Yesterday new Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes was acting like he wants to play right now. He was fired up. It's understandable when you consider the guy is one of the best linebackers in the game but he has never been to the playoffs. Coming to the Eagles is a dream come true for him.
He knows what it's like to sit year after year and watch the playoffs, it's terrible. I tell you right now, that we Eagles fans take the playoffs for granted. We've been spoiled. We complain about the Birds not winning a Super Bowl, like we're suffering, but Spikes knows that's there something much worse. That's to not even be in the hunt.
He talked glowingly about his teammates and the organization. This dude is happy to be here and eager to enjoy a playoff experience. The more he talked, the more his emotions came to the surface and you can see that he wants to carry this team to a Super Bowl. He wants to win now and he knows he doesn't have a lot of time left. I wouldn't be surprised if he raises the play of the entire defense. Takeo practices hard and has an explosive burst to the ball on every play he's in there. The combination of size, speed and explosiveness is going to equal turnovers and big plays in the fall.
His knowlegde of the game might help the Birds do a better job of adjusting to offensive gameplans during the game. I hope he'll quietly challenge some of Jim Johnson's calls and help the Birds with their adjusting. Jim Johnson should let the players call more of the defenses on the field. I learned over the years that the best teams eventually get to the point where their best players are able to make adjustments immediately without waiting for the guys on the sidelines to spot things.
The Eagles coaching staff will improve if they can learn to get strategical support from their intelligent veteran players. Guys like Trotter, Dawkins and Spikes should get the chance to change the game plan in midstream. The same is true of McNabb and Westbrook on the offensive side of the ball. Johnson seems to have much of the same strengths of his head man, Andy Reid. They do a great job of game planning before the game, but struggle to adjust during the game. Marty Mornhinweg has helped Andy in that regard, but Jim needs somebody who can give him that same type of input at halftime and during times when the team is struggling.
The Eagles defense has got to improve if they're going to have any chance of winning a Super Bowl. You could hear from Spikes that he's not sitting and thinking about the offense and putting all of the pressure on them to dominate. I can still remember Dawkins and Trotter saying "We're going to go as far as McNabb takes us'. This is wrong thinking. The Ravens didn't think that way when they won the Super Bowl, the Steelers team which won the 2005 Super Bowl weren't thinking that way, and neither were last year's Colts whose defense carried Peyton Manning to a championship.
Takeo believes he has to play great and he's focused on that most of all and first of all. I've read some of the articles about Spikes being a new leader on this team and all of that sounds great, but he'll only be a respected and followed leader when he gets on the field and does it. Around here in Philly, you can impress the fans and media by talking, but your teammates hear what you say but most importantly they watch what you do. Making plays rings louder to your teammates than anything which can be said.
Thankfully, Spikes looks great at practice so I think he'll be able to walk the walk after talking the talk.
