CHIRPING BIRDS-Week 9

My thoughts on the Eagles 28-23 loss to the Giants yesterday...

Doug Pederson panicked. He choked last week and panicked  yesterday. After falling behind 14-9 in the early going, Coach Pederson changed his game plan, and instead of going for easy field goals he took two chances on 4th down calls and failed, leaving 6 points on the field (the Eagles lost by 5).

 Rookie coach, making rookie mistakes. Let's not forget that the Eagles were the only team to have interest in Pederson during the off=season. Jeffrey Lurie was looking for an Andy Reid clone, plus someone the front office could control, unlike a Chip Kelly, who wanted total control. Pederson is a puppet- look what happened last week with the Josh Huff situation- and he screwed up time management and play-calling last year with Kansas City, so it shouldn't be a surprise when we see rookie-type, basic mistakes.

It's easy to say -again- how bad the Birds' wide receivers are. Bryce Treggs gives the team a much-needed speed threat. Still, the wide-outs need to catch the ball. There is no number one guy in this offense. Jordan Matthews is at best, a number two option. But they are what they are and this group can't be overhauled until the season ends.

The Eagles had the ball at the end of the game in all 4 of their losses, with a chance to win. Despite the mistakes, turnovers, penalties, etc..they had a chance to win. Carson Wentz has failed in all 4 chances. It hasn't been all his fault, but let the record show that in two-minute warning situations-with the game on the line- Wentz is 0-4 .

I mentioned the awful defensive backs before. Our first round draft pick next spring should be used to grab the best cornerback on the board.

Remember the days, not long ago, when the Eagles had an elite , number one running back and wide receiver? The days of McCoy, Jackson and Maclin seem so far away.

Before the Giant defeat, I thought the Eagles still had a shot at a wild card spot. And they still do, with 5 home games remaining, 3 of them divisional games, with the other two against contenders Atlanta and Green Bay. But now, math is against the Eagles. They are 0-3 in the NFC East and 2-4 in the conference. Beating then undefeated Pittsburgh and Minnesota was terrific, but since, how good are the Steelers and Vikings? It's hard to figure which Eagle squad will show up every week.

No turnovers , scoring first, and controlling the ball were all keys in the early Eagles season. Now, the opposite is true, and the team is losing. It seems like a simple formula: run the ball, keep the defense off the field, take care of the ball, and get off to fast starts.Since the bye week, everything has gone downhill. Throw in questionable coaching decisions, and that tells you why the record is 4-4

4-4 is average. That's the Eagles- average. Mediocre in a watered down league. Eight games remaining. Winning at least six games is a must.10-6 may insure a wild card slot. Despite this, this was deemed a "transition" year, a rebuilding year after Kelly destroyed the franchise. 8-8 brings them an average first-round draft pick. Everything is average about the Philadelphia Eagles. Nothing special.

Beating the Falcons next Sunday would be a good start to coming back. Even then, will the Eagles make the playoffs? Probably not. And if they do, will they go far in the playoffs? Probably not. They just aren't good enough.

Final point: Lurie will give Pederson lots of rope to hang himself this year. He won't pull the plug. He knows Pederson is a rookie coach and he knows the team just isn't good enough. The Eagles could end up 4-12 for the year and Pederson will be back next year.But one question remains: will Jeffrey Lurie EVER get it right?

I made it through week 9 of the WIP Last Fan Standing pool, when Kansas City beat Jacksonville. So far I haven't picked the Eagles, and I don't think I will use them. I don't see one team in the next eight games they can or will positively beat.