5 things Eagles fans should be grateful for this thanksgiving

Eagles quez watkins
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 12: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins (16) celebrates his touchdown with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the preseason game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 12, 2021 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

Happy thanksgiving! To celebrate the national holiday, I decided to note five things that all Eagles fans should be grateful for today.

Before we get into that, I did just want to say a huge thank you. It’s been a crazy couple of years here at PSN. The effects of the pandemic changed everything for us and we had some massive bumps along the way, but your support never wavered. We’re here, stronger than ever and in a position to take some huge leaps over the coming months thanks to you. You don’t have to take the time out of your busy day to read our content. But for everyone who’s read an article, shouted at us in outrage and disagreement, or even left a nice comment, thank you. We truly wouldn’t be here without you and this is your sire as much as it is mine. Thank you for making PSN what it is today.

Anyway…I’ll stop cutting onions.

The Eagles have an actual cornerback

The Eagles haven’t had a reliable starting cornerback for the better part of a decade. From Byron Maxwell and Leodis McKelvin to Jalen Mills and king Craig James, it’s almost easy to forget just how many have tried and failed to fill the void. Darius Slay has been the man to end the hurting.

The three defensive touchdowns are great, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Slay has allowed just 347 yards in pass coverage this year with a career-low of 9.1 yards per completion and a passer-rating of 80. He’s currently playing his most inspired football, proving himself to be a leader that young players on both sides of the ball look up to, and is easily in the conversation to earn a fourth pro bowl nod.

The defense may have its weaknesses, but CB1 is no longer one of them.

Fertilizing the flowers

Say what you want about Nick Sirianni and his poorly placed flower analogy, but since that iconic day, the Eagles have been a completely different team. They lead the NFL in rushing during that span and have won 3 of their last 4. Sirianni has done what fans were hoping he would, but feared he wouldn’t. He adapted.

He listened to the fans, he heard the noise after weeks of the same methods yielding the same results, and made a change in a bid to change his fortunes. It’s all anyone could’ve asked for. Sirianni isn’t a coach set in is ways and is instead a young mind, learning on the job and navigating his way through some rocky patches.

Regardless of how this season ends, the fact that Nick Sirianni was able to pull the plug on his own ego unlike the majority of coaches in the NFL and totally switch up his approach to game planning is absolutely something to be thankful for. It’s clear the man loves football and has galvanized the locker room. Hopefully the flowers haven’t bloomed fully just yet because this Garden could become a beautiful one.

The injury bugs have been banished

Cast your minds back to the 2017 season. Sure, the Eagles won the Super Bowl, but what made it so glorious was the amount of injuries the team overcame. They had to fight their way through similar hurdles the year after that…and the year after that…and the year after that.

I don’t exactly know what’s happened or how it’s happened, but in comparison to recent years and quite literally every other team in football, the Eagles are healthy???

It’s really weird. They’re yet to have a Bye week, have played over 60% of the season, and have suffered minimally on the injury front. I really hope this doesn’t jinx it, but it’s absolutely worth being thankful for.

A young leader

To say that the circumstances for Jalen Hurts to thrive this year were less than ideal would be an understatement. Knowing that the team have a trio of first-round picks to potentially find his replacement, Hurts had to set about his ways under another new Head Coach, a rookie one at that, and an entirely new offense.

While his play has seen highs and lows, his leadership and character have been nothing short of admirable. He is everything you could possibly want in a young leader, bringing his team together and firing them up on the field with his heroic play. After the game is done, Hurts handles himself with composure and class and when it comes to practice, we’ve heard nothing but positivity coming out of the NovaCare Complex.

All things considered, i think we can be very thankful for who Jalen Hurts chooses to be and the way he carries himself both on and off the field.

That it’s finally over

Between the years of 2018-2020, the Eagles were a train wreck. The only reason they were able to avoid utter disaster is because they kept winning. From Alshonymous sources to endless controversies involving umbrellas, DUI’s, strip clubs, holdouts, twitter, and the occasional romantic showdown involving Fletcher Cox. You name it, the Eagles probably found a way to make a hash of it.

This year? Not a peep.

To celebrate this dramatic shift in culture, I wrote a poem.

‘‘Twas the season of Sirianni and all through Philly, were sounds of positivity and analogies that were silly. But at least there aren’t guns, suspensions or cuts. Tis a new era now, no ifs maybes or buts. The Eagles are fun, wholesome, and exciting. If they can keep this up, the team is going to be frightening.

Happy thanksgiving

Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire