The Philadelphia Eagles are running out of people to blame
By David Esser
Philadelphia Eagles leadership has blamed everyone (but themselves).
Following the team’s disastrous Week 16 performance against the Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles season is officially over. Sure, they could try to play spoiler this weekend against Washington (or tank for a better draft pick), but ultimately speaking none of it really matters. Regardless of how Week 17 plays out, the 2020 Eagles are going to go down as the worst team in the worst division in the history of football.
Not great!
The Eagles collapse against Dallas this past Sunday wasn’t just “one bad outing” – it was an afternoon long snapshot of what the Eagles have genuinely become. They have one of the least talented rosters in all of football, the coaching staff is in disarray, and (if we’re being brutally honest) the organization as a whole has been treading water since their Super Bowl winning 2017 season.
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
They snuck into the 2018 playoffs as a Wild Card team (thanks to the Vikings choking in Week 17), and only beat the Bears in the first-round due to Cody Parkey being bad at his job. The team needed a herculean level effort from Carson Wentz last year to win the division at 9-7, which ultimately resulted in a first-round exit. In 2020 they’ll finish with either four or five wins, and are entering the offseason $70+ million over the salary cap.
This wan’t just one bad game or even one bad season from the Philadelphia Eagles – this team has been spiraling in the wrong direction for quite some time.
The problem, however, is that it seems like no-one wants to take any blame for anything. Howie Roseman hasn’t spoken to the media since the offseason, Doug Pederson continues to parade around his past success in Zoom conference calls, and Jim Schwartz hasn’t shown an inkling of accountability when it comes to his defense’s struggles.
Instead, Eagles leadership (Howie, Doug, Schwartz) have routinely placed the blame on other factors within the organization. In 2018 it was the medical staff (so they fired the medical staff). In 2019 it was the wide receivers and the cornerbacks (they drafted three WRs, signed Darius Slay and NRC). In 2020 Carson Wentz became the scapegoat (they benched him for Jalen Hurts, nothing changed).
Year after year the Philadelphia Eagles have tried to find “one quick fix” to their struggles – but it’s simply not there. There can’t be one quick fix, because there’s an endless strain of problems.
The team hasn’t drafted well since the Chip Kelly days, player development is nonexistent, coaching schemes are outdated, horrific contracts are handed out left and right, good players are cut in favor of bad players, and aging veterans are routinely prioritized over rookies and/or other younger talent.
The Eagles four win season isn’t a product of Carson Wentz’ struggles, it’s not a product of a beat up offensive line, it’s not even a product of the below average WR, LB and CB play that the team has experienced this season. The Eagles four win season is a result of organizational failures top to bottom that have been taking place since the 2018 offseason.
Next. Philadelphia Eagles: It’s adapt or die time for Doug Pederson. dark
Ultimately speaking, it’s unclear how the Eagles will address their debacle of a 2020 season. Will the organization blame it all on Wentz and trot out Hurts as the savior once more come Week 1? Will they say it’s due to an aging roster, in turn trading/cutting some of the team’s key veterans? Will they hire even more offensive coaching assistants?? Or will Jeffery Lurie finally start to hold the team’s leadership accountable, and simply begin evaluating the job status of Howie Roseman, Jim Schwartz, and Doug Pederson.
Only time will tell. However, I think I speak for everyone (fans, players, reporters alike) when I say that I’m tired of the scapegoating and the constant blame game. A four win football team is a four win football team – the Eagles need to face that fact.