Who will step up to lose our next game?

As the season begins to unfold, you have to give it to the eagles for giving fans one of the most thrilling seasons so far. Or rather, emotionally explosive seasons so far.

The Eagles fans are used to watching the team lose.  We've been used to it.   Dick Vermeil and his contagious enthusiasm couldn't get us the big win.  The Minister of Defense, arguably one of the best in the game, could not get us the big win.   Not even Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb, and Terrell Owens (the saner 1st year version) could get us that big win.  So what's the problem?

Well, it's an upside down season.  It's the anti-Andy world run amok.

The problem is that we were sold by the Eagles personnel moves as a winning team with the secret ingredient for the winning formula.  Yes, we knew Washburn was coming with the wide 9 technique and we'd need much better linebackers.  Yes we knew Mudd was coming and we'd see much smaller offensive linemen.   Yes we knew the offseason started mere weeks before the season, and there would be no time to train new acquisitions in the techniques and the schemes and the all important Eagle-way.   Yes, we knew we'd let all of our leadership go, and guys with 5 years in our uniform were suddenly elder statesmen.

 

The problem is that we bought into the hype.  We were 10-6 with a poor defense, a poor offensive line, and a team filled with rookies.   So if we were able to fill our roster with household name players, we should be 12-4 or even better, right?

Wrong.

We have no leadership on the team.  We have no discipline.  We have no accountability.  It's as though everything we had witnessed in our tough fought pulling a win out of thin air to salvage a playoff berth in seasons gone by have disappeared.   What we are left with is a team of marquis names who seem to be more on the stage and spotlights and less in the trenches... the guys who keep telling us "oh yes we're talented" who fail to show up on sunday.

What we have is a team that talks about wins rather than delivers them,  talks about mistakes rather than fixing them, talks about greatness rather than showing it.

Fans are no longer looking for the unsung hero who steps up and makes the game winning play to turn our season around.   Now we are looking for the Steve Smith bobble to give up the interception.. the Ronnie Brown lateral from the middle of the pile... the kicker who just boomed 3 FGs to suddenly go stone cold when the game is on the line.

No more gut check wins.  No more huge defensive showings when least expected.  No more hope for it to turn around.

Yes, we are playing exciting football right now.   We are on the edge of our seats to see which of the many talented high profile and widely respected players will lose the game for us next time.

You've lost our trust.   And from a fanbase that has stuck with the team for all the years without a SB win, that is the deepest cut of all.