Instant Analysis: Eagles laughing stock of NFL I was there for the 1987 Eagles, who managed the franchise’s sixth consecutive losing season, including three ridiculous losses played by replacement players, losses by a combined 94-35. That nightmarish stretch prompted coach Buddy Ryan to snidely present a “scab ring” to personnel guy George Azar, a move that nearly got Ryan fired 2½ years before he actually did. I was there for the 1994 Eagles, who got off to a 7-2 start before Rich Kotite, coaching without a contract for the next year, famously announced that he wanted “to be judged by my record.” The Eagles proceeded to lose their last seven games, Kotite got fired and went 4-28 in two years with the Jets, making him 4-35 in his last 2½ years as an NFL head coach. I was there for the 1998 Eagles, who scored 10 or fewer points eight times, got shut out three times and won just three games -- each one with a different quarterback. I was there for the 2005 Eagles, who like this team got off to a 3-1 start before Terrell Owens unleashed his unique ability to tear apart a locker room through the sheer force of his will. That team went 3-9 the last 12 weeks, with Owens banished, Donovan McNabb hurt and Mike McMahon setting the quarterback position back 50 years. I’ve seen all of it for the last quarter-century. And I’ve never seen an Eagles team like this. Bad teams? Yes. Awful teams? Yes. But never a team with so much talent, so much potential, so many accomplished players with gaudy resumes -- Pro Bowlers, high draft picks, consistent multi-year starters -- that just goes out there week after week and plays with no pride, no heart, no character. Remember, this was a team picked by many experts to win 10 or 11 games, to make a deep playoff run, even to reach the Super Bowl by a handful of people. And this? This is what we get? Seriously? We’ve seen bad Eagles teams. Teams with terrible players, inept coaches, awful quarterbacks. Teams with zero chance. This is worse. This is a team with huge expectations, a team that on paper should be very good, with a roster stocked with Pro Bowl players, that either doesn’t know how to win or just doesn’t care about winning. Is it the coach? Is it the players? Is it the offense? Is it the defense? Is it special teams? Is it leadership? Is it intangibles? Is it heart? Is it guts? Is it character? Is it toughness? Is it talent? Is it the O-line? Is it the D-line? Is it the assistant coaches? Is it the game plan? Is it the play calling? Yeah. It’s all of that. It’s everything. The Eagles have become the laughing stock of the NFL. They’re not just losing, they’re humiliating themselves. And they’re now doing it on a weekly basis. They didn’t just lose 28-13 to the Saints on Monday night at the Superdome (see Instant Replay), they showed the entire country what we’ve been seeing for a while. A team that just has no fight. None. Halftime last week at the Linc vs. the Falcons? Down 24-7. Halftime Monday night at the Superdome? Down 21-3. Teams are jumping on them, and they’re not even fighting back. The last time the Eagles trailed by 17 points at halftime of consecutive games? You have to go back 41 years. On Sept. 26, 1971, they lost 42-7 to the Cowboys after trailing 21-0 at halftime, and a week later they trailed the 49ers 17-0 on the way to a 31-3 loss. Those happened to be the first two games ever at the Vet. A 3-1 record has morphed into a 3-5 mark at the halfway point, and the last three of their four straight losses have been complete meltdowns. Since taking a 23-13 lead over the Lions, the Eagles have been outscored 71-30. Against the NFL’s worst defense -- the Saints came in allowing 31 points per game -- they managed 13, thanks mainly to some horrifying red-zone play-calling and worse execution. Missed tackles have become an epidemic. Stupid penalties are commonplace. Blown assignments, dropped passes, turnovers … you name it. There are a few guys who can hold their heads up. A few guys who are going out there in the face of disaster and giving everything they have. Michael Vick. LeSean McCoy. DeMeco Ryans. Jason Avant. I’d put DeSean Jackson in that category. Tough cat. Probably a few others. But let’s face it. This is a dead team with a beaten coach. And worst of all, they really don’t seem all that broken up about it.
Eagles are completely healthy and only have 2 wins. Jets Eagles and Cowboys - 3 teams that share that responsibility of being the laughing stock of the NFL
Andy Reid has jumped the shark in Philly but Lurie can't see it because he is too close to Reid. An owner should never hire a coach or GM he likes personally. The best management team is the one that only survives by results and has no reason to believe they have a lifeline elsewhere. Reid has also passed the 50 year old mark and when a coach is over that mark and failing it probably means they are done. Chuck Noll hit 51 in 1983 and that was it for the Steelers until he was replaced. Yeah he lost Bradshaw but he didn't have the oomph left to go find and develop a replacement or manage in the absence of a great QB. Cowher came in and took the Steelers to the playoffs 6 years running with crappy QB's. He was young and hungry and figured out what needed to be done to get the Steelers back up on top.
Reid is almost certain to be fired after the season, and he'll probably follow Joe Banner and Tom Heckert to Cleveland (poor Browns fans just can't catch a break.) If God has a sense of humor, the Eagles will hire Norv Turner to replace him.
not even close. nobody expected anything from the Jets; all the Jets have done is lived up to the expectations. the Eagles were considered legit playoff contenders and are not. there is context to the claim of laughing stock, not simply whether the team is bad or not. the Eagles are a far greater laughing stock.
Rex expected things from the Jets, and the media has been like flies to the flame with him since he got here and started proclaiming things. They've been force feeding the Jets down the average fans' throats way more often than the average team with average talent normally gets. I think the average fan is laughing way more at the Jets' expense than the Eagles'. They got tired of hearing about Peyton's neck and the Jets/Tebow, just like in the past we were all tired of hearing about Favre and Tiger's affairs. The average fan is trying to figure out why the Eagles are bad. They are also trying to figure out why Vick is ineffective after lighting up the league when he initially replaced Kolb. With the Jets, the question is more along the lines of why do we (fans, FO) think Sanchez will ever be effective.
Eagles are not completely healthy in fact they are missing 4 starters on the OL which is a HUGE disadvantage.
Dude, the Eagles have lost 4 of 5 starters on the O-Line. And they have 3 wins (not 2) and 5 losses, the same record as the Jets. Put Slauson out there with 4 random scrubs, and see what happens with Sanchez.
The Eagle just need to fix their offensive line. They really aren't that bad of a team, it's just that Vick has no protection and there's no time for deep plays to develop. It's like the Jets last year and also this year except not quite as bad.
I think we've seen that already, last years' Ravens game without Mangold. Still we don't have our best offensive and defensive player, that's no excuse. No excuse for the amount of TOs they've had. That team is far too talented to have a 3-5 record
Chuck Noll did take the Steelers to the playoffs and win a game with Bubby Brister in 1990. Ironcially Brister followed another scrub who played for the Jets in Mark Malone and also played for the Eagles.
Vick had his moments in Atlanta but for the most part his Falcons career was a borderline dumpster fire. He got by on his athleticism but never showed any ability to read defenses well or throw the ball accurately with any consistency. I don't know why the Eagles thought he'd be a better QB after being out of the league and in prison for however long it was. Granted, it was still a better choice than McNabb, but it seems like they hitched their wagon to Vick and then built the "dream team" around him. Whoops.
