We Waited For This?
Bad football. Really bad football. What’s the only thing worse than bad football? How about no football at all. I’ll take bad football over no football, especially in the midst of this dumpster fire known as 2020. For us Birds fans, this is our only option. Bad football. The kind that feels like a regression to the mean for Philly sports fans over the past 100 years or so, where we underachieve, generally blow every opportunity, and it all ends with heartbreak.
While this is all very Philly and familiar, here’s the one difference that makes the Iggles start to the season so much worse than our normal Philly sports torture. It’s that this team doesn’t play hard. This team doesn’t seem to have any pride or give a crap at all. What am I possibly supposed to like about this team? I spent like 20 minutes trying to think of who’s my favorite player in 2020, and I’m still struggling. There’s nobody going hard and making plays who makes me say, “that’s my guy.” That’s the biggest heartbreak of all, watching a team that simply put, doesn’t even look interested in playing the game. The empty stadiums certainly don’t help, giving everything about this season an odd / off feeling.
Now, let’s break this down from the top, since that’s where it starts. Dougie coached us to a Super Bowl win. This means Dougie is Philly royalty forever and ever. Nothing can ever happen to take the SB win away, and Dougie should never pay for a beer in the City of Brotherly Love. Plus, we play in the NFC least, so it’s manageable to keep making the playoffs. But what in the world is going on with the coach? This is all on him — a team that’s disinterested and unprepared to play. And what is the game plan? Is there even a game plan. We have zero identity on offense, and zero players stepping up. Same thing on D. Utterly unremarkable. Sure, we’ve got a whole slew of injuries and didn’t have a preseason to work out the kinks. Just like every other team in the league = no excuse. What were we even trying to do today? All we did was add speed this offseason, but we’re not using it at all. No vertical routes, no shots down field. DJax and Reagor are supposed to average 20 yds per catch, not 10. On defense, I cannot even figure out what our scheme is or if we have any personality. All I know is that we don’t have LBs, and nobody seems to like hitting, which is a real problem when you’re playing football.
There’s one coaching decision that befuddles me most of all. How does JJAW still see the field? Like how is this guy still on the squad. Bad things happen when he’s in the game. Got it, he was a high draft choice and only has a year under his belt so far, but don’t compound the error by keeping him around. Cut bait. Move on.
What about Carson? I’ve always been in Carson’s corner, singing his praises, seeing that he’s got the tools to be the best QB in the NFL. That said, even I can see that something is wrong. He’s wildly inconsistent, isn’t making solid pre-snap reads, isn’t seeing the field, isn’t using his mobility, and critically, he’s not trusting his receivers. I can go on, but it’s just making me sad. At least the O line gave him some time this afternoon, but he didn’t use it productively.
As bad as we looked all afternoon, if we just clean up a couple of plays, it could all be totally different. If Miles doesn’t put the ball on the ground on his 3rd touch, giving the Rams a short field and easy score, do start the game with confidence instead of dread, working out of a quick hole that we helped to create? If Carson doesn’t force that ball on the 1st drive of the 3rd quarter resulting in the end zone pick, then we’re building serious momentum. And if anyone at all stepped up and made a single play, or anybody at all says, “hey, you never heard of me, but I’m going to be a pro-bowler this year,” then maybe we build some energy and everything comes together. Maybe next week? We have to be better than the Bengals, right?
#FlyEaglesFly #BleedingGreenNation
