Section 215
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Philadelphia Eagles Roundtable: Most Disappointing 2014 Player

By Tim Kelly

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The Philadelphia Eagles 34-26 win over the New York Giants yesterday afternoon allowed them to finish the season with a 10-6 record for the second time in as many campaigns under Chip Kelly. But that’s exactly what they will be doing–finishing at 10-6. The Carolina Panthers, who the Eagles trounced in a Week 11 Monday Night Football showdown, will make the playoffs and get to host a Wild Card game after winning the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record. The Eagles didn’t win their division, but still won 10 games and won’t get to be in the playoffs. Given the Eagles 9-3 start and 1-3 record in December, it’s hard to feel too sad for the Eagles, regardless if they were one of the best six teams in the NFC.

2014 will undoubtebly go down as one of the most disappointing years in Eagles history. No, most people didn’t think Mark Sanchez was going to lead the Eagles to a Superbowl, but when a team starts 9-3, it’s fanbase expects to maybe win a playoff game. They certainly don’t expect to miss the playoffs entirely. 

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But which individual player was the most disappointing in 2014? The criteria for an answer to that question is rather loose, which is done purposely. I found Zach Ertz to be the biggest disappointment of the 2014 season, but mostly because of Kelly using him less than expected in favor of Brent Celek.

We polled some of our Section 215 staff on who they thought was the most disappointing player in 2014. Here’s what they came up with.

Somers Price-Section 215 Editor

Player: Nick Foles

Even prior to his injury, Nick Foles did very little to convince me he is worthy of easing the concerns of Eagles fans regarding the quarterback position.It would have been unreasonable to expect Foles to repeat his 2013 level of success, but it would have been possible for him to improve as a quarterback without only throwing two interceptions.

Due in large part to the injuries suffered along the offensive line, Foles had to deal with pressure much more than he had to during his 2013 campaign. Seeing the way he reacted to playing in a tighter pocket with the bullets flying was discouraging. Far too many times he would backpedal beyond the limits of the pocket and, aside from those ideal situations where the protection was perfect, he rarely seemed to step into his throws.

The best possible scenario for this team in 2014 would have been for Foles to show even the slightest level of improvement from his 2013 campaign to 2014.

Instead, Foles regressed and only showed flashes of the type of play a team should expect from a franchise quarterback. I believe he will be given an opportunity to redeem himself in 2015, but for the purposes of the 2014 campaign Foles was my biggest disappointment.

Denny Basens-Section 215 Staff Writer

Player: Marcus Smith

I know the Eagles spent the entire off-season tempering expectations for Smith. I know we’re supposed to be patient and wait until another year or two before we can determine whether or not the guy is a bust. But anytime your first-round pick linebacker gives you a more DNP’s than he did tackles, there’s a problem.

Smith dressed for a grand total of eight games. If not for injuries to DeMeco Ryans, Najee Goode and Travis Long, he may not have dressed for any.

Oct 26, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Marcus Smith (90) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Eagles 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Eight games, and we’re still waiting for Smith’s name to show up on the stat sheet in any way, shape, or form. He failed to record even a single tackle in any of those games.

The Eagles got nothing positive out of their new first-round pick to build off of over the off-season, not even a single flash. Instead they got a guy with a very cloudy future that we really have no idea of what to expect in the coming year. We know very little more about Smith now than we did when the Eagles originally drafted him, and the very little tidbits we did get aren’t good.

Throughout the year, we heard reports that Smith has been struggling to impress the coaches even in practice, and he’s apparently doesn’t like to hit. How does a linebacker not like to hit?

Smith not being physically or mentally ready to take on a role with the defense may be one thing. But evidently this guy wasn’t hungry enough to so much as force his way onto the field even as a special teams contributor.

The Eagles can try to spin the development and growth process all they want, but Marcus Smith managed to raise a number of red-flags about himself without even showing us anything negative on the field. That’s not a good sign for a guy that the team just spent the 26th overall pick on.

Mike Lacy-Section 215 Staff Writer

Player: Marcus Smith 

Unless a team drafts a quarterback in the first round (and for the most part, the days of “redshirting” a first round QB are also over), they expect their first round pick to be an immediate contributor. In some cases, the first round pick isn’t immediately handed a starting job and might have to compete for playing time, but it is assumed that the player’s talent would allow them to at least see the field.

With veterans like Trent Cole and Connor Barwin at the outside linebacker positions, Smith wasn’t going to be handed a job. And a strong season by backup Brandon Graham reduced the available playing time. But when the coaches talked about Smith, you could sense their disappointment that he didn’t force the issue.

Due to lack of depth at inside linebacker, Smith was forced to move there at times, and the coaches admit that hurt his development. Maybe if he’s given a full offseason at his natural outside position, he’ll come back strong in 2015. But it’s rare for a draft pick to make the leap from complete non-factor to major contributor in one year.

It’s worth wondering: Had they drafted someone who did actually contribute this season, would that have been the difference between making the playoffs as opposed to staying home?

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