How did we get here?
4-6 with a decimated defense and a fundamentally flawed offense. More likely to finish at the bottom of the division than the top. A QB who was once a Knight in shining armor in the eyes of fans, but now a polarizing figure….
A defensive coordinator we were afraid to lose, now a guy we can’t wait to get rid of.
How did all this happen? Who is to blame? Injuries? The Coach? The QB? The GM? The Football Gods?
Blame the whole Defense?
But first the game…….It was a case of one team just not having the talent to compete with the other. Chandon Sullivan, Crevon LeBlanc, Rasul Douglas…..guys like that have no business playing CB in the NFL. Douglas isn’t a CB, he’s a Safety. The other guys should be on somebody’s practice squad. Against a Hall of Famer and an offense on top of their game….it’s just no contest.
The rotation of pass rushers that was so formidable last year is gone. Age and injuries have beaten down this defensive line that everyone falsely believes is “stacked”.
Or maybe just one position group?
The Linebackers are the real problem. Jordan Hicks isn’t getting off blocks. Even when he isn’t blocked he’s not getting from point A to point B fast enough. Nigel Bradham is a step slow. When Malcolm Jenkins was brought up to the line of scrimmage, he looked like the best linebacker on the team.
Over to the “O”
On offense it’s simple. There isn’t enough talent to make up for the deficiencies of the coaching staff. Did you know OC Mike Groh was the passing game coordinator for the Rams in 2016? That offensive unit finished 31st in the league that year. Coincidence?
The offensive line is a shell of what it used to be. Stefan Wisniewski came in for Jason Kelce and got beat up. Lane Johnson isn’t the same player. Jason Peters is ending his HOF career.
The offensive linemen woes lead directly into the poor play of Carson Wentz. Bad mechanics, bad decisions and bad throws….all a product of Wentz not trusting what is in front of him. On his interception….the play was there to be made. Wentz underthrew the ball. Yes it was double coverage but nobody accounted for CB Marshon Lattimore coming off of his man in underneath coverage. That’s more of a schematic/play design problem. On a critical 3rd down Wentz underthrew Dallas Goedert. His first read was a slant that wasn’t there. His second read was Goedert, who was open, but the pocket became cramped forcing Wentz to speed up his mechanics causing a bad throw. The Golden Tate trade is looking like a waste. Basically, the whole offense is to blame….
Overall the Eagles were outclassed today. No way around it.
But why is it like this?
Burn it all!!!!!
There are many reasons but, the biggest reason in my humble opinion is bad personnel decisions and poor drafting. I’ll be watching these final 7 games with an eye towards who is worth moving forward with, and praying this team can win two games in a row for the first time.