The Eagles clinched the playoffs with one game remaining. This is an incredible accomplishment that we should all take a minute to appreciate. The Eagles began this season with
- A first year head with no head coaching experience
- A first year defensive coordinator
- A second round pick quarterback who was in his first year starting
- A team coming off a 4 win season
How did this happen? They started 2-5 and were considered a mess. Nick Sirianni stayed positive and preached keeping together and improving 1% every day. Many of us laughed at his cliches and his unusual anecdotes where he compared the Eagles to a flower. The leaders on the team did not. They bought into Sirianni’s passion and care for the team. They continued to fight and when the schedule got easier the Birds started winning and gaining confidence. Now they are 9-7 and in the playoffs. What were the key things that got them there? My thoughts are below.
Sirianni’s willingness to adjust. The coach wanted to do a lot of run-pass option plays. He thought the combination of Jalen Hurts legs and his quick receivers would be too much for teams to handle. It didn’t work. Hurts is young and needed more time to get to know the speed of the NFL. Sirianni reviewed what was happening and turned into a run first team. It worked. The Eagles had a string of 7 straight games with over 175 yards rushing. Hurts got better because he was asked to do less. The line got a chance to bully other teams and got better as well. Most importantly we saw that our coach is willing to adjust. This bodes well for him in the long term.
This team has great leadership. They have made the playoffs 4 out of the past 5 seasons. Players like Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, Rodney McCleod, and Lane Johnson know how to win and remain calm when things aren’t going well. Their leadership is a huge part of the reason this team continues to excel. While many of these players are older, there is a new generation of calm leaders coming up. Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith have that same quiet confidence. DeVonta could have another 20 catches this season on a team with a pass first offense, but he is not complaining. He is happy to win. Jalen Hurts is never flustered. Every team has ups and downs during a season. Great teams and great players remain calm win or lose. As Barry Sanders used to say “Act like you’ve been there before.”
Finally, this team was built the right way. Both lines are the heart of the team and they are both very good, if not great. The bad teams get early draft picks and select skill position players. They look good when things are going well and get the fans excited. Good teams build lines that can last for years. The Eagles have not gotten every draft right, but they invest in the right places and that is why they keep winning.
This team is probably not a super bowl team, but they are fun to watch. They have a lot of young talent and a number of draft picks for next year. Let’s enjoy the ride this year and see how quickly they can turn this strong foundation into a true super bowl contender.
Posidelphia 