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I never thought I would see the day when the Eagles became a national joke. The McNabb/Reid era was a long and fruitful one, but one that I knew would have to soon come to an end...

Are the Philadelphia Eagles the Most Underachieving Team in NFL History?

by Michoel Botwinick (Columnist)

37

248 reads

Opinion

November 19, 2008


I never thought I would see the day when the Eagles became a national joke.

The McNabb/Reid era was a long and fruitful one, but one that I knew would have to soon come to an end. The Philadelphia Eagles, a solid franchise with an excellent fan base, would just fizzle out after a good many years as one of the league's forefront teams, albeit with no championship to show for it.

They would go into the rebuilding process like many other teams before them—the Rams, the Seahawks, and the Chiefs, among others.

But instead, the Eagles went down a different route.

Refusing to rebuild, the Eagles started to cut established veterans like Jeremiah Trotter, Hollis Thomas, and Jevon Kearse, all the while bringing in young playmakers to take their spots. 

The Eagles' ruse of transitioning new players into important skill positions while cutting veterans was one that had been used before, primarily by the Patriots...with admirable success. 

As players like Trent Cole, Stewart Bradley, and DeSean Jackson settled in, the Eagles' Front Office subsequently received praise for keeping together a competitive team all the while maintaining their steady corps of tallent—Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, and Brian Westbrook. 

However, their distinctly average 29-28-1 record over the last three-and-a-half seasons did not show any evidence of any front-office success. Frustrated Eagles fans even started to demand a thorough rebuilding process, not the half-baked version that the Eagles were

apparently unsuccessfully offering.

But the path that that the Eagles chose to go down was a smart one, and probably turned out much better than the organization could have ever expected. The fans, for the most part, had no inkling of this success.

In fact, according to FootballOutsiders.com's statistical formulas, the Eagles are  ranked as the third-best team in the NFL! The two teams in front of them, the Tennesse Titans and the New York Giants, are respectively 10-0 and 9-1.

"We have them ranked as the third-best team in the league," said editor in chief Aaron Schatz. "They were second until this week."

Schatz also remarked that the Eagles had underperformed relative to their statistics for the third straight season.

"We've gone back to figure out out what's going on," he said.  "We've had complaints from our readers. It's an example, some people say, that our stats don't work. But anything we try to do to fix the model has to apply to all 32 teams," and the Eagles have proved a stubborn exception.

"Some of the Eagles weaknesses are clear," Schatz added: "David Akers no longer has the leg for long field goals, and the offense struggles in the fourth quarter of close games, particularly in converting third-and-short runs."

But those factors still do not explain a 5-4-1 record this season. Instead, even more damning, is the fact that the Eagles have the third-best point differential in the NFL at 7.1, again behind the Giants and the Titans!

And yet, nothing to show for it.

"I've given up on them," Schatz said, when asked about the Eagles possibly making a run for the playoffs. "I just don't understand the Eagles at all."

Neither do Eagles fans, which is so unfortunate.

As an Eagles fan, I once in a while feel obligated to criticize the organization. But, if the statistical formulas that Glatzer researched are correct, they dictate that the Eagles have one of the best teams in the league!

Little do Eagles fans know how successfully the front office navigated the rebuilding process.  In fact, they skipped it...the Eagles are a great team now!

The Eagles are the most confounding team in the league.

Author Poll

Who is at fault for the Eagles' most recent failures?

  • Andy Reid
  • Donovan McNabb
  • The Front Office
  • Everybody!
vote to see results
Author Poll Results

Who is at fault for the Eagles' most recent failures?

  • Andy Reid

    34.8%

  • Donovan McNabb

    13.0%

  • The Front Office

    8.7%

  • Everybody!

    43.5%
  • Total votes: 23
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37 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Orlando Morales 7 months ago

    Great great piece Michoel. I agree, they really are a great team right now, this team underachieves so massiveley it's heartbreaking. This team one week looks like a legit Super Bowl contender then looks bound for mediocrity the next.

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      I don't know what it is!

      Sometimes I feel like screaming at the TV, while other times I marvel at how well everything is clicking. I've been an Eagles fan for a long time, but it's safe to say I still don't know the team...

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  2. Osi Umenyiora 7 months ago

    You never thought you'd see the day when the Eagles would be a national joke?

    Do you remember the days right before Reid got there? They were the worst team in the league for several years.

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      Look at it this way, Osi: I knew quite well as to what a terrible team the late '90s Eagles were (as I should; I'm an Eagles fan). But at that time that's all the Eagles were -- a bad team. People never looked at them as underachievers, which, I think, is a far worse tab.

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    • Bryn Swartz 7 months ago

      Osi, we were not the worst team in the league for several seasons. We made the playoffs in 1995 and 1996. In 1997, we went 6-9-1. In 1998, 3-13. Worst team in the league for one year. Then I cut Reid a break for his rebuilding year of 5-11. Then back to the playoffs.

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  3. Craig Garrison Sr 7 months ago

    It's an incredible thing isn't it Michoel? I might say that the SD Chargers give them a pretty good run for "the most disappointing team in NFL history" though.

    They do seem to have done an excellent job of turning over the roster while staying competitive, but I think the issue is that many of the players don't really fit the systems being used in Philly. Defensively, JJ is an excellent coach, but for his stuff work there has to be a dominant type LB in the middle(Trotter type), don't have that.

    On offense, Reid has done a terrible job of working his offense into an offense that can succeed in a division as physical as ours, the offensive line is generally soft, and that's just not good enough. The WRs can play, but even Jackson, with all his playmaking speed, can't beat a physical defense, the types of defenses the Skins and Giants bring, and when playing up to their potential, the 'Boys too.

    Excellent piece Michoel, it's been a strange season so far and I don't see it changing any time soon

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      Thanks for the comments, Craig!

      Yeah, when I was writing this I knew someone would point out about the SD Chargers, and they may very well be even bigger underachievers (although the data collected did not put them as high as the Eagles). Oh yeah, and the front office DID do a really good job of turning the team over, so there's a lot of theories as to why their record isn't showing it.

      One theory is that other teams in the league have caught up to the pass-first offense that the Eagles have always executed, at first to much success. When the league started running the ball more, the Eagles' pass-oriented (or soft) offensive line was not used to being physical as run blockers have to be, and the Eagles failed to run to set up the pass. That's also why they continuously fail to convert in short-yardage situations.

      But anyway, I'll be the first to admit that it's been a really strange season so far... although it is not over quite yet.

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  4. David Geller 7 months ago

    I think they were just overrated and people got a little too high on them.

    Good piece though.

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    • James Williamson 7 months ago

      He's absolutely right. Writers were predicting that McNabb would have an MVP season, and Dr. Z of SI thought they would lose in the Super Bowl to the Pats by three again. You can't predict stuff like that at the beginning of the season. Maybe other seasons, but not this season.

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      Thanks for the comments, David.

      It's possible that people did get a little bit too high on them before the season started, but the people at SportsOutsiders.com have a calculated formula to judge how POTENT a team can be (not opinion). And the Eagles rank up there!

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    • Bryn Swartz 7 months ago

      I know you're a Cowboys fan, James, but people did predict the Eagles to go to the Super Bowl this year. We ARE underachieving. Maybe not as bad as you guys, but we are.

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    • James Williamson 7 months ago

      Bryn, maybe if you actually read my comment and not assumed, you'd see I quoted Dr. Z. I'm sure a lot of people predicted the Eagles would win the Super Bowl, but Dr. Z didn't.

      And Michoel, if statistics were everything, then the Pats would have won last year. That is the thing about football. There is no sure thing. I think it will go down to the wire. Heck, the Giants could go on a 5 game losing streak, and miss playoffs. It is possible.

      The NFC East is going down to the wire. For all I know, the last game between the Eagles and Cowboys could determine playoffs for either one.

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  5. Bob Cunningham 7 months ago

    good stuff. and i agree with you on many points, they have underachieved.

    but i bring solutions!!

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/83653-the-bird-doctor-is-in-how-to-fix-the-philadelphia-eagles

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  6. Dave Gainer 7 months ago

    no the Buffalo Bills are!

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      Thank you for the comments, Dave, but I beg to differ on that one.

      Although the Bills started the season strong and promise to be a very good team in the very near future, they are right now a mediocre team with adequate talent -- quite worthy of their 5-5 record.

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  7. Christian Karcole 7 months ago

    Very nice peice here Michoel. Very interesting about that site. I too, am totally fed up with the team. Enough is enough.

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  8. daniel cox 7 months ago

    if reid ran the ball things might be different. look how well they performed when garcia was there playing for injured donovan. garcia played well, but he was more game manager than game changer. don't get me wrong, he had a lot to do with that run, but reid ran the ball. westbrook was dominant.

    why is he so stubborn? not a fan..just an observer, but that's gotta drive the fans crazy...

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      Trust me, it is driving fans crazy... I mean, why not use your All-Pro RB?!

      I think that Garcia was successful because he really executed the West Coast Offense properly -- running to set up the pass, short passing for long yardage... the whole idea. And evidently it worked! The Eagles DID win five straight games.

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    • Bryn Swartz 7 months ago

      Reid firmly believes tht because we won over 11 games fo five straight years, that he can continue to do the same thing and it will continue to work. He doesn't understand that the coaching in the NFC East has caught up to us and it's no longer Dave Campo and Steve Spurrier.

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  9. David Geller 7 months ago

    I think Westbrook may be a bit overrated too. I don't think Reid is as stupid as everyone says because he doesn't use him. If he thought Westy could take a full workload, he wouldve given it to him by now.

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  10. Jim Mc 7 months ago

    Nice piece, Michoel. I go back to what I wrote in my article calling for Cowher—the league has caught on to Andy Reid's style. Teams do such a good job breaking down game film and preparing each week, and Reid hasn't "Innovated" in a while. The craziest thing I've seen him do was that Wildcat play that went for a TD. And that was the only one. There's 8 years of film on Reid's offense now, and I would bet Reid has played just about every team in the league at this point. Defensive coordinators can look at what he likes to do on every down, in every situation against every team.

    Anyone see Adam Sandler's movie "the Waterboy?" Ever since the coach had his playbook taken by his rival, he stunk. Methinks the league has Reid's playbook, and until he starts drawing up some new stuff, we might as well put the water boy out there!

    (you can do it!!)

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  11. Isaac Barrow 7 months ago

    I think there's a different between underachieving and just plain dissapointing. The Eagles are plain dissapointing. Underachieving is when you have high expectations and fail to meet them. Before the year, the Eagles didn't really have much expectations lol. The Honor goes to the Lions

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      Isaac, seriously.

      What about Dr. Z predicting a Super Bowl win? What about that Fox Sports writer who predicted an MVP year for McNabb? What about all those Eagles fans going crazy after that Rams win here in Philly? What about that sweet No. 3 Power Ranking after three sweet weeks? I'd call that high expectations!

      What about the Lions' expectations?? I know I don't live in Detroit, but whatever happened to that? Didn't hear a thing.

      I think that the Eagles are disappointing, as you said. But only in the context of "disappointing" underachievers.

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  12. David Geller 7 months ago

    Well, if Westbrook is hurt doesn't it make sense for Reid to have a more air-oriented pass attack?

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      Absolutely! Westbrook may not even play this week, by the way. But what many people do not know is that even if Westbrook is not 100%, there's always Correll Buckhalter. In other words, there's options for Reid and the Eagles, even with B-West on the bench.

      When Brian Westbrook was out with a rib injury in Week Six vs. the San Francisco 49ers, Buckhalter had a combined 187 yards for 1 TD. He is perfectly capable, and Andy Reid even admitted that he should have been used more vs. the Bengals, who have the 28th ranked run defense.

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  13. David Geller 7 months ago

    No Michoel what I meant was that since your #1 rushing weapon is hurt I think Reid has no choice but to air it out. Buckhalter is a capable backup, hence the word backup. He's decent at best, but it's clear their only shot is through the air.

    They have to get a bruiser.

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  14. Eric DeBer 7 months ago

    I've always said that this has got to be the most frustrating team ever. They should be good but they just are not. It's puzzling and it pisses me off.

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  15. Cody Swartz 7 months ago

    We are by far the most underachieving team in history. Other than that loss to the Ravens, we have been competitive in every single game we have played thus far this year. We should be 10-2 or better. We should have beaten all three division teams, the Bengals, and the Bears.

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    • Michoel Botwinick 7 months ago

      You're just like my bro. Every other minute during an Eagles game, he'll say "You know we could be 10-2 right now. Really."

      Thanks for the comments!

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  1. Craig Swartz 7 months ago

    The experts at Pro Football Prospectus projected us the best team in the league and the second best team in football at the beginning of the year. Even they had a difficult time explaining why their statistical formulas always rate the Eagles so high. Numbers clearly aren't everything, but when they all point to a great season and once again we come up way short, I believe it has to be intangibles and coaching. Obviously that points to Reid. His lack of adjustments, his predictability, and so on. I've been calling for Reid's job since the first Giants' game this year. His time has come and gone here. I actually think he'd be great in San Diego next year. They desperately need a change and so do we.

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