FanNation - The Republic of Sport

  At some point, a season needs to be deemed a success or failure.  This is typically done whether a team meets an individual's expectations, which can change, or rather evolve, during the course of the season.  I am at a crossroads in determining whether the Eagles have been a success, based on their recent playoff push, or a failure due to some obvious ineptitude that hindered several games over the past few months.  That being said, I am going to attempt to write myself out of this conundrum (that means pickle for you Cowboy fans), and come to my own conclusion.

I will start off by saying that their season is a success at they stand right now.  By being one of twelve teams to make the playoffs, and one of eight to still be playing, it shows the skill and football staying power and the Eagles and Coach Andy have developed over the past nine or so years.  Like every team they have had setbacks.  They have battled injuries in the receiving corps and the offensive line, losing Pro-Bowler Shawn Andrews even now for the unforeseeable future, and yet they have persevered and put themselves in position to make the playoffs.  Understandably, they didn't make it on their own merit, but they did it within the system that the NFL has put forth so that makes it minimally legitimate.  In addition, unlike previous years, Coach Andy has made great use of rookies.  DeSean Jackson and Quintin Demps have re-energized special teams with their return capabilities, and Joselio Hanson has joined the likes of (Pass Interference, #31 on the defense) Al Harris and Rod Hood in establishing himself as an exceptional third cornerback.  The defense on the whole has looked really good; and great as of late with Brian Dawkins leading the pack.  Win or lose this Sunday, this has created an excitement that only comes with success, in other words, cities like St. Louis and Detroit are not feeling the emotions that comes along with the anticipation of playoff football, not feeling the anxiety as the next win-or-go-home game approaches, and not talking trash with the other team's fans as we acknowledge that we are all as successful as our team's last game.

This season has been a giant let down, buzz kill, and mind numbing failure and can be summed up in one term:  Tie.  Yes, I know, if they would have lost to Cincinnati they would be out of the playoffs, but if they would have won it would be less questionable in regards to how they got in, but either way, I'm counting that as an "L".  That Cincinnati game was so horribly played by Coach Andy and his crew it was worse it should have cost jobs.  That fact that it didn't only gets amplified by the spanking the team received from Baltimore the following week.  The Eagles lost more games they should have won than won that they should have lost, and that is a fair barometer.  They should have beaten the Bengals, short and sweet, and they should have beat the Redskins Week 16.  If it hadn't been for Coach Andy to ignore the QB Sneak play, they would have beat Chicago as well  Really, the only game they maybe should have lost was in Week 3 against Pittsburgh, however the Steelers were without Willie Parker and Big Ben was banged up so even then they probably should have won.  The Atlanta game is interesting.  The Birds got by them on what some consider a bogus call, but since they won by thirteen points, the Falcons didn't appear to want to overcome the adversity of that one play and win.  The Philadelphia should have had at least two more wins in my opinion, and maybe three.  The fact that they got into the playoffs is pure luck; luck that Tampa is just as bad, or average at best, and that Chicago is the no heart Tin Man team of the NFL.

OK, I finished my pros and cons.  I am still not convinced one way or the other, but I have a novel idea.  If the Eagles beat the Giants this week, they will go to the NFC Championship.  Since the Super Bowl was not in my expectations for this team at the beginning of the season, the NFC Championship game is a nice consolation prize, considering how the Birds played this year.  So if they beat New York, the season is a success.  If they don't beat New York, the team wasted our time and their season is more indicative of the mediocrity in which the team has befallen.  Actually, I am so geeked up for this third and final match between the two teams this year, why not make it the do or die situation that it is and have the season all come down to who comes out on top this Sunday.