They live in noise yet keep delivering results. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles remain the most confusing enigma in the NFL. They are 8-2 but no one is boasting. They are the odds on favorite to rep the NFC in their 3rd Super Bowl in the last four years, yet no one is walking around thumping their chest or smelling themsleves. If they did take a whiff they would notice that there is an unpleasant stench in the locker room. This Eagles team creates more noise than a construction site at rush hour. It’s a noise that comes with varying degrees of dissention. They bring a lot of it on themselves but they get questioned daily about chemistry, play calling, effort, identity, and leadership. They are noisier than any team in the league. Yet every time the frustration seems ready to swallow them whole, they stack another win and move on to the next game.Most teams collapse under this much tension and inner-dissention. The Eagles seem to thrive in it.There was noise last season too. They still won the whole thing. This team survives storms it creates and some that it doesn’t.
SCENE SET:
Eagles (8-2, 4-1 Away) vs Cowboys (4-5-1, 2-1-1 Home)
Betting Line: Eagles -3, Over/Under 47.5
Money Line: Eagles -180, Cowboys +160
Where: AT & T Stadium Arlington, Texas
When: 4:25 pm
TV: FOX
The Question And Quote of the Week
I personally think A.J. Brown should never go public with his internal complaints. But I loved his answer to the stupidest question of the week that came about because of a even more idiotic and growing theory surrounding Brown and his down statistics this year.
A reporter asked Brown directly whether he is the same player he was last season. Brown did not hesistate, as if his clips were loaded and ready for this one.
Reporter:
“Do you feel like you are the same player you were last year?”
AJ Brown:
“I guess Saquon Barkley ain’t the same player either then.”
That was Brown pushing back on a narrative he clearly thinks is ridiculous and he’s right. Anyone who has entertained that thought needs to stop listening to sports talk radio in Philly. Brown knows exactly who he is and exactly what he brings. When he scores the Eagles are 22-2. He is not optional. He is essential.
Brown also said:
“I want the ball. That is not a bad thing. When the game is on the line I want it.”
Jalen Hurts faced his own questions. He pushed back in a different tone.
“I never run away from holding myself accountable. That is where it starts. We know what we can be. We have not played to that standard yet.”
Hurts also said:
“There is no issue between us. We talk every day. We want to win.”
The Elementary Offense Debate Will Not Go Away
The biggest criticism continues to be the offense itself. Defenses sit on their concepts. The route progressions feel predictable. The spacing collapses. When facing man coverage there doesn’t seem to be much scheme imagination designed for seperation. Hurts hesitates because the plays take too long to develop and receivers are not coming open with enough timing or variation and sometimes Hurts seems afraid the throw the ball into tight windows or windows that aren’t wide open.
Some of this falls on Hurts. Some of this falls on the staff. Some of this falls on the line. That combination creates the same problem every week. There is no rhyme or rhythm for long stretches. Drives stall then stall or don’t get going at all and everything becomes more difficult than it should be. The Birds lead the league in three-and-outs which is absurd for an offense laden with superstars.
The coaching, design and stagnation questions are legit.Only winning has kept this from becoming a full scale crisis.
“Dysfunction” That Works Until It Doesn’t
The players look irritated and somewhat befuddled every time they step in front of a microphone. They push back on narratives. They defend themselves. They sound fed up. Then they go out and win the game. That is why none of this noise has exploded into something worse.
Winning is the utlimate band-aid or deodorant as they say. Winning cures all and it does. It quiets doubts and buys patience. But if the winning slows the noise could detonate.
For now the Eagles remain the most compelling and confusing team in football. They’re a team that defies logic because the scoreboard keeps tilting their way.
The noise only matters when the winning stops. Until then this is who they are.
Prediction: Eagles 34, Cowboys 24