Face it. If it hasn’t happened by now, it’s not going to happen at all.
The Eagles aren’t going to win a championship with Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb running the show. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It doesn’t mean Reid is a moron and McNabb is a loser.
It just simply means the window has closed.
And make no mistake about it, Reid and McNabb have had their opportunities — many of them, in fact — yet Reid and McNabb have continually come up small in the big spots.
The Eagles had a legitimate chance to win the Super Bowl in 2002, ‘03, ‘04 and ‘05 — a four-year stretch in which McNabb was in his prime and playing as well as any quarterback in the NFC.
However, it should be clear that those four years were the Eagles’ true window to win a championship. They had a Super Bowl-caliber offense and a Super Bowl-caliber defense. They had great players in their prime, a head coach who was hailed as a genius, and several assistant coaches who were among the best in the business.
But that was then. Now, the Eagles are a team full of question marks. Those great players are no longer in their prime. McNabb is 32. Brian Westbrook is nearly 30. Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan are yesterday’s news. And that coach that once was hailed as a genius is starting to wear out his welcome (in addition to McNabb’s arm).
This current crop of Eagles is a group that, at least for now, has many questions still to be answered. How will the new offensive line gel? Who is going to play free safety? Will the young players continue to progress? Do the older players have more good years left? And how will the team respond to new defensive coordinator Sean McDermott?
In fairness, it’s important to note that the Eagles were three minutes away from a trip to the Super Bowl just six months ago. But at the same time, you can’t overlook the fact that they needed an assortment of miracles just to make the playoffs. No matter how you view it, the Eagles were two Week 17 wins by the Texans and Raiders away from being eliminated from the playoffs for the third time in four years.
In the end, as we all know, the Eagles made it all the way to the NFC championship game. And for the fourth time in the Reid/McNabb era, the team fell one win shy of the Super Bowl.
So now, the question remains: If Reid and McNabb weren’t able to win a Super Bowl in their first 10 seasons together, what are the odds of them doing it now? Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but McNabb isn’t getting anymore accurate and Reid isn’t getting any less stubborn.
Sure, John Elway won it all in his 15th season under center and Bill Cowher took home the title in his 14th year on the sidelines. But let’s be honest here: McNabb is no John Elway and Reid is no Bill Cowher.
If somehow the Eagles do break through and win the Super Bowl, Reid and McNabb will always be viewed in a different light. But until the day when the confetti sprinkles into Reid’s red hair and McNabb hoists the Lombardi Trophy high above his shoulders, this era of Eagles football will be remembered for the two men who never got it done when it mattered most.
And, most likely, never will.
