First there was "Practice Gate" with A.I. And, then there was "Hoagie Gate" in 2003 when the Eagles opened up The Linc and wouldn't allow hoagies into the stadium. Then, there was "TO Gate" in 2005. Alas, our latest controversy is here and it's called "OT Gate." Just flip them letters around and with the Eagles you get another controversy. With the Phillies flip 80 around to 08 and you get a winner. Just food for thought!
OT Gate has reached it's fourth day and McNabb spoke about it at his weekly press conference at noon.
When he was asked about whether he has any regrets about not knowing about the OT-tie rule he said he had "no regrets."
I'm not shocked by that one bit. How can he defend himself at this point? It's indefensible. When Andy Reid was grilled about it on Monday he tried his usual BS-spin tactics, but could only offer, "he's not responsible" when asked by a reporter about McNabb's ignorance to the rule.
While some may say we're making a mountain out of a molehill, I couldn't disagree more. This whole thing speaks to the incompetence of the Eagles' organization as a hole and is a microcosm of how far this team has fallen.
They used to be the class of the NFC. We expected them to make a trip to the Conference Title game, not just hope for them to make the playoffs. And, now they are the armpit of the NFC East, just an absolute joke.
When people rip me for destroying this team (like our one reader yesterday) my question to you is this. What exactly has this team done in the past FOUR years?
Four years is a long time.
A presidency lasts four years.
Four years ago our economy was in the midst of a boom. Now, our nation is on the verge of economic collapse.
Four years ago my father was alive.
Four years.
The Eagles are in the state they're in today for one primary reason-talent evaluation. It's horrific. Take a look at their drafts between 2003 and 2007. I'll leave out 2008 since it's unfair to judge rookies.
2003 Draft:
1-J. McDougale
2-L.J. Smith
3-B. McMullen
4-J. Green
6-J. Bridges
7-N. Lejune
2004 Draft:
1-S. Andrews
3-M. Ware
4-JR Reed
4-T. Darilek
5-T. Tapeh
6-A. Hall
6-D. Wynn
7-A. Clark
7-B. Perry
7-D. Furio
2005 Draft:
1-M. Patterson
2-R. Brown
2-M. McCoy
3-R. Moats
4-S. Considine
4-T. Herremans
5-T. Cole
5-S. Young
6-C. Armstrong
7-K. Marshall
7-D. Bergeron
2006 Draft:
1-B. Bunkley
2-W. Justice
3-C. GoCong
4-M. Gilles
4-J. Avant
5-J. Bloom
5-O. Gaither
7-L. Ramsey
2007 Draft:
2-K. Kolb
2-V. Abiamiri
3-S. Bradley
3-T. Hunt
5-C.J. Gaddis
5-B. Celek
6-R. Barksdale
7-N. Iloa
There were a total of 43 players drafted in those five drafts. Out of those 43 players just 17 players remain with the team. And, of those 17 players, just Shawn Andrews, Mike Patterson, Todd Herremans, Trent Cole, Brodrick Bunkley, Omar Gaither, and Stewart Bradley are guys you can call difference makers. And, I'm being very generous because all of the above players have problems staying healthy or playing consistently throughout an entire year.
It's an indictment on an organization when you have five drafts and can come up with just seven players of consequence.
The drafts that really killed this team were in 2004 and 2005, they drafted 21 players and just six of them remain with the team. Just one player (Shawn Andrews) survived the 2004 draft class, where they had ten selections.
I bash Andy Reid and McNabb about as much as any person out there-be in in the blogosphere or in the media. But, he should be fired solely on his poor talent evaluation skills. The supporters or Reid will try to spin it and say how he just has "final say" and pin it on his flunkies like Tom Heckert and Howie Roseman, but the bottom line is he has a huge hand in who plays for this team.
And, you wonder why the Eagles can't get a fullback to block on a friggin' third and one play. Or, why they can't get a push up the middle. They don't learn from their mistakes. What the hell were they thinking of drafting an undersized lineman in Trevor Laws this past year when they clearly needed another playmaker like Felix Jones. Instead they drafted Laws (who stinks) and traded for Lorezno Booker who is more suited to play in the CFL than even on an NFL practice squad.
The only thing that outweighs the Eagles' arrogance is their utter incompetence. They truly are the laughing stock of the NFC East.
It didn't happen overnight as you can see. It started in 2003 after they fired a lot of their quality scouts and let Reid and his flunkies exercise more control.
And, you wonder why they'll be a bottom feeder once again in the NFC East.
McNabb should regret taking the field when he has to suit up with the likes of Low Rent Booker on Sundays. I'd be embarrassed if I had to share the field with stiffs like him and L.J. Smith.
It's been a long way down and the Eagles aren't there yet. And, it will be a long way back up again.
2 comments:
You'll probably find this interesting as it relates to your post today and how far we've fallen in the NFC East. Ever since the Superbowl, counting this season, the Eagles are 7-14 against the NFC East (regular season). Three of those wins are Garcia, and three losses are during the debacle that was the second half of 2005, so the Reid/McNabb combo are 4-11 in the division. That stat pretty much sums up what has happened to this team. Reid can't draft. He can't change his gameplan one bit to adjust to the rest of the division. McNabb is as inconsistent as ever. Yet all we hear is that we're "one or two breaks away" and that Reid "just needs to put them in a better position to win". Well, until both are gone this team won't be in position to win.
Agreed. This team will be a perennial bottom feeder until they clean house. Not confident it will happen though because of the love affair Banner and Lurie have with Reid.
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