By Tim McManus
The last thing I feel like doing is defending the Eagles right now.
They’re coming off a 6-10 campaign, one which ignorance and deplorable decision-making factored into the falter as much as T.O. and injuries did.
I am bitter, a bit depressed and have created a bald spot from all the head-scratching over the past several months.
That said, I can’t just let a Stiller fan use the Lombardi Trophy for a soap box as he spews his holier-than-thou (and largely misinformed) opinions about our organization.
(See Jared Trexler's article: 'Steeling players in the draft' below before reading any further).
I didn’t want to do it JT, but you have forced my hand.
First off, if you wanted to say simply that the Steelers have created one of the best franchises in football because they haven’t strayed from their identity, and enforce that persona through quality draft choices, I couldn’t agree more. If you wanted to suggest that most organizations (i.e. Washington, Dallas) focus more on acquiring talent than figuring out how that talent will mesh, I agree.
To say that Philly operates in this matter, however, is an erroneous argument.
Andy Reid is the most stubborn, set-in-his-ways coach in the NFL. He created a blue print the day he was hired, and has followed it so religiously throughout the majority of his tenure that it often got in the way of better judgment.
Namely, he put such an emphasis on the quality of a man’s character that he would choose better guys over better players, and disenfranchised anyone who caused the slightest ripple. As a result, the Eagles were always just a body or two short of a championship team. He had the right idea of filling the club with team-oriented individuals, but took the concept a step too far.
Fortunately for Eagles fans, the rest of Reid’s vision had a great deal of merit to it.
He chose to employ a West Coast offense predicated on spreading the ball around to all of the skill position players. The first necessary ingredient was a stable offensive line and a top-notch signal-caller, so he wisely selected Donovan McNabb and then filled out the line via draft choices and free agency.
Reid wanted running backs who he could use as weapons in the passing game, so he used Duce Staley and drafted Brian Westbrook.
Like Pittsburgh, the Eagles defense is based upon getting pressure on the quarterback, so he signed Kearse and put an emphasis on the secondary in the draft for the times that the blitz didn’t make it to the quarterback. (Say what you want about the money that they shelled out for Kearse, but they still wound up under the cap).
With this system and appropriate parts in place, Philadelphia has gone 65-31 since 2000, has made the playoffs in five of those six years, got to the NFC Championship four times and to the Super Bowl once.
Pittsburgh, in comparison, has gone 64-31-1 in that same time frame, made the playoffs four times, and made it to three conference championships and one Super Bowl (which it obviously won).
So I guess what I’m asking is, where’s this disparity that you speak of? Because you won your Super Bowl, whereas the Eagles fell three points shy to a modern-day dynasty?
Aside from that game, the Eagles have actually had more success than Pittsburgh this decade, using a similar approach of establishing an identity and using the draft and free agency to fill out the missing parts.
The Owens adventure clearly went away from that, as it ignored Reid’s character-first mantra and de-emphasized a balanced passing game. The result was a short-term boost to the big dance, followed by a turbulent 2005.
The weed has been sprayed, however, and now the team is back to its old form. The rift is beginning to mend; the offense will return to its natural style (with perhaps the most complete receiving corps since Reid has been here, especially if Javon Walker comes in as projected) and the defense will rebound from an injury-riddled year.
And come draft day, the Eagles will do what they always do – select the players that they believe will blend in fluidly with their vision.
Yes, an offensive lineman will be part of that equation. Believe it or not, they are a vital part of pass-oriented teams as well (see the Houston Texans versus the Indianapolis Colts).
To say that the Eagles will “banter about a player’s name value” in the war room is to disregard the thorough character analysis that all Philadelphia prospects undergo, and ignores the fact that the Eagles have built one of the most successful franchises in football via the draft.
With a Lombardi Trophy securely under your arm and a horrific Eagles season still clearly in memory, I understand that the two franchises appear to be on different planes.
But if you step off that high horse for a moment, you’ll see they’re actually side-by-side.
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