What we see on the field
If we fast forward to the present day, the team is falling apart at the seams. The first real alarm bell started ringing when Jalen Reagor went down with an injury. He’d led the receiving group in snaps, but had half the targets of DeSean Jackson. The Eagles were still running the majority of their offense out of 12-personnel, focusing all efforts over the middle and into the hands of their franchise tight ends.
It makes sense from a gameplanning stand-point, why wouldn’t it? But it begs the question why the Eagles spent so many resources on wideouts if the team are still besotted with using the run to set up play-action and relying on tight ends.
Away from the field, things only get worse. A report came out stating Doug Pederson had ‘reached his limit’, and he later started snapping at reporters. The Head Coach asked Jimmy Kempski if ‘he had ever played quarterback in the NFL’ when asked about Carson Wentz. Frustration is clearly beginning to boil over, but why and where is it coming from?
It’s not like the Eagles are always red-hot to start the year, and Pederson is no stranger to adversity, injury, or dragging the team back from the brink. None of this has ever prompted such a juvenile reaction before, so why would it now?
Giving up
The icing on the cake came on Sunday. Instead of trusting Jake Elliott to kick a 64-yard field goal attempt with 19 seconds left of overtime, Pederson decided to punt the ball and avert the risk of the Bengals having a short field to work with. The Bengals had 25 total offensive yards in overtime and Burrow had been hit 18 times.
This decision has left a very sour taste in the mouths of Eagles fans. It’s not one Doug Pederson has often been associated with making. Typically known as one of the most aggressive coaches in the league, always trusting his guys on fourth down and in 2-pt conversion spots, Pederson buckled.
Perhaps the tensions are finally rising. You can only shake a bottle of soda so much before the lid blows.
Whatever is going on behind the scenes, it’s not new. This is just the latest chapter in a novel that appears to be reaching a very dramatic climax.
