With
the Eagles' record at 3-4, their season seemingly on the brink of
disaster, and Andy Reid's demise likely hanging in the balance, we
simply are not feeling the big-game vibe that is usually associated with
Monday Night Football in New Orleans. Since the Atlanta Falcons
systematically destroyed the Birds eight days ago, there has been a
creeping feeling the Birds are heading south for the winter.
Sure,
the club have been in this position before under Andy Reid, and still
managed to reach the playoffs. In 2008, the Eagles were 5-5-1 heading
into a Week 13 tilt against Arizona, but routed the Cardinals 48-20 on
Thanksgiving night, and took four out of their last five to sneak into
the playoffs where their run continued all the way to the NFC
Championship game.
In '06, they were 5-6 one game after Donovan
McNabb was lost for the season to a torn ACL when the team suddenly
rallied around Jeff Garcia in a 27-24 Monday night victory over the
Carolina Panthers, the first in a wave of six straight Philly rode into
the second round of the tournament.
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And in '03, they were off to a
miserable 2-3 start, and on the verge of losing in New York before a
Brian Westbrook punt return touchdown bailed the Eagles out with less
than two minutes to go, sparking a stretch of 11 wins over the next 12
games, which led to a third-consecutive NFC Title berth.
Clearly
Reid is no stranger to mid-season adversity, but the theme around town
is it feels different this time. Maybe it's because after 14 years, fans
think they already know how the story is going to end, which is
ultimately with disappointment. Maybe it's because people just want
something new.
But part of it is maybe there really is no reason
to think that magic can be recaptured. After all, who is gonig to bail
Reid out now? To this point, he has generally failed to replace McNabb,
Jim Johnson, and a dozen other guys who formed the backbone of those
teams that just wouldn't quit. The head coach has hitched his wagon to
Vick, to Juan Castillo, to Nnamdi Asomugha and Danny Watkins, among
others.
The makeup of this organization is not the same as it was
four years ago, when the Birds last rebounded out of a sticky
situation. Needless to say, the level of enthusiasm seems to have
changed along with the times, perhaps with good reason.
News
A win
tonight might push the Eagles back into postseason contention, sort of.
However, given how inconsistent Reid's squads have been since 2010 --
only one game above .500, with zero playoff wins -- any sense that a W
will lead to something bigger or better down the road isn't going to be
accomplished overnight.
The Eagles are down, not out, but the
feeling is they may as well be. A win tonight will seem like it's only
delaying the inevitable, while a loss will be like the proverbial pop of
a balloon. It's hard to get excited when those are the two
most-anticipated outcomes.