Failure

Posted: December 11th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 3 Comments »

Jason Kelce spoke to the media on Wednesday. He was peppered with questions about the benching of Carson Wentz and the team’s offensive struggles. Kelce spoke from the heart and really did a great job of being honest, critical and real. I would encourage you to watch this.

Don’t ignore the fact Kelce also has spectacular hair.

Kelce talked about the offense as a group failure. He acknowledged that Carson Wentz hasn’t played well, but also put blame on the offensive line, runners, receivers and the coaches. He later hinted at personnel moves also being part of the equation.

Total team effort.

That’s a critical point. Wentz got benched, but everyone has a part in this disaster. Outside of Kelce and Wentz, every other position has had major turnover. The one guy who has played all year and struggled all year…Wentz. He had to be benched. That doesn’t mean the blame is solely on him.

It was important for a veteran teammate to be able to say Wentz deserved to be benched while also spreading the blame for the season across the whole offense. Beyond that, Kelce’s message sounded genuine. Doug Pederson has tried to explain things all year and has not been able to do it. His message always comes across as a mixture of too defensive and too optimistic.

It was good to hear someone articulate all of the crazy feelings and thoughts this season has given us.

Kelce talked about how disappointing the season has been. He seemed genuinely shocked that the team is 3-8-1. But he also talked about positives.

“It’s kind of hard to believe that we’re at this point now, to be honest with you,” Kelce said. “This season has not gone the way any of us, obviously, anticipated or would like it to have gone. Sitting here 3-8-1, you’ve got to do something. You’ve got to try and make a change or whatever. Obviously, the offense has been absolutely terrible the last four weeks, in particular. I have no doubt that this is not the final chapter to the Carson Wentz story or saga. I will always have confidence in him as a person and in him as a player. I’m just going to go out there this week and play some ball.”

Play some ball. That’s all he can do, go out and play as hard and as well as he can.

“We’re here to be Philadelphia Eagles,” Kelce said, “and part of that job entails that you go out there and do all that you can in the parameters that you’re being asked to do your job. I think that we are all, not just professionals, but good people, we care about each other.

“The first and foremost job of being a Philadelphia Eagle is being a good teammate and that entails giving of yourself to others, doing everything you can to help the person next to you succeed … everyone wants everyone to do well. We have a good culture, in particular Carson Wentz is an incredible teammate. So, I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to do everything he can to help Jalen Hurts succeed and I think that anybody who isn’t doing that, for all of their teammates, should be on the first ticket out of here because that’s not the culture of the team that I want to be on.”

The season is over. You know it. I know it. Jason knows it.

But he is still going to give everything he’s got and do everything he can to win. That’s the kind of attitude you want, even in a disastrous season. You do not want bad habits setting in. You don’t want players quitting.

It is important that the players and organization take ownership of this season. Offering excuses, even valid ones, isn’t the way to go. That’s not how problems get solved. Hoping things get better isn’t a plan.

This season has been a failure. A group failure. Jeffrey Lurie needs to keep that in mind when he tries to figure out how to get things fixed in the offseason.

*****

I was happy to hear Kelce speak highly of Wentz. Other teammates have come out to offer their support. Wentz is most likely going to be the QB in 2021. It is important for players to make it clear they still believe in #11. He’s a mess right now, but still has a future. I’m sure it is good for his ego and confidence to know his teammates still believe in him.

*****

Jalen Hurts will be going up against the #1 defense in the league. The Saints have only allowed 44 points in the last five weeks. That’s impressive.

Is this a good idea?

Pederson didn’t have a good option. He could play a struggling Wentz vs the Saints or his rookie QB. Hurts gives you mobility and that has to be part of the equation.

Pederson talked about the need to lean more on the run game. If he does that and allows Hurts to roll out and get on the move, it will be somewhat infuriating. This is what we wanted Pederson to do for Wentz all year. Ugh.

This game could be ugly. It could also be interesting if Hurts can spark the offense and the Eagles defense can figure out how to contain a running QB like Taysom Hill.

Hurts has thick skin. He got benched at Alabama and handled that as well as  you could. He played in tough games there and at Oklahoma. There is a huge difference in college and the NFL, but Hurts has played in challenging situations before. I know I’m curious to see what he does.

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3 Comments on “Failure”

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