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Playoffs? Believe it or not, Birds still in the mix
What's that? Ah – playoffs? Don't talk about – playoffs?! You kidding me?! Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game! Another game! (Colts head coach Jim Mora, Nov. 25, 2001)
The only thing left for the Eagles to grab onto is the notion that just maybe the rest of the division isn't very good, either.
Because as awful as the Eagles have been, the reality is that we still can't quite write them off yet. Not completely.
There doesn’t appear to be an elite team in the NFC East, and as hard as the Eagles have tried to destroy their season, parity is trying to save it.
The bad news is that the Eagles stink. Can't stop the run. Can't protect the quarterback. Can't hang onto the football. Can't tackle. The good news is that if they beat the Redskins on Sunday in Landover, they can actually see their way back into the NFC East race.
A win combined with a Giants’ loss to the Bills would mean the Eagles at 2-4 would have only one fewer win than the division leaders with a bye week to regroup and then 10 more weeks to try and figure out how to win some games.
It would also mean they’re 1-1 in the NFC East with four games to go.
OK, hoping that the 2011 NFC East turns into the 2010 NFC West is not exactly what this season was supposed to be all about. But right now, it’s the best we can do.
Last year, the Seahawks won the NFC West at 8-8 despite losing seven of nine games at one point late in the season. They went on to beat the Saints in a wild-card game.
Since the NFL went to its current playoff format in 1990, with six playoff teams in each conference, five teams have opened a season 1-4 and reached the postseason, most recently Cullen Jenkins and the 2004 Packers.
The others: The 1992 Chargers, 1993 Oilers and the Titans and Jets in 2002.
Of that group, the 1993 Oilers – with Buddy Ryan as defensive coordinator – won the most games, going 10-0 over the final 10 games to finish 12-4 before losing in the second round of the playoffs.
Ryan’s one-time defensive coordinator, Jeff Fisher, had the team that went the deepest after a 1-4 start. The 2002 Titans reached the AFC Championship Game, losing to the Raiders, who were coached by one-time Eagles offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
During the 21 years since the NFL went to the current format, 110 teams have opened a season with a 1-4 record, so mathematically, it’s about a 4½ percent shot the Eagles are looking at. For the Eagles, in this division, it’s probably a bit higher.
But not much.
“There is plenty of time left,” DeSean Jackson said. “It’s the NFL. There are 11 weeks left. As far of time, we’ve got plenty of time, man. That’s not the issue.”
The issue? Turnovers and run defense are the biggest ones. The Eagles are at or near the bottom of the NFL in both crucial categories.
Their 15 turnovers are most in the league, and their 140 rushing yards allowed per game are third-most.
You would think reducing turnovers could be doable. Michael Vick historically has never thrown a lot of picks, and Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant have historically been sure-handed. Stop giving the ball away, and the way the Eagles are moving the ball – 447, 375, 513 and 489 yards the last four weeks is unprecedented in NFL history in a four-game losing streak – they might score 50 points a game.
Run defense may be more of a challenge, especially with Antonio Dixon out for the year and Trent Cole out for at least the Redskins game.
But one thing the Eagles have going for them is that historically under Reid they’ve gotten better and better as the year has gone on.
Since 1999, they’re 28-24 (.538) the first quarter of the season, 29-20 the second quarter (.592), 30-16-1 the third quarter (.649) and 32-16 the final quarter (.667).
Now, it sure doesn’t seem like the Eagles are on the brink of turning anything around, but the schedule is favorable, too.
Everything we’re mulling over here is based on the Eagles beating the Redskins Sunday, and if they do, only two of their first nine opponents after the bye currently have a winning record, and four of their next five games are at home.
If they can beat the Redskins, their next three games look winnable – vs. the 2-2 Cowboys, 2-3 Bears and 1-4 Cards.
Then again, the way things are going, does any game really look winnable? If the Eagles lost ‘em all, it wouldn’t be surprising, either.
What if the whole thing falls apart?
The Eagles have had three one-win seasons in franchise history, most recently in 1940. Their last two-win season was 1972. Their last three-win season was 1998.
All were the head coach’s final season.
Playoffs? Believe it or not, Birds still in the mix
What's that? Ah – playoffs? Don't talk about – playoffs?! You kidding me?! Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game! Another game! (Colts head coach Jim Mora, Nov. 25, 2001)
The only thing left for the Eagles to grab onto is the notion that just maybe the rest of the division isn't very good, either.
Because as awful as the Eagles have been, the reality is that we still can't quite write them off yet. Not completely.
There doesn’t appear to be an elite team in the NFC East, and as hard as the Eagles have tried to destroy their season, parity is trying to save it.
The bad news is that the Eagles stink. Can't stop the run. Can't protect the quarterback. Can't hang onto the football. Can't tackle. The good news is that if they beat the Redskins on Sunday in Landover, they can actually see their way back into the NFC East race.
A win combined with a Giants’ loss to the Bills would mean the Eagles at 2-4 would have only one fewer win than the division leaders with a bye week to regroup and then 10 more weeks to try and figure out how to win some games.
It would also mean they’re 1-1 in the NFC East with four games to go.
OK, hoping that the 2011 NFC East turns into the 2010 NFC West is not exactly what this season was supposed to be all about. But right now, it’s the best we can do.
Last year, the Seahawks won the NFC West at 8-8 despite losing seven of nine games at one point late in the season. They went on to beat the Saints in a wild-card game.
Since the NFL went to its current playoff format in 1990, with six playoff teams in each conference, five teams have opened a season 1-4 and reached the postseason, most recently Cullen Jenkins and the 2004 Packers.
The others: The 1992 Chargers, 1993 Oilers and the Titans and Jets in 2002.
Of that group, the 1993 Oilers – with Buddy Ryan as defensive coordinator – won the most games, going 10-0 over the final 10 games to finish 12-4 before losing in the second round of the playoffs.
Ryan’s one-time defensive coordinator, Jeff Fisher, had the team that went the deepest after a 1-4 start. The 2002 Titans reached the AFC Championship Game, losing to the Raiders, who were coached by one-time Eagles offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
During the 21 years since the NFL went to the current format, 110 teams have opened a season with a 1-4 record, so mathematically, it’s about a 4½ percent shot the Eagles are looking at. For the Eagles, in this division, it’s probably a bit higher.
But not much.
“There is plenty of time left,” DeSean Jackson said. “It’s the NFL. There are 11 weeks left. As far of time, we’ve got plenty of time, man. That’s not the issue.”
The issue? Turnovers and run defense are the biggest ones. The Eagles are at or near the bottom of the NFL in both crucial categories.
Their 15 turnovers are most in the league, and their 140 rushing yards allowed per game are third-most.
You would think reducing turnovers could be doable. Michael Vick historically has never thrown a lot of picks, and Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant have historically been sure-handed. Stop giving the ball away, and the way the Eagles are moving the ball – 447, 375, 513 and 489 yards the last four weeks is unprecedented in NFL history in a four-game losing streak – they might score 50 points a game.
Run defense may be more of a challenge, especially with Antonio Dixon out for the year and Trent Cole out for at least the Redskins game.
But one thing the Eagles have going for them is that historically under Reid they’ve gotten better and better as the year has gone on.
Since 1999, they’re 28-24 (.538) the first quarter of the season, 29-20 the second quarter (.592), 30-16-1 the third quarter (.649) and 32-16 the final quarter (.667).
Now, it sure doesn’t seem like the Eagles are on the brink of turning anything around, but the schedule is favorable, too.
Everything we’re mulling over here is based on the Eagles beating the Redskins Sunday, and if they do, only two of their first nine opponents after the bye currently have a winning record, and four of their next five games are at home.
If they can beat the Redskins, their next three games look winnable – vs. the 2-2 Cowboys, 2-3 Bears and 1-4 Cards.
Then again, the way things are going, does any game really look winnable? If the Eagles lost ‘em all, it wouldn’t be surprising, either.
What if the whole thing falls apart?
The Eagles have had three one-win seasons in franchise history, most recently in 1940. Their last two-win season was 1972. Their last three-win season was 1998.
All were the head coach’s final season.
