The Eagles Can Still Prove They Are the Same Team of Old: But How?

The Eagles, Philly's favorite team, are just not the same any more. 2008's slackers -- DeSean Jacksons, L.J. Smiths... other personality names like Dave Spadaro do not bring back memories of the Eagles of old. 

If you are a longer tenured Philadelphia Eagles fan, you remember Randall Cunningham, and Reggie White.  You probably watched the Body Bag game against, who else?  ...The Washington Redskins.  You may even remember -- even further back, Ron Jaworski.  Yup, he's the same dude from those Aamco commercials, but everything was different back then.

Perhaps, if you had started following the Eagles only a short time ago, you must of course remember the glorious Terrell Owens days.  Admit it, those were the good times.  We rallied back from heart-breaking defeats back then, and the Eagles were always a true contender.

Now, it's the Phillies making all the noise.  It's the Phillies in the mix to make and win the NLCS.  It's the Phillies who everyone is talking about and the reason is that the Eagles have changed.  They are simply not the same.

So, what is it exactly which is different in our modern Eagles?  The way they play? Their record?  It is certainly both of those things, but they also seem to not play with the same heart, the same vigor.

Can the Eagles ever get back on track and become the Eagles team of old?  The answer, again, is simple.

The Eagles can get back on track, but only once we see them starting to win those 3-point games.  Only once we see DeSean Jackson not skip out of bounds, but instead fight for an extra yard.  Only once we see L.J. Smith actually catch a pass over the middle as advertised, and only once we see Donovan McNabb drive down the field with one last effort, reliving the glory days.

We do not want Dave Spadaro's annoying optimism.  We do not want people telling us that we are still good enough to win the Super Bowl.  In true Philly fashion, we first want to see it all happen.  The way it hasn't been happening in 25 long years.

Is that why Philly's attention is now adverted to the Phillies?  Is is because truly, simply all we want is a Championship, and the Phillies have the best chance of getting it?  Or is it because the Phillies fight back, showing the resilience that Philadelphia has always loved.

If the Eagles prove that they do not have "it," Philadelphia may very well become a baseball town.  It is an impending reality, as well as a pattern that only the Eagles can change.

Simply put, they need to win.  Win and win again.  Nobody wants to see them pull off an upset, just to be surprised by a lesser team the very next week.  Philly wants gritty wins, we want dominating wins.  We want them to defeat every team -- but if that's not going to happen, we at least want to see the Eagles fight.

Fight like the Phillies.  Fight like the Philadelphia Eagles team of old.