Philadelphia Eagles: Has Nathan Gerry been a victim all along?
Have the Philadelphia Eagles done Nathan Gerry dirty in 2020?
Through the two months of the 2020 NFL season, there hasn’t been a player more brutally hated by his team’s fanbase than Nathan Gerry.
Seriously, take a look at any fan blog, online forum, or even comments section of Philadelphia Eagles posts completely irrelevant to the team’s linebacking corps, and you’ll surely find potshots of varying degrees of cleverness at the player once affectionately known as the ‘White Snake’.
And I’ll admit, I’ve done it too. While it’s a bit unfair to go all-in on any anyone regardless of how they are playing – just read Marcus Smith’s harrowing account of his near-suicide on The Players Tribune here – it’s only natural for fans to grow tiresome with a player they feel isn’t giving the full effort – or worse, if consistently in the wrong position game-in, and game-out.
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But what if I were to tell you Gerry (maybe) wasn’t this prevailing bringing of discomfort for fans in the 215? What if he, instead, is a victim just like the rest of us?
On Friday, October 30th, the Eagles officially placed Genard Avery and Gerry on IR with an elbow and Achillies injury, respectively. While this move came as a bit of a surprise, as Gerry played 92 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in their Week 7 win over the New York Giants, the news couldn’t have been more appreciated by fans ready for some serious addition by subtraction.
And if that was the only news to come out of the Eagles’ camp regarding Gerry, maybe that narrative would have held. Keyword: only.
According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Gerry has been dealing with an Achilles issue for a while, and by placing him on IR, the Eagles hope that he’ll be able to rest up and return better a few weeks down the line.
#Eagles LB Nate Gerry, who was placed on IR today, has been dealing with an Achilles issue for a while, source says. The hope is the injury will settle down with rest. Jim Schwartz defended Gerry recently and coaches have a higher opinion of his play than outside perceptions.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 30, 2020
… wait, what?
So you are telling me the Eagles have been trotting out a 25-year-old linebacker in a brand new, expanded role on a bum wheel and expect him to man up with everyone from George Kittle to Chase Claypool? Why is that guy the villain?
No one is actively giving Lane Johnson a hard time for shuffling in and out of the Eagles’ lineup because it’s a well-known fact that he’s been suffering through knee and ankle injuries all season long. If the Eagles were more transparent with Gerry’s issues, would he too maybe be given a tad more respect for trying to help his team even if he’s limited in doing so?
Again, not taking anything away from Gerry’s play on the field. He’s been bad, and that’s an undeniable fact, but in a way, isn’t it more on Jim Schwartz and Howie Roseman to put their players in the best position to succeed?
If Gerry was limited, why not have Darius Slay travel with Claypool all game long in Week 5 when it was abundantly clear Ben Rotlesburger was going to feed him the ball all afternoon long? The same goes for Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens. You take away that Lamar Johnson touchdown run, and the Eagles very well may have one more win.
My goodness, Gerry went from a borderline lock to earn a new contract to a guy who very well may not earn a second NFL contract, period. That must really stink when you know you could have simply spent the season on IR or at home on the COVID-exempt list.
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Who knows, maybe in a month or so, Nathan Gerry will return and play like his vintage 2019 self. Maybe he’ll be allowed to play on the outside, paired up with a more natural inside linebacker like Avery Williamson, and make the sort of plays fans expected from the ex-college safety. Or hey, maybe the Philadelphia Eagles will simply keep Gerry on the bench and move into the next era of their linebacker corps around youngsters like Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley. Either way, sending Gerry out week-in and week-out to take abuse both on and off the field is pretty crappy, even for a team as notoriously opaque with their injury report.