Andy Reid is the master planner and he should install winning the Super Bowl as the focus of his planning. He and his staff set aside special time to concentrate and focus on their divisional opponents.
That has proven to be very beneficial but they should start going beyond that. I believe they should also start spending an hour or two during this pre-season in preparation for those tough AFC teams, because winning a Super Bowl is impossible without beating New England, Indianapolis, San Diego or Baltimore. Reid's master planning reminds me of a young Tom Landry who would chart out a course for his football team that would end up with a Super Bowl win. I think Reid's planning is incomplete unless winning a Super Bowl is part of it.
Yes the Eagles could and should prepare for beating their lousy NFC East Division opponents but so what. They've done it before. They've got to set their sights higher.
I commend Andy and his crew for the consistency of winning that they've achieved but they've got to focus more on winning the big one. That focus will make Andy continue with his balanced offensive attack and make them stay away from getting too small on the defensive front. You've got to be able to run the ball and stop the run if you want to beat those tough teams in the AFC. If they were focusing on winning a Super Bowl they would have known that putting Trent Cole and Matt McCoy on the same side of a defensive front wasn't going to work. You've got to be physical to win the Big One. You also aren't going to win a Super Bowl with a guy who can't run block like Hank Fraley at center.
Let me step back again and give them credit for what they've accomplished but their window is closing and they must impove shift their focus to that game in Arizona. They've done all the rest before.
I'm not like some of these people who won't give the Birds credit for any of their accomplishments. I give them credit now but after a few years, nobody else will give them credit and they'll be thrown in the same pile as the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings. They were all teams who sustained long term winning but never won it all. I remember them but most fans don't.
I really think they have a shot this year but they've got to coach this team with the focus on being skillful and physical. This team has been skillful but they've got to make sure they have the physical side of it or winning a Super Bowl will be out of the question. When I say physical I mean a team that can run the ball and stop the run.
