No Coffee!

Posted: October 2nd, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on No Coffee!

“Put that coffee down. Coffee’s for closers only.”

I hope most of you know what the heck I’m talking about there, but just in case…

The Eagles were not closers on Sunday. They were anything but. They had chance after chance to put that game away and blew it every single time. It was both highly frustrating and totally bizarre.

The Eagles were great closers a year ago. Brandon Graham had a strip-sack that Fletcher Cox ran back for a TD in last year’s opener. Remember the Chargers game? The offense got the ball in the middle of the 4th quarter and kept it for the rest of the game. That was incredible. There was the Rams game where Graham returned a fumble for a late TD. Ronald Darby picked off a late pass vs Oakland that set up the go-ahead points. Then Derek Barnett sealed the win by scooping up a desperation lateral and running it back for a score.

There was the Giants game, when the Eagles played great Red Zone defense and kept them out of the end zone. The Falcons game in the playoffs was the same finish. And there was the Super Bowl, where Brandon Graham had the strip-sack of a lifetime.

This is mostly the same group of players. So how did they blow a 17-3 lead to the Titans?

Right now this team is not in sync. They look good for a quarter, maybe even a half. But they can’t put together a full game. I think that is coming, but it is certainly fair to question it until you see it.

There was chance after chance to put the Titans away. Not one Eagle could step up and make the winning play. It was torture to sit through that as a viewer and I’m sure it wasn’t much fun for the players and coaches. They know that was a bad loss. They know the team must play better.

The Eagles did close out wins over the Falcons and Colts, but even then there were issues. Both offenses marched down into the Red Zone. The Colts were at the 3-yard line. The Eagles defense must tighten up late in games (and overall) if this team is going to have a chance to do what it wants to. Where is the killer instinct?

Doug Pederson has been a master at pushing the right buttons. He’s got a big test right now as the Eagles get ready to play the desperate Vikings. You don’t want the Eagles to be too emotional, but you do need to make sure they play with an edge. More important than that is for them to quit playing dumb. If Corey Graham, a smart veteran, just widens out on 4th/15, we’re not having this discussion. That’s basic assignment football.

I don’t know if the team is distracted or there is some Super Bowl hangover or what, but this group must play smarter. They’re helping the other guys to beat them each week. The NFL is hard enough. You can’t do that.

The good news is that the Eagles have talent. They have a good coaching staff. This group is off to a 2-2 start. That’s hardly a disaster. Disappointing, yes. Disaster, no.

The Falcons, thought to be a Super Bowl team, are 1-3 and missing two key defensive starters for the year. The Steelers, another possible SB team, are 1-2-1 and dealing with all kinds of internal drama.

The Eagles have issues, but I do agree with Pederson. They are fixable.

*****

There is suddenly a lot of buzz about the Eagles and Le’Veon Bell. I don’t get it.

One report said the Eagles were considering trading for him. Another report said they might pursue him in free agency next year.

It would be great to pair a stud RB with Wentz for their prime years. That can lead to some amazing things. The problem is that I don’t see how the Eagles can afford a RB who wants around $15M per year. That’s big money for a RB.

The Eagles are going to have to pay Wentz big money. They have some other key FAs. I just don’t see how they could make Bell work without making some tough cuts at other spots. I’m sure Howie and his staff could find a way, but it would lead to cap issues on an annual basis. Do you do that for a RB who has some of Bell’s issues? I don’t.

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