Wanted: A playmaker
QB Donovan McNabb
Philadelphia Eagles fans are known to be a fickle, demanding, overbearing, passionate and faithful group of people. Collectively, their faith has dwindled, not in the Eagles as a team but in head coach Andy Reid’s and quarterback Donovan McNabb’s ability to jointly lead this team to the Promised Land.
Many fans are upset at this hour that the rotund Reid and seemingly unflappable McNabb are indeed returning in 2009 for another crack at it, but rest assured that this is the right move for the organization. Every team’s fans can hope, dream and wish their way to a world championship, but the reality is the team needs to have the goods on the field to deliver when it counts.
A few things in Philly need to change for the Eagles to be more successful, but I’m going to focus on the most apparent issue at hand. First and foremost, bring in a playmaker at wide receiver. I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been spewed a million times over again, but this is as simple as it gets. Do you think owner Jeffrey Lurie and team president Joe Banner remember a guy named Terrell Owens? No? Have they intentionally erased him from their respective memory banks so soon? Does the stat line of 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in as many games sound familiar? Do they remember appearing in their only Super Bowl that year? Have they forgotten? Does general manager Tom Heckert plead for a stud wideout to the powers that be? If so, does it fall on deaf ears?
It’s OK, not all great pass catchers are selfish, egotistical, franchise-disrupting team cancers. Just because you were burned once doesn’t mean it will necessarily happen again.
Eagles fans are often quick to point the finger at Reid and McNabb. While they should not be absolved of all blame, will Lurie and Banner ever get the proper censure they deserve? Don’t get me wrong, I know fans myself who are calling for their heads, but “something” rolls down hill, as the modified rendition of the old saying goes.
Heckert needs to be screaming from the rooftops if that’s what it takes for his bosses to recognize a top-flight wide receiver is their No. 1 priority this offseason. Generally, I believe starting in the trenches is the first place an inconsistent team should look, and the Eagles need to get healthy up front – there’s no denying that. However, a healthy Shawn Andrews (back) and Jon Runyan (knee) at 100 percent should help immediately to improve this unit.
No disrespect is intended toward wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis or Reggie Brown – well, maybe Brown – but none of these guys have shown to be on their way to elite in the immediate future. Jackson appears to be the best of the bunch, but he still has a ways to go before we even mention his name in the “great” conversation, let alone labeling him as elite. In other words, he isn’t scaring defensive backs yet.
Boldin may be an option
No. 1 wide receivers that could be available: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Anquan Boldin.
Sure, the list isn’t long, but something needs to be done. I realize I’m not telling Eagles fans anything they don’t know already, but I sure would like to see more pressure being placed on the upper management to hold up their end of the deal in comparison to what is being directed toward McNabb and Reid.
Reid has averaged 9.7 wins per regular season since 1999, and seven different quarterbacks led the team in passing in the nine seasons before McNabb’s arrival as the full-time starter in 2000. In other words, the two have combined to create a sense of stability that the inconsistent, slumping Eagles of the mid-to-late 1990s failed to offer. I recognize that the Eagles went from dynamic and exciting to a hair above bland in recent seasons, a lot of which being the reason some fans have soured on Reid, but a marquee receiving option would help solve the issue.
Also, let’s keep our expectations realistic, too. As the Arizona Cardinals or the 2007 New York Giants have proved, anything can happen in the NFL. Nevertheless, some semblance of reality must be present, and the truth is the Eagles are anywhere from several games below .500 on the wrong end of things to being the NFC representative in the Super Bowl should everything go in their favor. I know it is a broad range, but that is the actuality of the conference and the Eagles’ prospects at this juncture.
You, as a fan, have the right to say what you want to say or believe what you want to believe about the team, but that doesn’t unavoidably make it fair or even sensible. That’s the beauty of the game and the relationship fans can have with the teams.
Fans were spoiled early during the Reid-McNabb marriage with a remarkable string of what was ultimately ill-fated accomplishment, and the league is all about the “what have you done for me lately” mantra, but it is time to exercise some patience as loyal fans. Philly is a tough town to play or coach in, no question about it, but if it’s the same song and dance this time next year, then it is fair to be looking for a change. For now, reason dictates that Reid’s regime deserves one more chance at righting the ship just as long as the management is willing to do their part.
Congratulations to Lurie, Banner and Heckert for not caving in to premature demands of fans who simply want nothing more than the taste of a Super Bowl victory in their beloved city. It takes a strong nucleus to weather the proverbial storm that is Philadelphia sports, and the Eagles have that core in place.
