The Linc - NFL referees need to get better

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Chip Nuggets - Iggles Blitz
Someone asked about Matt Barkley. Chip said his practice reps have gong up since the injury to Foles and that Barkley had looked good. I believe the quote was "He’s got a future here." I’m still not sure what to make of Barkley. He hasn’t lit it up in the preseason and it is impossible to judge him aside from that. The fact that he’s not getting on the field this year at all doesn’t bode well. Chip is telling us that Mark Sanchez looks clearly better in practice.

Fan-Demonium: The Building Continues - PE.com
The Eagles 9-6 record feels disappointing for a couple of reasons. The team got off to a 9-3 start and that raised expectations sky high. The discussion then was about whether the Eagles would be the top seed in the NFC. Now, that seems like ages ago. The other reason 9-6 is so disappointing is that it won't be good enough to get the team into the playoffs. You can live without division titles and byes if you at least find a way to get into the postseason. The Eagles didn't make that happen this year.

Three days that shaped Eagles season - Inquirer
Last Saturday was certainly the final meaningful day of the year for the Eagles, but the way the season was destined to end, whenever it ended, was determined to a large extent by three other days: March 28, May 8, and Nov. 2.

Fletcher Cox’s Pro Bowl invitation will arrive eventually - The 700 Level
We can’t talk about the Pro Bowl without talking about the guys that got "snubbed," and there was none bigger than Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox. Cox has been by far the most consistent lineman on a Birds defense that ranks sixth in rushing yards per attempt and second in quarterback sacks in 2014. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly even went so far as to suggest on Wednesday that Cox may be the team’s Most Valuable Player overall.

Trent Cole: 'I want to be here, I want to retire here' - CSN Philly
Trent Cole wants to pull off the unthinkable. He wants to climb into rarified air and accomplish something Reggie White, Brian Dawkins and Donovan McNabb couldn’t.

Early Birds: LeSean McCoy's season and future; Mychal Kendricks' perceived Pro Bowl snub; Matt Barkley's development - Inquirer
Still, McCoy has never been to a Super Bowl. In fact, he’s never won a playoff game. McCoy said he does not think his prime years will slip by without experiencing postseason success because he has more years left. But the shelf life for running backs is shorter than players at other positions. McCoy understands that reality, although he does not believe it pertains to him yet. He’s fixated on winning a Super Bowl and making the Hall of Fame.

The Grantland All-Pro Team - Grantland
Sproles finishes the team off as the only returner in football with two touchdowns this season. His work as a return man and situational running back helped keep the Eagles afloat early in the season, and while he faded as the year went along, the trade that sent him to Philadelphia for a fifth-round pick remains one of the most lopsided deals of 2014.

NFL referees are getting worse - SB Nation
A Week 16 taunting call against the Steelers highlights just how arbitrary and potentially costly bad officiating is getting in the NFL.