I am just like every Philadelphia Eagles fan. This season has made me frustrated, exhausted, and disgusted. While the players have struggled, the organization has stepped in every hole they could’ve since 2017. Let’s not roll our eyes because I mentioned that championship season. All that the Eagles were in 2017 is what every franchise strives to be at any given moment.
Accountability isn’t a concept that goes down so smoothly. It’s like a bitter pill, you know you have to take it, but it’s easier to reject. That’s the Philadelphia Eagles front office in a nutshell.
Eagles have a lack of Front Office Leadership
Jeffrey Lurie needed to put his foot down the moment Doug Pederson took control of the offensive coordinator role with his head coaching duties. It didn’t sit right with anyone that Pederson was attempting to become Bill Belichick. There is a reason why Belichick is a complete mastermind, and anyone can rarely do what he does in the NFL. Assuming Pederson could handle being a head coach and an offensive coordinator simultaneously is a reflection of poor leadership. The inmates are running the asylum.
Howie Roseman isn’t off the hook either. Building a team off of free agency signings is a primordial way of reaching for success. That worked in 2017, but the Philadephia Eagles have aged like milk. Since then, the Eagles house one of the oldest and most frequently injured rosters in all of the NFL. That’s a testament to not being able to draft impactful players and catering to talent in the twilight of their careers.
Poor Personnel Decisions
Offensively speaking, look at the linemen. The Philadephia Eagles showed exactly how desperate they were when they let Jason Peters run negotiations as to what position he chose to play and how much money he demanded. In this stage of his career, Peters has not been healthy enough to complete most games during 2019, let alone 2020.
Jason Peters wasn’t the only awful free agent signing. Howie Roseman put on his nostalgia cap and signed DeSean Jackson. Jackson is one of the fastest players in the league, but what good does that do if he cannot stay on the field? Would anyone care about how fast Sonic the Hedgehog was if he no longer had legs? Effectively, that is Jackson’s last two seasons in a single question.
Defensively speaking, the Philadelphia Eagles have deconstructed any modicum of chemistry. Malcolm Jenkins made it apparent that leaving the Eagles was not about money. It’s about how he didn’t feel valued by the front office. All you have to do is look at the current linebackers. Philadelphia neglected to value an entire position rather than just one player.
Awful Gameplanning
Why is Alshon Jeffery participating on offense? He’s been about as useful as DeSean Jackson over the past two seasons. In 2020, Travis Fulgham received his call up from the practice squad before the Philadelphia Eagles played the San Francisco 49ers. Since then, he’s proven that he should be playing, not Jeffery. Yet, here the Eagles stand alongside Doug Pederson’s decision making.
Playcalling has been about as creative as any offensive playbook that can be found in Tecmo Bowl. The running game is almost completely abandoned as soon as the opponent scores, even if Miles Sanders is moving the ball down the field. No team in the NFL should respect the Philadelphia Eagles running game. It’s a part of the reason why Carson Wentz is an ineffective quarterback this season. Running the ball takes the pressure off of Wentz, who is on pace to be sacked as many times as David Carr was on the 2002 Houston Texans.
Then there is Jim Schwartz. The smoke has been removed from him over the last few weeks, but that’s only because Doug Pederson has been worse. All any Philadelphia Eagles fan has to do is mention the name, Nathan Gerry. Schwartz openly felt that Gerry was part of the best personnel he could start at linebacker each week. It’s a blessing that Chase Claypool scored four touchdowns against the Eagles.
A Chip Off The Old Block
What is the difference between Doug Pederson and Chip Kelly? The difference is Frank Reich, who deserves a lot of credit for bringing a Superbowl championship to the Eagles. In 2018, Philadelphia was not the beast they could have been with most of the same players. The Eagles only dipped again in 2019, but Carson Wentz willed them into the postseason. Reich’s fingerprints are all over that 2017 magic, which carried on to the Indianapolis Colts.
In 2018 and 2019, the Philadelphia Eagles made Mike Groh the offensive coordinator. In his two seasons as offensive coordinator, the Eagles continued to dip on offense. It was after Groh was booed out of Philadelphia that Doug Pederson became a control freak.
The Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 share many similarities to Chip Kelly’s final season as head coach. Doug Pederson is the head coach who dictates the offensive play calling, like Kelly. As a team, the Eagles are the owners of a -54 point differential, which is worse than 2015. Simply put, Pederson became too big for his britches in 2017. Now, Philadelphia is in an even worse position than they were in Andy Reid’s last season.
Eagles are failing Carson Wentz
Drafting a quarterback and neglecting true team needs in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft was a quantum leap in the wrong direction. Jalen Hurts could be a magnificent talent. That does not make up for not helping the linebackers or offensive line. Now, after 2020, the Philadelphia Eagles have even more needs to address while moving backward in the retooling process. Selecting a quarterback in the second round before Carson Wentz’s fifth season gives him every right to feel exactly the way Malcolm Jenkins does.
A lack of weapons for Carson Wentz means that he feels he has to play “hero ball” every week. That idealism, mixed with his eroding pass mechanics, makes Wentz the leading quarterback in turnovers this season. That much, Wentz can control. What he has less of a say in is how Doug Pederson runs his offense. On top of playing each week with relatively unknown wide receivers, Wentz is under fire because opposing defenses aren’t surprised by the Philadelphia Eagles playcalling.
I refuse to believe that Carson Wentz is suddenly a bad quarterback in any scenario. This Philadelphia Eagles team is a historical brand of bad. Wentz’s last three seasons (81TDs, 21INTs, 64.5% completion) should not be discounted because of 2020. Jalen Hurts will get the start against the New Orleans Saints this weekend, but that doesn’t solve anything. Doug Pederson is showing how he plays a hand in failing Wentz by not constructing a plan to fix him.
Above all, the Philadelphia Eagles can no longer ignore what they’ve been putting off since 2018. They’ve needed to rebuild. That starts with keeping Howie Roseman away from the draft day war room and continues with Doug Pederson relinquishing offensive coordinator duties. It’s only after that the Eagles can begin to fix their problems. No team who wins a Superbowl three seasons ago should be on the cusp of naturally obtaining a top-five draft pick.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
