The Philadelphia Eagles began the 2011 NFL season as the clear-cut favorite to win the NFC East. The season ended with the Eagles packing their bags and heading home after the regular season ended. What went wrong? Murphy’s Law was alive and well in Philadelphia but much of the carnage was avoidable.

Michael Vick needs to bring his “A’ Game the rest of the season.
Photo by: SRA Moses Ross Wikimedia Commons

Is it easier to fire the big man Andy Reid or is it easier to gut this team and rebuild from scratch? There will be serious carryover issues in 2012 and the problems must get addressed now to prepare for next year. Not all is bad with the Eagles and the team has positives to build on.

Bad Chemistry

The Eagles assembled one of the most talented teams in the NFL but they forgot about one important aspect of building a team: Chemistry. Adding Nnamdi Asomugha was a huge coup for Andy Reid and the Eagles front office but it also led to some serious chemistry issues in the secondary, starting with Assante Samuel questioning the move in training camp.

Eagles in Trouble at Quartback Position for Years?

One Eagles front office move that will handcuff the team for years was the signing of Michael Vick to a long-term contract. Vick is going to get injured every season and every time he goes down the Eagles and their fans will suffer. Until the Eagles rid themselves of Vick and get a legitimate quarterback they will never seriously contend in the NFC East.

Then the Eagles added a competent backup in Vince Young but they forgot this is the same guy who led to Jeff Fisher calling it quits after a long tenure with the Titans. Young’s antics in Tennessee led to more than a few gray hairs for Fisher, who took 2011 off to recuperate.

Vince Young compounded the Eagles front office woes by declaring the Philadelphia Eagles a “Dream Team.” The name became a derogatory term later in the season when the team went on a losing streak and eliminated themselves from serious contention to make the NFL Playoffs.

Jason Babin and LeSean McCoy Positives Going Forward

The Eagles did have some bright spots in 2011. LeSean McCoy showed the NFL he is worthy of consideration as a top five NFL back and when Andy Reid allowed him to take over games he did in a big way. McCoy’s running style and never quit attitude led to several key wins for the Eagles but he did break down at the end of the season.

Jason Babin gave the Eagles defense one positive through a dismal first half of the season. Babin gave the Eagles a legitimate pass rush and led to the improvements on defense in the second half. Babin finished the season strong, scoring eight sacks in his last four games and gave Eagles fans something to look forward to in 2012.

DeSean Jackson Must Go

McCoy’s impressive season became overshadowed by the baffling antics of DeSean Jackson. Jackson left the Eagles with no choice but to let him walk once the free agency period begins. The Eagles blew their chance to trade Jackson but there are options they can look into.

The Eagles can franchise tag Jackson and then trade him after he signs. This will be a tough move to pull off since Jackson’s brash attitude will clash with most quarterbacks and receivers in the NFL. The Eagles have already blown any chance to get value for Jackson and their best bet is to move up the NFL Draft board and snag Justin Blackmon of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Blackmon is Terrell Owens and Randy Moss rolled into one without being a head case.

*Todd Jacobs lives in Las Vegas but has been a Philadelphia Eagles fan since the ’70s. Members of Todd’s family were devout Eagles fans and he had little choice but to follow the Eagles from an early age.

Sources:

ESPN Clubhouse: Philadelphia Eagles news and stats.

Reading Eagle: Jackson facing uncertain future in Philly

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Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick reflected on the Eagles season today and the future as his team heads for an early offseason after they were eliminated from playoff contention.

Vick on the realization that his season is ending on Sunday:

“Yeah, it was hard. I was just out on the field just saying to myself it wasn’t supposed to end like this. But I think God has a defined plan for everything that goes on in everybody’s lives and all of the guys in this locker room and it all remains to be seen. So we just have to keep the faith and keep believing and just pray that better days are ahead and I think they are.”

Vick on the fans who were disappointed with the season Philadelphia has had:

“We’re all going through it together. We want to win just as bad as they do and, you know, certain things just didn’t happen the way that we wanted them to and this is where the chips fell. So hopefully, we’re all disappointed and wish that the outcome could have been different but we apologize and hopefully we can give them want they want very soon.”

Vick didn’t want to go into details on what he wanted to work on during Sunday’s game. He did say that he didn’t feel any pressure to win a Super Bowl next season, although it will be a goal of his, as it is every season.

For more Eagles coverage, visit our team page or our blog Bleeding Green Nation.

The Eagles (7-8) are going home after their game Sunday against the Washington Redskins (5-10). It’s the first time since 2007 they didn’t make the playoffs and just the fourth time it’s happened in coach Andy Reid’s 13 seasons.

That doesn’t soften the blow.

“Obviously 8-8 wasn’t our goal,” quarterback Michael Vick said Wednesday. “We expected to be in the playoffs. I think we have to take all the positives we can learn from this season and hopefully we’ll come back and look like a different team next year.”

As the season winds down, the Eagles are playing their best football. They’ve won three straight games and have outscored their opponents 91-36 in that span. The problem is they didn’t play that well in the beginning. A 1-4 start doomed Philadelphia.

“As coaches and as players, I think you’re asked that question you’re going to say, ‘We wanted it to happen Week 1.’” Reid said. “In reality, there were a lot of moving parts and that didn’t happen. A lot of that is my responsibility, to make sure that that gets taken care of. There are a lot of things I could have done better with that. The bottom line is they’re together now, and they have an opportunity to play a good football team and continue to get better as a unit.”

Vick and the rest of the healthy starters will be out there for the final time this season against the Redskins. LeSean McCoy, Jason Peters and Jason Babin get another chance to play in the Pro Bowl on Jan. 29.

It’s somewhat of a rare sight to see starters playing in the last game. Reid rested his regulars in the finale three times in the previous seven years because the Eagles already had a playoff berth locked up and couldn’t affect their seeding with a win.

Considering Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson sustained a serious knee injury last week, there was some though that Reid would give his backups more playing time. But he has no plans to treat this as a glorified preseason game.

“When you love the game of football, you always have to play with pride and passion, because you never know which game may be your last,” Vick said. “I’ll never just sit there and say, ‘There’s nothing to play for.’ That wasn’t the mindset I had when I first put on a helmet when I was 7-years-old and it’s not my mindset today.”

The Eagles, who entered the season with Super Bowl expectations and tons of hype, missed an opportunity to win a mediocre division because of their struggles early in the season.

Five of their first six losses were by 7 points or less and they blew a fourth-quarter lead five times. Part of the problem was too many new players and new coaches trying to make adjustments to new schemes. But sloppiness also was a major issue. Poor tackling, failure to execute fundamentals and turnovers were key factors in all their losses.

“I think, maybe it was an adjustment, maybe it was just not having a sense of urgency or unity,” defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. “You know, there’s a lot of things that you can sit there and think about, but we just, for whatever reason, didn’t do it early, but we’ve pulled together. This team has had a lot of resolve and a lot of fight in them and that’s good because that’s something that you have to have, something you look for.”

Still, it’s too late to matter this season.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP Photo

FILE – In this Dec. 18, 2011, file photo, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) scores a touchdown as New York Jets defensive back Kyle Wilson can’t make the stop in the first half of an NFL football game in Philadelphia. Labeled the “Dream Team” by backup quarterback Vince Young, the Eagles were a nightmare instead. The defending NFC East champions were the talk of the NFL after a wild offseason spending spree that brought several former Pro Bowl players to Philadelphia. But the team

A meaningless regular-season game for the Philadelphia Eagles usually means resting their starters for the playoffs.
Not this year.
The Eagles (7-8) are going home after Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins (5-10). It’s the first time since 2007 they didn’t make the playoffs and just the fourth time it’s happened in coach Andy Reid’s 13 seasons.
That doesn’t soften the blow.
“Obviously 8-8 wasn’t our goal,” quarterback Michael Vick said Wednesday. “We expected to be in the playoffs. I think we have to take all the positives we can learn from this season and hopefully we’ll come back and look like a different team next year.”
As the season winds down, the Eagles are playing their best football. They’ve won three straight games and have outscored their opponents 91-36 in that span. The problem is they didn’t play that well in the beginning. A 1-4 start doomed Philadelphia.
“As coaches and as players, I think you’re asked that question you’re going to say ‘We wanted it to happen Week 1.’” Reid said. “In reality, there were a lot of moving parts and that didn’t happen. A lot of that is my responsibility, to make sure that that gets taken care of. There are a lot of things I could have done better with that. The bottom line is they’re together now, and they have an opportunity to play a good football team and continue to get better as a unit.”
Vick and the rest of the healthy starters will be out there for the final time this season against the Redskins. LeSean McCoy, Jason Peters and Jason Babin get another chance to play in the Pro Bowl on Jan. 29.
It’s somewhat of a rare sight to see starters playing in the last game. Reid rested his regulars in the finale three times in the previous seven years because the Eagles already had a playoff berth locked up and couldn’t affect their seeding with a win.
Considering Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson sustained a serious knee injury last week, there was some though that Reid would give his backups more playing time. But he has no plans to treat this as a glorified preseason game.
“When you love the game of football, you always have to play with pride and passion, because you never know which game may be your last,” Vick said. “I’ll never just sit there and say, ‘There’s nothing to play for.’ That wasn’t the mindset I had when I first put on a helmet when I was 7-years-old and it’s not my mindset today.”
The Eagles, who entered the season with Super Bowl expectations and tons of hype, missed an opportunity to win a mediocre division because of their struggles early in the season.
Five of their first six losses were by 7 points or fewer and they blew a fourth-quarter lead five times. Part of the problem was too many new players and new coaches trying to make adjustments to new schemes. But sloppiness also was a major issue. Poor tackling, failure to execute fundamentals and turnovers were key factors in all their losses.
“I think, maybe it was an adjustment, maybe it was just not having a sense of urgency or unity,” defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. “You know, there’s a lot of things that you can sit there and think about, but we just, for whatever reason, didn’t do it early, but we’ve pulled together. This team has had a lot of resolve and a lot of fight in them and that’s good because that’s something that you have to have, something you look for.”
Still, it’s too late to matter this season.

Coming out of a prolonged labor stoppage that forced the cancellation of all offseason activities, the Philadelphia Eagles nevertheless proceeded with their plan to rebuild the roster and forge ahead when the NFL Lockout finally ended in July.

During a hastily assembled training camp at Lehigh University, two particular catch-phrases quickly came to symbolize what the 2012 Eagles were supposed to be all about: “Dream Team” and “All In.”

What unfolded instead was a nightmare that left them all out of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

The Eagles’ epic failure to live up to expectations is The Morning Call’s No. 3 regional sports story of the year.

After winning their opener with a blowout victory at St. Louis, the Eagles dropped their next four. Three of the losses came when the defense, under first-year coordinator Juan Castillo, failed to protect fourth-quarter leads.

Castillo and the defense would come under further fire after the Eagles failed in consecutive November games to protect fourth-quarter leads at home, against the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals, to fall to 3-6.

The 21-17 loss to Arizona served as the flashpoint of the season, not only because the Eagles squandered another lead, but because wide receiver DeSean Jackson was held out of the game for disciplinary reasons while so many of their other key players were injured.

Quarterback Michael Vick missed the next three games, two of them losses, with cracked ribs. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie also sat out the next three with an ankle sprain. King Dunlap, a valuable reserve offensive lineman and special teams player, suffered a concussion and missed three games as well.

Those next three games all but mathematically knocked the Eagles out of playoff contention. Although they haven’t lost since, they were officially eliminated shortly after taking the field against the Dallas Cowboys last Saturday, when the New York Giants wrapped up a victory over the New York Jets.

For the Eagles (7-8), the first three-game winning streak of the season thus means very little because they took too long to put everything together.

Nine new starters, including six on defense, and 24 players overall who weren’t on the team last season are among the current 53-man roster. What’s more, the Eagles have new offensive and defensive line coaches, who have introduced radical alterations to the team’s previous methods.

Their offense and special teams have faltered to the tune of an NFL-high 36 turnovers and the league’s second-worst turnover margin (minus-12).

Quarterback Michael Vick, so brilliant in becoming the league’s comeback player of the year in 2010, has been a fragile interception machine who wasn’t available for, or has been unable to, finish four of the Eagles eight losses.

As a result, a potential record-breaking season by running back LeSean McCoy (1,309 rushing yards, 20 total TDs, 48 runs of 10 yards or more, franchise-best 4.8 yards per career rush) has turned bittersweet.

Coming Thursday: The No. 2 Regional Sports Story of the Year.

nick.fierro@mcall.com

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