Eagles O.K. with Pedestrian Performances?

Following another loss that leads the Eagles toward true average, that is a .500 record, there is a feeling of malaise and even aversion towards this team which now sits at 29-28 since a trip to the Super Bowl in 2004. It is hard to fathom how the Eagles feel about the loss, especially one enigmatic Andy Reid, but an answer could be found in how the organization seems to have become entrapped in a situation of complacent mediocrity--almost like a perpetual Super Bowl hangover.

After getting so close four years in a row at a time when the NFC was a very different animal, the last four years may just be backlash since never overcoming that final hurdle. It seems as though the team either neglects or refuses to accept the fact that they aren't the same group, and the NFC is not the same conference. A lot more parity exists, and teams that were quiet before are starting to make noise after some rebuilding. The dominant division that was the NFC East may no longer hold the reigns, but you can still make the case that they do--for now.

Impressively enough, all of the teams in the NFC East are above .500. The only other division in football to equal that mark is the AFC East, but that division does not have a team like the Giants at the top (mainly because the Patriots are no longer the same squad). Chances are good that each team will finish at or above .500, but no longer will three teams from the NFC East make the playoffs. In the South, the Panthers come out of nowhere at 7-2, then the Falcons and Bucs are both 6-3, the Saints are not far behind at 4-5. The North is much the same with a jumble between the top three teams--poor Detroit. If you include the stumbling Cowboys and wishy-washy Eagles in the playoff mix, you basically have two playoff spots for a realistic eight different teams. That means six of the people mentioned above will not make it. That will likely also mean a record worse than 10-6 is automatically out. If the Eagles want ANY chance, they need to finish at least 5-2 in their remaining games.

Back to those babbling Birds. A lot of members of their organization seem to think that the team is just fine, and better than whatever opponent they may face. It may be this feeling of former-dominance that could be the cause of their undoing. The fact is, they are no longer the dominant force or the face of the NFC. As of now, the Giants are and will remain so until another team makes the Superbowl in their place. The Eagles need to understand this is NOT 2004. This is 2008, and a time when they desperately need help just to try and make the playoffs, much less push for a Bowl win.

While the city basks under its Red sun with the Phillies championship, one that the Eagles certainly had their heads down for, a lot of not-so-Phillies and Eagles-only fans may be shaking their heads at an organization that was on the verge of bringing a parade back to town. So while the Eagles are certainly no longer the face of the NFC, they may no longer be the face of Philadelphia. And they will not be again until they bring home that Lombardi trophy. It took the Phillies 28 years to win one again--the Eagles haven't won a Super Bowl ever. The last time the Eagles won a championship, Vince Lombardi was only in his second year with Green Bay, and there was no shiny silver trophy to take home. To put a number to a name, it has been 48 years for them.

The sad part is, chances are slim they'll get one within the next few years. Anything could happen, but unless the Eagles phase out their ineptitudes and focus more on what could make them a better team, they'll forever be stuck with average. For it is not until after you realize that you are average can you truly no longer be average.