Complete Awards for the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles Season

It's hard to believe the general pessimism surrounding the 2014 Eagles. After all, this is a team that won 10 games—just like the previous year—despite a slew of key injuries and a first-place schedule. However, it's hard to overlook the severe regression at so many positions on the offensive side of the ball, especially quarterback, running back and the offensive line.

And when you remember that the Eagles were 9-3 and fighting for a first-round bye heading into December, the 2014 season has to be viewed as an epic failure. Three straight losses knocked the Eagles out of contention for a bye, out of contention for a division title and out of contention for a playoff spot.

Yes, the 9-6 Eagles became the first team in league history to be eliminated from postseason contention before Week 17 in a year they started 9-3.

But despite no postseason berth, there are a number of teams in the NFL that would give anything to have collected 10 victories, especially with a backup quarterback making half of the starts throughout the regular season. The Eagles still have a lot to remember from the 2014 season. Below I will highlight every possible award from this year, from Most Valuable Player to Offensive Breakout Player to Best Game. 

MVP: Jason Peters

You could make a case for any of the following players as the Eagles’ team MVP during the 2014 season: wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, offensive tackle Jason Peters, defensive end Fletcher Cox and linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Connor Barwin.

I'll go with Peters, the 32-year-old left tackle who rated as the best offensive tackle in the NFL during the 2014 season, per Pro Football Focus. Early in the season, it was Peters who single-handedly held together an offensive line that was missing left guard Evan Mathis, center Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson.

Peters earned a seventh Pro Bowl selection and appears well on his way to a berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Offensive: Jeremy Maclin

A first-round pick by the Eagles in 2009, Jeremy Maclin established himself as a solid number two receiver during his first four seasons, but a torn ACL cost him the 2013 season.

The Eagles offered Maclin a five-year deal last offseason but he turned it down, instead signing a one-year deal. His gamble on himself paid off, as he caught 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now a hot commodity on the free-agent market, Maclin is expected to sign a lucrative deal to remain in Philly.

Defensive: Fletcher Cox

You could make a legitimate case for either Mychal Kendricks or Connor Barwin as the best defensive player on the 2014 Eagles. But I'll go with Fletcher Cox, the one-time first-round pick who emerged as a defensive star during his third season in the NFL.

Cox recorded just four sacks, but he was constantly double-teamed, consistently opening up holes for the team's other pass-rushers. He was equally dominant against the run too. He was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. 

Special Teams: Darren Sproles

Perhaps the most underrated offseason addition in the NFL, veteran Darren Sproles gave the Eagles a backup running back, an extra weapon in the screen game and a dynamic punt returner.

It was on special teams that Sproles flashed the most this season, as he won the unofficial punt return triple crown, leading the league in returns (29), yards (506) and touchdowns (two). He also set a career-high by averaging 13.0 yards per return.

A selection that was long overdue came this winter when Sproles was voted into his first Pro Bowl.

Offensive Rookie: Jordan Matthews

In the most talented rookie receiver class the NFL has ever seen, it’s players such as Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins and Kelvin Benjamin who stole headlines and produced big numbers.

Second-round pick Jordan Matthews flew under the radar with a big second half, quietly finishing with 67 catches for 872 yards and eight touchdowns. Matthews recorded all three 100-yard games and scored six of his eight touchdowns under Mark Sanchez.

Defensive Rookie: Beau Allen

Let’s review the candidates: Marcus Smith, picked in the first round, was a disaster; Jaylen Watkins, the first pick in the fourth round, didn’t see the field until Week 17; and Taylor Hart and Ed Reynolds, both picked in the fifth round, didn’t play a snap. So by default, the award goes to seventh-round defensive tackle Beau Allen.

Allen averaged 13 snaps per game as Bennie Logan’s backup, collecting 10 tackles and half a sack. He's not even a lock to make the roster in 2015, but Allen was the only Eagles' rookie on the defensive side of the ball who made any sort of impact in 2015. 

Offensive Breakout: Lane Johnson

The Eagles’ offensive line took a big blow during the offseason when it was announced that 2013 first-round pick Lane Johnson would serve a four-game suspension for PED use. Coupled with injuries to both Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce, it’s no wonder Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy were so ineffective early in the year.

But the return of Johnson in Week 5 may have been the most underrated move of the season. Johnson’s 12 games were good enough for him to rank as the second-best right tackle in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. While Johnson had always been regarded as a terrific run-blocker, he made major strides in his pass-blocking, surrendering just one sack, compared to 11 as a rookie in 2013.

With future Hall of Fame left tackle Jason Peters entering his age-33 season in 2015, expect Johnson to take over the duties as blind-side blocker when needed. After entering college as a quarterback and switching to tackle during his junior year, it’s safe to say that Johnson has an unlimited ceiling.

Defensive Breakout: Vinny Curry

It took until the middle of the 2013 season for the Eagles to realize they had a player in defensive end Vinny Curry, but even they would have been surprised by how well he played this season.

Despite playing fewer than 25 snaps per game, Curry ranked second on the team with nine sacks and tied for second in the entire NFL with four forced fumbles. It makes sense for the Eagles to bring back Cedric Thornton for 2015, but it might be time to make Curry the starter alongside Fletcher Cox.

Offensive Disappointment: Nick Foles

Expectations on Nick Foles in 2014 were probably unfair. After all, the one-time third-round draft pick wasn’t going to duplicate his numbers from 2013, when he threw for 27 touchdowns against just two interceptions and posted the third-highest single-season passer rating in NFL history.

But nobody expected Foles to play poorly enough that rumors circulated about whether he would be benched. In the end, it is turnovers (10 interceptions plus three lost fumbles) that will stand as the lasting memory of Foles’ third season. He also missed the final eight games of the season with a broken collarbone, an injury that undoubtedly cost the Eagles a postseason berth.

Foles will enter the 2015 season as the starter barring unforeseen circumstances, but he needs to resemble more of the 2013 Foles than the 2014 version to earn a contract extension.

Defensive Disappointment: Marcus Smith

You could make a case for Bradley Fletcher being the biggest defensive disappointment of the season. After all, he allowed 1,072 passing yards, most in the NFL, and nine passing touchdowns, second-most in the NFL. But I’d put more blame on defensive coordinator Billy Davis for continually allowing Fletcher to be matched up in man coverage on top receivers.

From the day he was drafted with the 26th overall pick, the fanbase seemed convinced Marcus Smith was a bust—Jerome McDougle and Danny Watkins rolled into one. The 2014 season did nothing to make fans feel any better about Smith, who played in just 74 snaps and was a healthy inactive six times.

Smith ended the season with zero tackles. By comparison, 28 of the 32 players selected in the first round of the 2014 draft recorded at least one tackle. The four who did not: quarterback Johnny Manziel, tight end Eric Ebron, offensive tackle Taylor Lewan and linebacker Marcus Smith.

Smith will certainly have the chance to prove himself in 2015 and beyond, especially with veterans Trent Cole and Brandon Graham possibly leaving in the offseason. But there’s been nothing thus far to suggest he will become even a competent starter in the near future. He was that bad in 2014.

All you really need to know about his rookie season is this quote from Davis, which basically suggests that the Eagles have no clue if Smith is an inside or outside linebacker.

Best Offseason Move: Special Teams Emphasis

For all the talk about Chip Kelly’s offense having a down year, which they did, there’s not enough talk about him revitalizing the special teams units.

Offseason free-agent acquisitions Chris Maragos and Bryan Braman worked wonders, as did undrafted free-agent signings Trey Burton and Brandon Bair. Throw in 2013 free agents such as Brad Smith and James Casey, plus Pro Bowl returner Darren Sproles, and it’s easy to call the Eagles’ special teams units the best on the team this season.

Worst Offseason Move: DeSean Jackson Release

The loss of quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor to the Miami Dolphins, where he became offensive coordinator, was tremendous. Lazor revived Miami’s offense, helping quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Lamar Miller turn in career years. But the Eagles realistically couldn’t keep Lazor forever, and losing a solid assistant coach doesn’t come close to the loss of playmaking receiver DeSean Jackson.

There are many theories for the Eagles’ release of Jackson, from his small size and his high contract to his poor attitude and his inability to come through in big games. The Eagles claimed it was because of his size, but realistically, it’s hard not to see that his attitude and high salary were bigger reasons.

Without Jackson, the Philadelphia offense took a noticeable step back, everywhere from Nick Foles at quarterback to LeSean McCoy at running back to Riley Cooper at wide receiver.

With the Washington Redskins, Jackson caught 56 balls for 1,169 yards (20.9 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. He topped 100 yards easily in both games against the Eagles, playing a big role in the Redskins’ upset win over the Eagles in Week 16, which resulted in Philly missing the postseason.

Coach: Dave Fipp

Every single coach, from head coach Chip Kelly to assistant defensive backs coach Todd Lyght, was eligible for this award. You can narrow it down to a few pretty quickly: special teams coach Dave Fipp, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro.

Stoutland held the line together through injuries, and Azzinaro was responsible for a unit that ranked second in the league in sacks. But nobody comes close to Dave Fipp.

In 2014, the Eagles scored an insane seven touchdowns on special teams. Veteran Darren Sproles, easily the most dominant returner in the game, took back two punts for touchdowns. Josh Huff and Chris Polk each took a kick back more than 100 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eagles more kick-return touchdowns in 2014 (two) than the previous 10 seasons combined (one).

Undrafted free agent Cody Parkey emerged as a legitimate Pro Bowl candidate, missing just four picks and consistently driving the ball through the end zone on kickoffs. Punter Donnie Jones set a franchise record for punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Brandon Bair blocked a field goal and extra point and tipped another field goal.

The Eagles blocked and returned a ridiculous three punts for touchdowns, and the coverage units allowed just 22.8 yards per kick return and 8.2 per punt return. You almost can’t find a game from the 2014 season in which the special teams unit didn’t make at least one game-changing play.

Underrated: Brandon Bair

Brandon Bair is the most exciting veteran player special teams success story in Philly since Vince Papale in 1976.

Although he had been in the NFL since 2011, bouncing between the Chiefs, Raiders and Eagles, he had never appeared in a game. That changed in 2014, as Bair played well enough as a reserve defensive lineman to keep fifth-round pick Taylor Hart on the bench all season.

Bair finished the year with 14 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one pass defensed, but his biggest contribution was on special teams. He blocked a field goal and extra point and had his hand on a field goal against the 49ers, which somehow went through the uprights anyway. Bair’s two blocked kicks were more than the Eagles have had in any season in more than a decade.

Overrated: Malcolm Jenkins

The Eagles have desperately been trying to replace Brian Dawkins since the future Hall of Fame safety was allowed to leave in free agency after the 2008 season.

They’ve gone through draft picks such as Macho Harris, Nate Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Earl Wolff and Ed Reynolds. They’ve signed washed-up veterans such as Marlin Jackson, O.J. Atogwe and Kenny Phillips. They’ve had players just not work out such as Jarrad Page and Patrick Chung. So when they signed Malcolm Jenkins last offseason, the fanbase was skeptical, especially after most wanted the franchise to pursue a big-name player like Jairus Byrd or T.J. Ward.

Advanced metric sites, such as Pro Football Focus, credited Jenkins with 16 missed tackles and a 103.3 passer rating surrendered.

When Jenkins intercepted passes in three straight games from Week 2 to Week 4, it seemed obvious that the converted cornerback was a perfect fit for defensive coordinator Billy Davis’ scheme. Then, Weeks 5 through 17 happened, during which Jenkins’ most notable contribution was a pair of dropped interception touchdowns.

His gift-wrapped pick-six against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 is a play that could have changed the season for the Eagles. He also missed more than his fair share of tackles, as he also did in 2013. 

In all, Jenkins had a solid year. He’s a good starter, probably best suited as a number two. He’s probably the fourth-best starter on the defense, behind Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks and Connor Barwin. He’s just a far cry from the Pro Bowl talent he showed during the first month of the season, and that’s a shame for a team that still hasn’t come remotely close to replacing Dawkins.

Misleading Stat: Mark Sanchez's Completion Percentage

There are a number of statistics for the 2014 Eagles that don’t accurately portray how both the team and individual players performed. For example, the Eagles scored a franchise-record 474 points, third-most in the league, even though they struggled on offense during a significant portion of the season.

For individual statistics, you could look at Bradley Fletcher’s league-leading 22 passes defensed or Nate Allen’s seven turnovers, as neither played particularly well.

But the most deceiving statistic is Mark Sanchez’s 64.1 completion percentage—the best by a quarterback in Eagles history. That’s what happens when you have a quarterback who simply cannot throw a deep ball. Master of the check down with the Eagles, the most telling game for Sanchez came against the Washington Redskins in Week 16, when the former top-five pick completed 15 of 18 throws to tight end Zach Ertz but averaged just over six yards per pass attempt.

Sanchez completed just 55.1 percent of his passes in New York, so looking at his completion percentage in Philly, you might think he has become a much more accurate player under Chip Kelly. That’s simply not true at all. Don’t be fooled by his high completion percentage or his solid passer rating; he’s still the same fringe starter he was with the Jets.

Best Game: Thanksgiving vs. Dallas

You could make a legitimate case that the current high point of the Chip Kelly era was the beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving afternoon in Week 13.

In a game that was expected to show the team to beat in the NFC East, the Eagles, led by backup quarterback Mark Sanchez, steamrolled the Cowboys. LeSean McCoy rushed 25 times for 159 yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles intercepted Tony Romo twice. It was a glorious moment, one that feels like years ago. Against all odds, the Eagles lost their next three games to miss the postseason.

Best Play: Jeremy Maclin Catch

You have to feel bad for Jeremy Maclin because it seems like whatever the guy does, he’s overshadowed by someone else.

Take the San Francisco game in Week 4. It’s a game most will remember for the Eagles’ offensive ineptitude, and while that’s correct, let’s not forget about the insane, unbelievable one-handed catch by Maclin in the final minutes.

It was 3rd-and-14, the Eagles trailed 26-21 and Nick Foles attempted a sideline pass for Maclin. The pass was just a little out of reach but Maclin stuck out his one arm and somehow pulled the ball in. It was a 22-yard completion, a play the 49ers subsequently challenged and lost.

According to Pro-Football-Reference, Maclin’s catch took the Eagles’ chances of winning from 13.3 percent to 39.6 percent. It’s a shame the Eagles weren’t able to punch the ball in from the one-yard line because Maclin’s catch, now forgotten, was one of the best you will ever see.

Season-Defining Moment: Botched Kick Recovery vs. Dallas

When you have a 9-3 team that loses three straight games to improbably eliminate themselves from playoff contention before Week 17, your season-defining moment is likely going to have happened during that three-game losing streak.

There are a number of plays that stand out: LeSean McCoy’s lost fumble on the first play of the third quarter against Seattle, Malcolm Jenkins’ dropped interception touchdown against Seattle, the go-ahead drive by Dallas on Sunday night in Week 15. But no play stands out more than the first play against Dallas in Week 15.

Before a packed home crowd, the Eagles played the Cowboys in a game that would end up deciding the winner of the NFC East. The most important play of the 2014 season for the Eagles came on Dan Bailey’s opening kickoff that the Eagles somehow, inexplicably, incredibly failed to recover. It was essentially a 47-yard onside kick that returner Josh Huff and Brad Smith couldn’t handle. The loose ball bounced once before it was snagged by Dallas defensive back C.J. Spillman.

You know what happened next: Philadelphia fell into a 21-0 hole, only to climb out of it and take an improbable 24-21 lead. But the combination of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant proved too much for an overmatched Eagles squad that was yet again playing with their backup quarterback.