• March 28, 2024

One Play Epitomizes The Season For The Eagles Defense

Week 14 is coming upon us, and with it, thoughts of how the Eagles will perform in their match up vs. the Dolphins. In spite of however much we desire to look forward though, innately, those same thoughts bring back memories of last week and the hopes and aspirations for the previous game juxtaposed to the actual result of it.

Going into the Seahawks game, there was actually reason to be a little optimistic, if not for anything else, just for the simple reason that nothing could get worse than that defeat to the Patriots the Sunday before, or so it seemed. What we ended up getting was a primetime affair that dug the proverbial dagger deeper in the Eagles’ hearts than it already was, but the game was much more than another loss.

In terms of avoiding embarrassment, there was really only one worry for Philly to have, and that was the probability that Marshawn Lynch would have a highlight great enough to inspire any comparisons or flashbacks to his legendary run against the Saints in last year’s playoffs. On that day, Lynch barreled through what seemed like all of New Orleans’ defenders. As we now know, it took just six minutes and eleven Seattle offensive plays for the Eagles to allow such a highlight to occur, and at the time there were only three words to utter in astonishment, “that really happened.”

In retrospect, could we really be surprised, it’s been that type of season hasn’t it? The type of “how is this going on” year where each failure just becomes to be more and more inconceivable to the point that, after the all the anger and frustration, the only thing feeling left is confusion over how the team’s failures defy all sense.

To say that, at times, Philadelphia’s defense has been comical would be an understatement, but if one were to label Lynch’s touchdown amazing, and the fashion in which the Eagles allowed it to happen, they’d be dead on. In that sense, the Lynch 15-yard TD personifies this current Eagles campaign perfectly, in that the end result is so amazing and yet so grave. We thought at one point that the bleeding would be stopped, specifically around week 7 when it looked like the coaches had figured things out, but in spectacular fashion, Philly managed to pull a U-turn and…well, you know the rest.

Six minutes into the game last week were wondering, “how did that even happen?” 13 weeks into the season, the Eagles are 4-8, and the question remains the same. Did this really happen? Yupp, it did, it’s been that type of season.

Joseph Milord

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Daz
Daz
December 7, 2011 12:03 pm

You talk about this play and that play, stop it with the brainless comments. ITS all about the turnovers. If the Eagles had a normal year of turnovers they be 7-5. With win against S.F., Arizona, Atlanta, and I’m just talking about getting field goals, instead of TD’s. Add a couple of TD’s and there 8-4 or 9-3 and that is a Fact. Stop with M. Lynch play, shows your ignorance, how did the saints look against him in that rout in the playoffs, 1 long TD run comes to mind 10 miss tackles, hey did not affect the saints this year. Stop grabbing at straws. IT IS ALL ABOUT THE TURNOVERS. PERIOD.

paulman
paulman
December 7, 2011 1:17 pm

Turnovers and the lack of Mental Toughness and Heart is what doomed this team.. They showed little of these traits in Pre-Season which I pointed out and it was downhill from there.. and believe me, I don’t care about records in the Pre-Season but its the lack of effort, the lack of urgency and the continual mental mistakes made by the Coacghing Staff and the Players that had me concerned back in August about this team.. Of course I was labeled a hater which doesn’t bother me one bit for I will continue to call them as I see them and what I saw 4 months ago in Summer Camp and Pre-Season , were a lot of issues & holes on this team on both sides of the ball and along the Coaching from the sidelines, so this train wreck of a Season does not surprise me one bit, in fact, I kind of expected it, but I did think they would win 8-9 games which now doesn’t appear within reach..

granbeagle
granbeagle
December 7, 2011 1:58 pm

do you think that Brian Dawkins, given the energy he is bringing to the Broncos could have made any difference on this limp wristed D?

navyeaglefan
navyeaglefan
December 7, 2011 2:12 pm

granbeagle – where the hell did you pull that line of shit from – the energy –

dude – news flash – the Broncos drafted this QB from Florida a year back – Tebow – I think his name is… they started putting up billboards, I think they call it Tebow – mania…. I think he is religious too….

Are you sure is isn’t broderick Bunkley (30 tackles) or Joe MAys (61 Tackles) that are ‘bringing the energy’ the Broncs are 7-5 and actaully have a defesne that has given up more points per game and yards per game then the eagles limp wristed D – clearly you guys have not seen the highlights of this weeks Vikes/BRoncs battle – the eagles D (NFL.com) is ranked 17 while the Broncos are ranked 24 –

ya know – there jusyt moght be somehting to this whole – you know – turnover – discussion some people are having

paulman
paulman
December 7, 2011 2:15 pm

It could not have hurt, that’s for sure ..
The Big DIfference with the Broncos Defense is the addition of Defensive Rookie of the Year Von Miller, a healthy Elvis Dumervill and contributions in the middle by DT Bunkley and MLB J Mays and the return to form from OLB DJ Williams and the Fact that they have a real Defensive Coordiantor who knows what the hell he’s doing…

paulman
paulman
December 7, 2011 2:20 pm

Broncos are 7-5 and playing meaningful games in December as they try to make it into the Playoffs, Meanwhile the Overpaid,Overrated and Overhyped
Eagles are home for the Holiday probably playing with themselves or playing Madden NFL/XBOX and their “Dream Season”..

jakedog
jakedog
December 7, 2011 2:23 pm

Nice paulman, nice…

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 7, 2011 3:05 pm

All about the turnovers. I like blueberry myself.

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 7, 2011 3:21 pm

Seriously. When did this “one play” happen. I’ll tell you. It happened on Seattle’s second posession.

What happened on the first. Seattle went 3 and out and the Birds had a sack/fumble (but missed getting the ball). They were fired up!

Then what happened? First play. Here you go Seattle. Try again.

Turnovers like this have terrible effects on a team’s confidence, especially one as shaky ats this team.

Look what happened with these “young” birds. Pre-season. They were excited. I was told dozens of times that they looked at Mike Vick as some sort of superhero they idolized. I was told through the media that Nnamdi came here because of Vick. How Vick was the best chance for a SB. The national media fed this fire all offseason. Then the contract. Then the proclamations of “no D co-ordinator can stop me”. Vick, and the team were placed on the mountaintop before playing a down.

And then what?
45% against the Rams…..”hey what’s going on – ah nothing, just a bad game”
Injury vs ATl….”he’s not invincible??”
Giants – no tds and a pick and then another injury
Buffalo…4 INTS…..

“Hey wait…..maybe this guy isn’t as unbeatable as we thought…..”

Dallas game we’re back…..
followed by shitter vs chic and shitter vs Ariz…..

A major problem is that these guys, along with the national media put themselves (and especially Vick) on top of the mountain before they had done anything. Confidence is shot.

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 7, 2011 3:29 pm

Do you realize?
Mike Vick has been asked to pass 410 times this season. For those dropbacks he has completed 181 passes, or 44%.

That means 56% of the time the throw is off target, hes just running around, throwing it to the other team, or being sacked.

Must be difficult to play WR in this offence, when the expectation is that on the majority of the plays the ball you’re never going to see it.

This effects confidence. I’m not at all acquitting Jackson, but imagine…get called on a fly. Run. Trn around to see Vick running. Roll eyes. Run another fly. Look back. Vick on ground. Roll eyes. Run a post. Look back. See ball 6 feet out of reach. Run dig. Turn around. Ball actually there!! Drop. Run fly. Look back. Vick running behind you. Run fly. Look Back, see ball doinking off Olineman’s facemask.

Must be frustrating.

And don’t get me going on what the Oline must think of the guy.

paulman
paulman
December 7, 2011 3:33 pm

I agree 100% Vinnie,
I stated before the Season that the Eagles would only go as far as Vick could take them knowing that the 5-6 Week Period where he played unbelievable last Oct/Nov was not going to be realisitc to expect this Season..But I did think he would play better that he has and better than he was a Falcon, but I was wrong, he is playing exactly like he did furing his career with the Falcons.. He’s a runner who plays the QB position and not the QB who can run when needed as we saw for those 5-6 Weeks last Fall.. It was a lightning in a bottle, a mirage , wishful thinking, an Eagle Kool-Aid reach. or whatever cliche , metaphor you want to use.. The Fact is, VIck is an averrage QB at Best and will be unable to lead this Team to the SUper Bowl.. I had no problems with Eagles trading away Kolb for he wasn’t the answer either and has proven that over this Season.. They need to Draft a QB and there are about a 6-8 really good QB’s in this Draft Class and since so many bad teams addressed their QB with picks from last year Draft, there should be some good ones available when the Eagles select in the 1st and even in the 2nd Round..

granbeagle
granbeagle
December 7, 2011 3:57 pm

Hey Nav did you watch the Broncos on Sun? I love their D. Tebow is pretty impressive but if you want to site his stats he blows. you win game in other ways as you well know. Unlike our Eags the Broncos are a team nobody wants to play.

navyeaglefan
navyeaglefan
December 7, 2011 4:07 pm

Thanks Pman for agreeing with me that Dawkins really has nothing to do with how well the Broncos are doing – there are several on this site that want to give the credit for how well the broncos are doing to Dawkins – which is just not the case –

navyeaglefan
navyeaglefan
December 7, 2011 4:08 pm

gran – I did watch parts of the game – I did not think the Broncos D played that well, I think CHristian Ponder gift wrapped a couple for them – but there you go – that whole turnover thing – they are exciting to watch –

tonto5
tonto5
December 7, 2011 4:22 pm

People will understand one day that a team turned the ball over constantly cause they are bad…and a good team will cause the other team to have a turnover…period…….we are a bad team!!! therefore we turn the ball over

tonto5
tonto5
December 7, 2011 4:24 pm

one play, even though we got blown out in most of them

paulman
paulman
December 7, 2011 5:19 pm

When watching the Bronco’s Defense, just think if Coach AR Hired Dennis Allen(who interviewd for Eagles opening) to be the next Defensive Coordinator instead of Castillo.. Now that’s something to get pissed about…

Who the hell is running the show over at the NovaCare Center… That’s right, no one is…
.

nev856
nev856
December 7, 2011 5:34 pm

remember ried was blown away by juans two 10 hour interviews , one meeting was not enough to discuss juan s knowledge on the d side of the ball . they needed two . your right paul no one is ! maybe lurie banner or anyone shoulda said : andy this might not be a good idea !

jakedog
jakedog
December 7, 2011 7:40 pm

keep it up paulman , no one at the nova care is taking care of business, this franchise is now a joke

Everz11
Everz11
December 7, 2011 10:56 pm

I agree that all of the Bronco’s success can’t be attributed to Dawkins. With that being said, I’d rather watch Brian Dawkins play in a wheelchair than the complete garbage that the Eagles trot out on the field. It doesn’t even bother me that they got rid of an aging Dawkins, its the fact that they had absolutley nothing to replace him with that even resembles an adequate NFL safety. Kurt Coleman? Jarrod Paige? Nate Allen? Jaquan Jarrett? Please. Its one thing to not bring back Dawk back and then draft E. Berry or E. Thomas. What the Eagles did lacked foresight.

slick1
slick1
December 9, 2011 5:00 am

@ vinnietheevictor that’s funny. It’s sad, and true, but funny.