This year has been a complete rollercoaster for the Eagles, but one that has seen the team rise to a meteoric 13-3 record. Home field advantage throughout the playoffs? Clinched. NFC East? Dominated. First-round bye? Achieved. But now the dust has settled after a final four games that nobody could have predicted…and the Birds are left waiting for the noise.
The Eagles have an extended wait before they face either Carolina or New Orleans, giving them a lot of time to reflect. After being shutout by the Dallas Cowboys and crumbling offensively in the game before, the Eagles are left without a game for two weeks. The team they will face will likely come steamrolling into the matchup fueled on adrenaline off of a high-octane win in the week before. With little room for error, the Eagles are already taking measures to ensure they aren’y caught sleeping when the time arrives.
Doug Pederson made a relatively surprising announcement yesterday, stating that the team would indeed put the pads back on when practice resumes this week. Pederson has become renowned for his intense training camps and practices that are designed to drive competition and a tenacious new mentality. That doesn’t change despite the stakes being greater than ever.
“…this is something that the players want.” Pederson told reporters, explaining how the players came to him with the request to pick up the intensity. “…I think they understand that there is a sense of physicality that we have to get back to. I’m not saying we’re not there because obviously football is a physical game, but I think there is a sense over the course of a few weeks when you’ve been in shells, pad level begins to rise, and intensity sometimes can be minimized.”
It’s not just the players that will need refocusing however. Notably, Jim Schwartz and John DeFilippo have both been hunted by NFL teams wanting to feed off of the Eagles success and embed a winning culture of their own. With interviews confirmed for Schwartz and rumors continuing to swirl, there will naturally be a growing sense of uncertainty among players and coaches alike. While there is a consensus that Football is a business and it’s part of the game, after coming so far on this journey together…there is bound to be unrest, regardless of how much players want their coaches to succeed.
“Having gone through it a couple years ago myself, the one thing going for these two gentlemen is the fact that this is a bye week for us.” Pederson stated. “We’re not game planning specifically for a game this weekend, so it’s a little bit easier from the standpoint of that.”
The challenge is having themselves prepared for a potential interview. That’s the challenging part.
At the same time, they have to balance the job they have here and making sure that we’re ready for practice tomorrow and the next day. That’s first and foremost.
Listen, they put the Eagles first anyway and will continue to do that while they’re here. It’s a little bit of a fine line, but having an off week helps.”
The last factor impacting the Eagles will be the youth of the team. With the next generation of Eagles flourishing in the regular season, for many, this will be their first experience of Playoff Football. Getting the younger players ready for the biggest moment of their career will naturally involve leaning on all of the veterans and coaches.
“The consistent message is: just each person has to own this time. We’re only given these next two weeks.” Doug Pederson told reporters this week. “This is all we know. They need to commit for two weeks and eliminate every distraction possible and focus on their job and making sure they have all the questions asked and answered leading up to that first game on Saturday. Just understanding that the intensity does increase in these games.
As I said earlier, they have to understand that every positive play is magnified and every negative play is magnified. I will also lean on some of the veteran guys that have been in the post season to sort of convey that message as well.”
Momentum is a funny thing…but the Eagles have a lot of work to do if they are to build it up prior to their second-round matchup in two weeks time at Lincoln Financial Field.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
