Philadelphia Eagles: Why Eagles Dream Team Won't Wake Up from Nightmare in 2011

The Philadelphia Eagles were labeled as the “dream team” before the season started, but so far, 2011 has been more like a nightmare.

They are now 1-2 on the season after falling 29-16 to the New York Giants on the road, but that was just adding insult to injury.

The story of the game was not a happy one for Eagles fans.

Star quarterback Michael Vick was knocked out of the game with what was later diagnosed as a broken right hand.

The fortunate news is that it’s not his throwing hand, but seeing Vick on the field anytime soon for the Eagles is the only dream left in Philadelphia.

It’s been a rough season so far, and I don’t see it getting any better.

Here’s a few reason why the Eagles won’t be waking up from this nightmare anytime soon:

Backup Situation

The Eagles went out and got Vince Young to be the backup for Vick, but so far they haven't even been able to utilize him.

While Mike Kafka did look good at times, there is absolutely no comparing him to Vick.

There is no way the two make up for the 3,018 yards, 21 touchdowns, 676 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground that Vick put up last season.

The drop-off in talent from Vick to either Young or Kafka is devastating for the Eagles, and I doubt that either player would be able to lead them to a big-time win against a good opponent.

Missed Tackles

For a team that was supposed to be on lock-down defensively, they sure haven't fit the bill so far.

They've given up 5.3 yards per carry on the ground and just don't seem to have a fundamental grasp on tackling.

Against the Giants they gave up big plays because of missed tackles from Kurt Coleman, Nate Allen and even Nnamdi Asomugha.

This is not what we expected out of the Eagles defense.

Offensive Line

The offensive line has been abysmal so far, and you could argue they are the reason Vick got hurt.

Vick has been under constant pressure in the pocket, and they've allowed him to get hit far too many times, especially for a quarterback of his stature and history of injury.

They've given up nine sacks so far this season in three games—a stat that speaks for itself.

Tough NFC

Simply put, the NFC is far too good to have many weaknesses, and there is no way the Eagles can be a top team without Vick.

With teams like the Packers and Lions looking good in the North, the Falcons and Saints in the South, and even the Giants and Redskins in their own division, the Eagles don't have the luxury of having a weakness.

Unfortunately, they were a team with flaws with Vick, so it's hard to expect much out of them without him.