Eagles to Fans: Suckers!

I have no one to blame for this situation other than myself. A few weeks ago, after the Eagles tied the Bengals, I wrote this year, and potentially the entire Reid/McNabb era, off. I was done with the disappointment and was ready to move on...at least for this year. And then, I let my guard down and they sucked me back in with consecutive wins against the Cardinals (terrible team), the Giants (pretty darn good team), and the Browns (terrible team). So even though I had no expectations for their game against the Redskins yesterday, I was a believer again. I started fantasizing about them making the Playoffs, and heck, maybe even making the Super Bowl with a late season run comparable to what the Giants did last year.

Even though 2 of the 3 wins they had were against bad teams at home, the Eagles did some things offensively during their little winning streak that they weren't doing previously. People on all sides of the ball were making plays. Far fewer passes were dropped, when a few extra yards were needed for a first down, someone picked them up, when they needed to run the ball, they could. The protected the ball, created turnovers, and kept penalties to a minimum. You don't need to be an expert to know that those are the ingredients for success in the NFL. It's obvious.

So, WTF happened yesterday? First of all, we should all give credit to the Redskins. They had nothing to play for, and they came out prepared and executed well throughout the entire game. It honestly seemed like they were the ones playing for the playoffs, not the Eagles.

The Eagles, in losing 10-3, had one of their worst offensive games of the last 10 years. They did not score a touchdown. There were 7 dropped passes (2 by LJ Smith, 4 by DeSean Jackson), many of which would've been for first downs, or big gains. They had no commitment to the running game, and it showed with only 16 attempts. The Defense played a great game and held the 'Skins to fewer than 250 total yards, but Asante Samuel didn't make a play he needed to when he dropped an interception late in the game.

The day's only touchdown came on a 16 yard drive by the Redskins after McNabb lost a fumble. And when the Redskins went into a Prevent Defense, the Eagles moved the ball late in the game, only to fall inches short after a 17 yard completion from McNabb to Reggie Brown fell just shy of the goal line as time expired. As the clock expired yesterday, so did the Eagles season, most likely. If you don't make plays, you don't win in the NFL. Period.

Sure, the Eagles still have a mathematical chance to make the post season. With the Falcons playing like a Playoff team and beating Minnesota on the road yesterday, there's only one Wild Card spot left. For the Eagles to win that spot, they of course have to beat Dallas next week at home. Coincidentally, even though I hate the Cowboys, their fans might be the only other fans in the NFL right now who can relate to us. Talk about disappointment. But that's a story for another day. In addition to beating Dallas, Tampa has to lose to the Raiders, and Chicago has to lose one of their final two games (tonight against Green Bay, next week at Houston). It's not improbable, but I'm not holding my breath, and I certainly won't be disappointed if it doesn't happen. I'm at the depths of my disappointment with this team right now.

I have a lot to say, particularly about what this team should look like next year, but I'll save that for sometime after next week, when the season is officially over.

This, my friends, is the essence of being an Eagles fan. I said this at the beginning of the year, and it continues to be true. They rip your heart out, they suck you back in, and then they rip it out again just for fun. It honestly does feel like the team treats its fans like a bunch of suckers. Or maybe it has nothing to do with them, and we're just suckers for having hope.