So Much for Hope

There are so many directions that I could potentially go with this article, but ultimately they would all lead to that one excruciatingly unavoidable conclusion: the Eagles’ season is over. There are no more must wins and there are no more comeback opportunities, and there really will be very little to make the rest of the games this season worth watching. The odds that the Eagles will be swept by their division are ever increasing, and with one of the non-division games being against the Patriots, the Eagles will be lucky to squeeze 2 or 3 more wins out of the season.

There is really not much to say specifically pertaining to this game. It was the kind of game that is so bad that the film is virtually useless. What seems most apparent is that they have just stopped caring, and Andy Reid seems to be leading the charge of indifference. Why does Reid back stop calling big passes and start dumping the ball off to Westbrook inside when the first clearly worked and the second didn’t, Why not adjust the defensive scheme you have defensive ends (namely Trent Cole) who are so ineffective at the pass rush that they may as well be off the field? These questions may be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things but they represent the way that the Eagles, from the front office, to Reid, all the way to the special teams, have been sleepwalking through the season. Until this game, fans in Philadelphia really believed leading up to this game that Eagles had a chance to win and re-enter the playoff race. The team, however, appears to have given up on these objects much earlier.

Where do we go from here? Last week my column had a much more positive twist to it, but I know longer see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am feeling much more apocalyptic vibes from this team now. I think myself and others are beginning to realize how out of hand Reid’s private life is becoming, and I find it very hard to picture him on the sideline next season. I’m not ready to write of McNabb yet, but if Reid goes I believe McNabb will be gone as well. Where does that put the franchise? A second year QB in Kolb, uncertainties surrounding the head coach, a Brian Dawkins who may be approaching the end of his career, and little to be particularly excited about. It certainly looks bleak. I do tend to overreact now and then; I can only hope that now is one of those times.