just plain streaks up the middle...without even being bumped. Maybe I'm playing too much Madden...but we don't jam opponent's receivers.
I hate to say this but I think that Harbaughs time is up with us. There's no excuse for never having a decent KR game. If allen rossum can become a threat...why can't any of our players? I'm sure there's a guy out there, unemployed or not that can return the ball better than the excuses we have out on the field.
The team just needs to get its balls back. Plain and simple. We have the talent. We've done it before and we've been there done that(without winning the SB)...so I know that mentally we can do it, physically we can do it...we just need our balls back and it starts with McNabb.
I have a feeling that the team backs up McNabb but also react like him. Even though he's taken the high road and I give him credit for doing it....he's the face of the Eagles. The offense feeds off him. He needs to create an explosion somehow, somewhere....he needs to get farging pissed the farg off. Dmac plays levels above everyone else when he's on a mission. Right now, he's letting things happen...instead of making things happen. He needs to take the steering wheel and take this ship off of cruise control and no more farging excuses....T.O., hernia, play calls....farg it. Get pissed mother farger! Get pissed!
Quote from: The Waco Kid on November 07, 2005, 03:50:54 AM
Over on the Hogs.net, they are acting like they just won the NFC Championship game. It's pathetic. They barely beat a sorry ass Eagles team and they are christening themselves the champs. Morons!
Its like an eclipse, a nuclear test explosion, or the Mummers parade .... you know its there, and for some reason you wanna look, but your better off just turning your head and ignoring it.
(its their site, not ours, and we been whoopin ass for so long while the national media sniffed our jock. they deserve to whoot and holla on their own site).
Quote from: Reidme on November 07, 2005, 06:24:33 AM
Quote from: The Waco Kid on November 07, 2005, 03:50:54 AM
Over on the Hogs.net, they are acting like they just won the NFC Championship game. It's pathetic. They barely beat a sorry ass Eagles team and they are christening themselves the champs. Morons!
Its like an eclipse, a nuclear test explosion, or the Mummers parade .... you know its there, and for some reason you wanna look, but your better off just turning your head and ignoring it.
(its their site, not ours, and we been whoopin ass for so long while the national media sniffed our jock. they deserve to whoot and holla on their own site).
Agreed. They won a game that nearly all said was very important. Today is their time to shine.
I still hate them for it, though... :boom
Quote from: WEST is GOD on November 07, 2005, 02:06:59 AM
-Without TO we have average receivers
Average receivers?! :paranoid
Quote from: The Waco Kid on November 07, 2005, 03:50:54 AM
Over on the Hogs.net, they are acting like they just won the NFC Championship game. It's pathetic. They barely beat a sorry ass Eagles team and they are christening themselves the champs. Morons!
Can you blame them? When you root for a team that hasn't won a division game since 1812, it's easy to get worked up.
I'm really surprised by your secondary. Even without a pass rush they should be playing A LOT better. In the games I have seen, only Dawkins has looked good. The other three who were so good last year have just been getting victimized.
As a 'Skins fan, I have been very upset by our lack of pass rush, we are currently 26th in the NFL with 12 sacks whereas you are 19th with 15 sacks. However, our pass D is ranked 7th in yds/game giving up 60 yds less per game than your pass D which is ranked 24th. The reason I state this is not to say the 'Skins are better or anything because I think your secondary is much more talented than ours. I am just trying to point out that I think that you have a lot of very good players who are just underperforming right now. Your team is still very good and maybe they will gel now that TO is gone.
Quote from: twatson on November 07, 2005, 12:35:07 PM
I'm really surprised by your secondary. Even without a pass rush they should be playing A LOT better. In the games I have seen, only Dawkins has looked good. The other three who were so good last year have just been getting victimized.
Sheldon's been great this season, for the most part. Sheppard and Lewis have been liabilities.
Quote from: FFatPatt on November 07, 2005, 12:40:12 PM
Quote from: twatson on November 07, 2005, 12:35:07 PM
I'm really surprised by your secondary. Even without a pass rush they should be playing A LOT better. In the games I have seen, only Dawkins has looked good. The other three who were so good last year have just been getting victimized.
Sheldon's been great this season, for the most part. Sheppard and Lewis have been liabilities.
Yes, I guess you're right. Brown has made some very good plays. The strip against the Chargers was a big time play.
Lito has been a goddamned joke. His constant baiting is infuriating and he was missing tackles left and right last night. He needs to get his shtein together. Now.
Quote from: rjs246 on November 07, 2005, 12:45:41 PM
Lito has been a goddamned joke. His constant baiting is infuriating and he was missing tackles left and right last night. He needs to get his shtein together. Now.
Lewis whiffed a lot last night, too. Infuriating.
Quote from: FFatPatt on November 07, 2005, 12:40:12 PM
Quote from: twatson on November 07, 2005, 12:35:07 PM
I'm really surprised by your secondary. Even without a pass rush they should be playing A LOT better. In the games I have seen, only Dawkins has looked good. The other three who were so good last year have just been getting victimized.
Sheldon's been great this season, for the most part. Sheppard and Lewis have been liabilities.
Lito needs to return his Pro Bowl jersey.
Your team is in trouble, but the real cancer that may have been holding them back is gone (T.O.). But just remember, after ya'll drop to 4-5 this coming weekend, the season is still not over. :-D :-D
Quote from: lambert10 on November 08, 2005, 07:51:22 AM
Your team is in trouble, but the real cancer that may have been holding them back is gone (T.O.). But just remember, after ya'll drop to 4-5 this coming weekend, the season is still not over. :-D :-D
Wouldn't it sting to lose to us this Monday night on national TV and have to share the basement in the division?
BTW, the Raiders and Seahawks say "hi".
the eagles are a .500 team...they can beat anyone and they can lose to anyone...which is what they will do the rest of the year and finish 8-8 or 7-9
Quote from: ice grillin you on November 08, 2005, 08:46:56 AM
the eagles are a .500 team...they can beat anyone and they can lose to anyone...which is what they will do the rest of the year and finish 8-8 or 7-9
Or 9-7, which will
not be good enough to get a wildcard spot, considering they've lost 3 of their 4 to the NFC.
at least half their games are division and three of them at home...thus they can crontrol their own destiny
and three of them are more than winnable (gb, arz, stl)...those are must wins 3-0...split the divison games 2-2 go 9-7 and hope for the best
Quote from: ice grillin you on November 08, 2005, 08:55:22 AM
at least half their games are division and three of them at home...thus they can crontrol their own destiny
and three of them are more than winnable (gb, arz, stl)...those are must wins 3-0...split the divison games 2-2 go 9-7 and hope for the best
Xmas Eve in Arizona has bothered me since the schedule came out. that just feels like a letdown waiting to happen.
Quote from: Sun_Mo on November 08, 2005, 08:56:12 AM
Xmas Eve in Arizona has bothered me since the schedule came out. that just feels like a letdown waiting to happen.
Uh, how exactly can you let down from here?
Quote from: ice grillin you on November 08, 2005, 08:55:22 AM
at least half their games are division and three of them at home...thus they can crontrol their own destiny
and three of them are more than winnable (gb, arz, stl)...those are must wins 3-0...split the divison games 2-2 go 9-7 and hope for the best
They have four division games left and they need to win three of them. If they can't win their home division games, they don't deserve to make the playoffs.
Either way, they're definitely on the road to start the playoffs. What used to be the best road team in the NFL is playing like ass on the road this year (only winning in the usually-hard-to-win-in Kansas City). We would have to hope that they can somehow pull the #5 seed and play #4 seed Chicago in the wildcard round. But they'd then have to win 2 on the road against teams like Carolina, Atlanta, New York, or Seattle. It's unlikely.
I am really looking forward to seeing how this team responds the next two weeks. In my opinion, they absolutely must go 2-0 in two very difficult games the next two weeks.
In my opinion, they absolutely must go 2-0 in two very difficult games the next two weeks.
they arent winning at ny...dont even worry about that...as of right now i think they beat dallas monday
Xmas Eve in Arizona has bothered me since the schedule came out. that just feels like a letdown waiting to happen.
arizona is a complete mess right now...they are decimated by injuries the latest being bertrand berry whos now out for the year...i cant fathom a scenario where they lose that game if it has meaning
Quote from: FFatPatt on November 08, 2005, 09:05:06 AM
What used to be the best road team in the NFL...
Ray Didinger pointed out during post game a couple of weeks ago that the Eagles amazing road record came almost exclusively against the (bad) NFC East. When considering road games against teams with winning records, the Eagles were below .500.
Quote
In my opinion, they absolutely must go 2-0 in two very difficult games the next two weeks.
I agree - if they don't go 2-0, they don't make the playoffs.
Quote from: Cerevant on November 08, 2005, 09:12:32 AM
Quote from: FFatPatt on November 08, 2005, 09:05:06 AM
What used to be the best road team in the NFL...
Ray Didinger pointed out during post game a couple of weeks ago that the Eagles amazing road record came almost exclusively against the (bad) NFC East. When considering road games against teams with winning records, the Eagles were below .500.
There was a stretch not too long ago where the Eagles were something like 22-1 on the road. Possibly before the Pittsburgh game last year.
why is the giant game so crucial to the playoffs...its easily their most difficult game the rest of the year and they arent going 8-0...so they lose that and win five or six of the other seven and could easily get in the playoffs
This team will struggle offensively for the next few weeks.
This offense was designed to be pass-heavy from the get-go: when you have two playmakers like Owens and Westbrook, getting them the football as much as possible (via the air) seemed like a good idea. That's out the window obviously.
Now, Reid will have to rely on a more conventional attack. He'll have to see whether Westbrook can carry the load as a RB, if Gordon or Moats can produce as well...can Parry even be an effective blocking FB? can McNabb be efficient enough to throw the ball only 30 times? On top of that, he's in the process of integrating new receivers. Getting the timing down will take time.
What I foresee is us having difficulty moving the ball consistently at first, but by the end of the season, we'll, hopefully, have a more versatile -- and balanced -- offense.
Quote from: ice grillin you on November 08, 2005, 09:11:08 AM
arizona is a complete mess right now...they are decimated by injuries the latest being bertrand berry whos now out for the year...i cant fathom a scenario where they lose that game if it has meaning
they are a mess right now, but they have an offense that can get up and down the field, just not get into the endzone with regularity. Boldin should be back by then and the Eagles secondary has been awful this year.
my main point is that this is an away game, on a holiday weekend that the players would rather be at home for, I just think it has the potential to be dangerous.
Quote from: ice grillin you on November 08, 2005, 09:14:58 AM
why is the giant game so crucial to the playoffs...its easily their most difficult game the rest of the year and they arent going 8-0...so they lose that and win five or six of the other seven and could easily get in the playoffs
I think it will be very important for the team's confidence to win one on the road in which they're not favored. Plus, it would bring their division record to a more respectable 2-2, with 2 home division games left.
All of this is moot if they can't beat the Pukes on Monday night, though.
Winning a tough division game on the road is going to be extremely important. The Giants game could be the difference between 5-5 and 6-4... that's huge.
I can't see them losing to Dallas on Monday at all. Assuming they beat Dallas, I believe the Eagles will find a way to win at the Giants.