After delayed decisions in the pocket, fans let out a sigh. When the ball ends up in the wrong hands, we aren’t too proud to cry. Before the reality of a losing record sets in, the Eagles need to fly, or at the very least, learn to try.
As the Eagles get off to a disappointing and shaky start in the 2020-2021 season, fans are brought back to the struggles prior to their 2018 Super Bowl ring. What are we to expect from this team as they continue through the second half of the season? Should we have hope or wait until next season to see results?
So, what is the problem at hand? Could it be that we count on the veteran players to come up big when the rookies can’t hang with the real competition?
Year after year, Carson Wentz fails to prove he is an elite starting quarterback. Doug Pederson stalls the offense with inconsistent playcalling, and the injury report is longer than a child’s Christmas wish list. These three major problems have led to an underwhelming season and calls the future of the Philadelphia Eagles organization into question.
It ultimately comes down to whether any players can change their underwhelming weekly performances. Did you notice the Eagles recently had a bye week? If not, it’s understandable, because their defense wouldn’t even be able to stop a college team from scoring. Someone needs to shout out to Fletcher Cox to make that stellar game-changing play. Oh, that’s right – there are limited fans in the stadium. Maybe the team misses the roar of the twelfth man, or maybe they simply cannot get their act together.
On offense, running back Miles Sanders makes a minimal impact during critical plays. So, who can make the plays needed to pump up the team again? After all, this once was a Super-Bowl championship team.
Since it’s not the offense or defense, what about the lines? Unfortunately, both lines lack the ability to put pressure when necessary or to consistently protect the backfield players. Well then, who can save this team from complete embarrassment?
What about Carson Wentz? Despite his fair statistics, Wentz’s inconsistent throws and frequent turnovers make Eagles fans wonder if they can actually trust Wentz to pull off the win. We waited for him to recover. We trusted that his talent and stellar performance would lead us to another Super Bowl. We gave him a four-year, $128 million contract to lead us to victory. The reality is, he doesn’t look promising.
With a little luck, the Eagles find themselves 3-6-1 in a division where no team can pick up steam. This year, the Eagles are a below-average team with unremarkable wins and truly pathetic losses. Their win over the Giants was pure luck, and their loss to Washington further proves their lack of ability to close games.
Maybe the pressure of being champions has proven to be too much of a challenge for both the players and management. The Eagles seem desperate for superstar talent to fill a leadership void and to stop them from fading further and further from championship level. Without such a leader, there will be serious pressure on management to start drafting players who can show up on game day. Maybe it’s time to bring back Nick Foles to help the team fly high again.