Did the Philadelphia Eagles Organization Lose Its Luster in 2011?

Over the course of the past year, the city of Philadelphia emerged as the premier destination for NFL free agents—coaches and players alike.

The immortally passionate fanbase. The decade-long tradition of consistent playoff success. The unconditional adulation that former players showered upon head coach Andy Reid. They all worked in unison to make the Eagles, as an organization, the ultimate free-agent destination—a place that people sacrificed their careers to (ahem) flock to. 

Anybody Andy Reid and GM Howie Roseman wanted last offseason, they got—from the market's highest-touted defensive players (Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins) to some of the league's longest-tenured and most well-respected coaches (Howard Mudd and Jim Washburn). People were sacrificing money and job security to follow in the footsteps of others who had come to Philadelphia, and had it redefine their career. All was well in the City of Brotherly Love.

And then 2011 happened.

The season came and went, and with it went the Eagles' reputation as a well-oiled machine of success. The barrage of offseason moves, especially when combined with the lockout-shortened training camp, imploded in their faces, as they stumbled to a 4-8 record and never made a serious threat at a playoff run.

The cheeriest, most level-headed Eagles fan (of which there are never many) would point to the team's four-game winning streak to close the season as a reason to be optimistic. But in reality all it did was remind the world what a fraudulent tease the 2011 Eagles were. A team with all the talent in the world that couldn't beat John Skelton and the Arizona Cardinals on their home field.

There once was a time when the Eagles didn't care about having big names at their skill positions. They didn't need flashy, diva wide receivers like DeSean Jackson to move the ball. Donovan McNabb led them to four consecutive NFC championships with James Thrash (James Trash) and Todd Pinkston (Todd Stinkston) lining up on the outside. And when those guys couldn't go, the team could even get Freddie Mitchell—football's ultimate charlatan—to bust loose in a big game.

And that, in so many ways, is what attracted people to Philadelphia: It was a system that worked. A guaranteed chance at a ring.

But in the offseason following the team's most disappointing season of the millennium, people don't seem nearly as eager to come to Philadelphia. The rumors swirling around the Eagles 2012 coaching staff are captivating and well-documented. When Steve Spagnuolo was fired as head coach of the Rams, Philadelphia became his logical landing spot. After all, he did spend eight years diligently serving under Jim Johnson as the team's linebacker and defensive back coach. It made too much sense.

Until it didn't.

The announcement of Spagnuolo as the Eagles defensive coordinator never came. Speculation said they were just hammering out the details of the deal, but new reports make it clear that Spagnuolo is exploring other options. More important than that, however, are reports that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is also interviewing for positions around the league.

In the blink of an eye, the Eagles went from having two former NFL head coaches (Mornhinweg used to be the boss in Detroit) at their coordinator positions, to potentially losing out on both of them. And it's not just the fact that they might lose them; it's who they'd be losing them to!

The Indianapolis Colts? You mean, the same Indianapolis Colts that are drafting first overall in the 2012 draft? The same team that just blew up its front office by getting rid of Bill Polian?

And the Oakland Raiders? You mean the same Oakland Raiders who haven't made the playoffs since Rich Gannon led them to the Super Bowl in 2002 (good for the second longest drought in the league)? The Oakland Raiders who are piecing the front office back together after the death of football czar (and rumored sea monster) Al Davis? These are the places people usually bolt away from when a job opens up in Philadelphia. Not the places they head instead of taking a job in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Eagles are used to getting their way. People are supposed to sell their souls to come work with Andy Reid. But after the 2011 season, it appears that a job in Philadelphia may have lost its irresistible gleam. And if the coaches make a statement now, before free agency opens, it wouldn't be crazy to see the players would follow suit.

Hell, I even dare say it'd be likely.