The Difference of Desperation

By Steven Lienert

To listen to Jeffrey Lurie or Joe Banner tell it, the Eagles want to win. But there's something missing in their voices and it's desperation. The Linc is already sold out for years, Eagles merchandise flies off the shelf and the team is in great financial shape.

But not spending more of that cash under the cap sends a message to the fans -- we want to win, but we're not going to mortgage the future to do it.

Eric Moulds wants, gulp, $5 million a year for three years? Why pay a 32-old receiver that much money? Because the Eagles have no choice. He's a big, true No. 1 receiver and $5M out of the $102M cap figure doesn't seem like that much to pay.

The Bills want a fourth-round pick in return. The Eagles will not get a player of Moulds' caliber with that pick. And the Birds always have the option of cutting him after the second year. So what's the problem?

Oh, the Eagles don't pay that kind of money to players over 30. The old man won't be able to learn Andy Reid's complicated version of the West Coast offense. Besides, Reid is fine with the fact that running back Brian Westbrook is the team's best wide receiver.

Yes, I believe the Eagles want to win. But the fans are desperate for a winner, and that's where the organization and its fans don't see eye-to-eye.

Not only is it time to mortgage the future, it might be time to make a different deal with another devil.

What if someone like Jimmy Johnson, the same guy Philly fans pelted with snowballs during the Buddy Ryan days, wanted to come the Eagles? What if the former architect of three Super Bowl champions wanted to leave his cush gig next to Howie and Terry to push the Birds over the top? Would you fire Andy Reid and bring in the Coiffed-One?

I would.

Under Reid, the players, namely Mr. McNabb, have become too comfortable. The offense has become too predictable. It seems to me that Reid is at the end of his infamous binder, and the league has caught up with him. Furthermore, players and teams are on to how the Eagles operate, and it hasn't sat well.

What Lurie and company doesn't understand is that we need to win -- now.

After that, the Eagles can go 1-15 for 10 years. They can have all the cap room they ever wanted and not spend a dime -- we won't care. One year, one Lombardi, one parade... then we'll get off your back.

We'll still show up, we'll still buy your DVDs and foam fingers, we'll even still boo while we're there. But the booing won't have that "are-we-gonna-win-once-in-my-lifetime" venom behind it. We won't boo like we're going to kill somebody.

I don't want the Birds to be Salary Cap Champions. I want the Eagles to be NFL Champions.

You want a kinder, gentler Eagles fan? Do whatever it takes to win a freakin' title.

-You can contact Steven Lienert at stevelienert@hotmail.com