Eagles Football

I remember as a kid playing football with my friends in the neighborhood. I never played organized football, just some two touch in the driveway or no pads no helmet tackle on the lawns in front of the houses. . .that was always fun since I was usually one of the smaller players on the field. However, it didn't stop me from trying (and sometimes succeeding) to tackle the bigger guys. It was kind of a right of passage for us.

I'm not really sure when I started to love professional football. As a kid in the 70's, everyone liked the Dallas Cowboys. Names like Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett were the guys that made the Cowboys "America's Team". Those days are long gone! My hometown Philadelphia Eagles are my team now. I've been watching and rooting for them for years and have raised my kids to love the Eagles as well (Some would call that ideal parenting!). The Cowboys? They're just a hated rival anymore. Cowboys fans will tell you, "Hey, we have 5 rings!" That may be true, but your team has done NOTHING for over 20 years now, a team that was once a perennial contender is average at best (yes, that's the Philly fan coming out in me now!). And if you grew up in or around the Philadelphia area, how is it that you're a Cowboys fan? We have a word for that . . it's called FRAUD!!

But I digress, I'm not writing about the Cowgirls here or how much I hate them, I'm writing about my beloved Eagles and how I love to see them beat the Cowpunks.

The Eagles won Superbowl LII. Their MVP candidate QB, Carson Wentz, tore his ACL/MCL in week 14 of the season against the LA Rams on a play where he ran the ball into the end zone, but the touchdown was called back due to a penalty. Even though he tore up his knee on that play, he stayed in the game for 4 more plays which included him passing for a touchdown! Think he's tough?! (I was just reminded that this touchdown broke the all-time single-season passing touchdown record in Eagles history which was set in 1961)

As we saw him walk off the field, we knew that a promising season could be walking off with him. Enter Nick Foles. Nick came into the game and finished it off, brought the Eagles back from behind and won the game. The things that happened after that are what legends are made of. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt in my mind that we were heading for a championship season, but no one in their wildest dreams could have imagined how things went down for the Eagles in 2017. After watching the Eagles ups and downs for so many years, I was convinced that I would never in my lifetime see a championship. I'm so happy I was wrong!!

The team was plagued with injuries but never gave up. Each player that came in to replace an injured player stepped up their game, it was unbelievable to watch what was going on. They were underdogs in every game and the team wore that stamp as a badge of honor as they donned dog masks after each win. Then, on the biggest stage and the biggest game of the year, they beat arguably one of the best, if not the best, QB's to ever play the game and the Lombardi trophy came to Philadelphia. Nick Foles is an absolute stud and won MVP of that Superbowl! The poise and leadership he displayed will never be forgotten and the man will never have to pay for a drink in Philly for the rest of his life. They tagged him as the backup QB, but obviously, he's much more than that.

After the Superbowl win, my boys and I went out to celebrate with the rest of the nutty Eagles fans in the freezing cold of winter. We drove over to Philly, honked our way around the Northeast and ended up walking around Cottman and Frankford with thousands of others. We then drove around downtown and tried to get down Broad Street, but that wasn't happening.

We were up at 5:30 AM Thursday morning to go to the parade. Drove to Bridge and Pratt and took the El (Septa gave everyone free rides!) to the end of the line and found a spot under a tree around 3 blocks from the Art Museum. Big screens were replaying the game while everyone waited for the team to come down the parade route. It was a long, exhausting, emotional, sometimes frustrating, but altogether amazing day that we'll never forget!

When the 2018 season began, Carson hadn't been cleared to play and Nick started the first two games going 1-1. Then Carson came in. The season wasn't really going as planned for the defending champs, and while we saw flashes of the MVP candidate Carson Wentz, you could tell he wasn't completely healed, whether it was physical or mental, or a bit of both. However, there were also still players hurt from last year. More injuries plagued the team yet again and was hampering their progress. Then a report came out about Carson having a fractured vertebrae and ultimately they shut him down for the season. After 10 games the team was only 4-6 and it didn't look like they would get to the playoffs.

Once again, enter Nick Foles. In an unimaginable stretch of six games, the team went 5-1 to end up 9-7 for the season. They needed to win their last game and also needed the Chicago Bears to beat the Minnesota Vikings to make it to the wild card round of the playoffs. As if the universe was saying this was going to happen, it did! The following week, they played those same Chicago Bears and with the last seconds ticking off the clock and the Eagles ahead by 1 point, the Bears final field goal attempt was tipped, hit the left upright of the goal post, bounced off of the crossbar and fell to the field. A double doink! NO GOOD!

The Eagles went to the next round against the Saints and on the very first play of the game got an interception against one of the best QB's in the game. The Eagles defensive player that got that ball wasn't even on the team in the beginning of the season and was picked up by the Eagles to fill a need due to all of the injuries that once again plagued the defense. Two quick scores and the Eagles were up 14-0 as if it was fate once again that Nick Foles would lead the team to the promised land.

Ahhhh. . .but it was not to be. The Saints turned the game around but only scored 20 points. The Eagles were down to their last drive and were doing well until a Nick Foles pass went through the hands of Alshon Jeffery and into the hands of a Saints player to essentially end the game. No one on either side had any doubt that if Alshon catches that pass, the Eagles go on to score and win the game. Yet it wasn't to be.

Alshon laid down on the field with his hands covering his head, totally distraught. Nick Foles went over and picked him up and they walked off the field together. Alshon was met at the sidlines by Doug Pederson who tried to console him. Nick Foles tried as well but Alshon has such high expectations of himself, he seemed inconsolable. That was only the 3rd pass he dropped all season. This guy was a huge reason why they won the Superbowl and he's made some amazing catches this year, including in the game against the Bears, that either kept us in or helped us win games. It was hard to be angry and after the initial shock wore off, true Eagles fans showed Alshon and the rest of the team nothing but love. Yes, winning the Superbowl the previous season definitely gave them some clout this year, but the fans really stepped up and realized how hard these guys fought through adversity to get to where they were.

Now there seems to be a Quarterback controversy. Nick Foles is set to be a free agent and will most likely be leaving the Eagles nest. Many fans want to see him back as an Eagle, but it's unlikely that the team will pick up his $20 million option, or tag him as a franchise player which would pay him $25 million. It seems as though the only reason the Eagles might do that, is to get a trade in place with another team and take advantage of Fole's value at this point in his career.

Carson Wentz is healing from his back injury and will be ready to go for training camp this year. That's good news for Eagles fans as he had no training camp or pre-season this year coming off of his torn ACL/MCL. I've always heard that the knee injury he sustained is really a two year injury. Yes, you can come back usually around twelve months, although Carson worked his butt off and did it in nine. But it really takes two years for stability and for the injury to heal properly.

Carson has clearly been frustrated these past two seasons. He was playing lights out in 2017, and although the wins/losses didn't reflect it, statistically he was having a pretty good 2018 as well. Unfortunately, both seasons ended early for him due to injury. However, here is my opinion on the QB situation. I absolutely love both of these guys. No one anticipated the success that Nick Foles had over the past two seasons, let alone being the Superbowl LII MVP (I can't write that without smiling and tearing up!). I would love for him to stay here for the rest of his career, but the Eagles made a huge commitment when they drafted Carson Wentz as the number two overall pick in 2016. He is still unproven in the playoffs but certainly has the capability to get there and win.

Some fans think the team should see what kind of trade value they could get for Wentz, but I think that's a big mistake. I see him as the future of this team who could potentially play here for another ten years. Nick was phenominal when we needed him to step up, but he deserves a starting job and I don't see that happening if he stays.

Only time will tell for both of these athletes, but I see Carson Wentz coming back in 2019, staying healthy, and having a great year with another potential Superbowl run. Look, I could certainly be wrong, but that's just how I feel, and I hope with all of my being that I'm right! Nick Foles will forever be a legend in Philly and will always be welcome here in any capacity, I just hope wherever he ends up, that he does well and keeps his legacy alive. That is of course unless he ends up with the New York Giants or the Washington Redskins!!

GO BIRDS!!