Commentary: Eagles are disrespecting their fans

Eagles - Lyin" Eyes - ( Alta Calidad ) HD

"I drain all the life out of myself out there," said Randall Cunningham, former Eagles" quarterback, when asked in 1990 about his effort on the playing field. "I get paid to play, to win, to give the city pride, so maybe everybody can forget for a little while how hard life is."

Cunningham got it. Apparently, the current Eagles don"t. If they did, the Birds wouldn"t have lost their last three games by 11 points or more, including Sunday"s 32-14 debacle against a mediocre Cincinnati Bengals team.

This exasperating season has become more of the same old broken promises, unrealized potential, and lame excuses that the organization has fed the fans for the last decade.

Although Philadelphia may be a city of respected universities, nationally acclaimed museums, and an ever-diminishing coterie of blue-bloods, its genuine spirit can be found in the clock-punchers and blue-collars who define our character, especially when it comes to football.

That is why Eagles fans pay insane amounts of their hard-earned money on game tickets and NFL-wear bearing the team"s logo. Why they show up at Lincoln Financial Field eight times every season and cheer on the Birds with a passion that borders on the violent. And why they deserve more than what the Eagles have given them over the last several years.

After the 2012 season when the team finished last in the National Football Conference"s Eastern division, owner Jeffrey Laurie finally admitted that after 14 seasons head coach Andy Reid"s time was up and fired him. Even before that Eagles" fans had grown tired of getting to the postseason only to lose in the first round; something Reid"s teams did with regularity.

Birds" fans were promised a fairly quick rebuild under new head coach Chip Kelly, who turned out to be a disaster. Not only was Kelly a poor communicator, but he stripped the roster of its most talented players (DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy , and Jeremy Maclin), made expensive - and poor - signings (DeMarco Murray, Kiko Alonso, and Sam Bradford ), and a terrible first-round pick (Nelson Agholor).

Through it all, the fans have been patient. But patience has its limits.

To be sure, no one expected the Eagles to contend for the postseason this year. A first-year head coach, a rookie quarterback, a young, inexperienced corps of wide receivers, and a questionable secondary defense assured that there would be growing pains. But after the Birds won their first three games, including a 34-3 whitewashing of the perennially contending Pittsburgh Steelers, expectations changed. And they should have.

Even after the bye week when the losses started to mount, the Eagles still played with passion and determination. They remained competitive, beating the then-undefeated Minnesota Vikings, and the NFC South"s division-leading Atlanta Falcons. What"s more, the Birds could have easily won any of the other four games they played during that period, losing by no more than a touchdown to any of their opponents.

But their performance in the last three losses - Seattle Seahawks (26-15), Green Bay Packers (27-13), and especially Sunday"s loss against the Bengals - is unacceptable. most of the points the eagles scored in those games were "garbage points," tallied after they no longer had a chance to win.

What"s so disturbing is not the fact that they lost those games, but how they lost them. Not only did the coaches and the players fail to meet the standard that they set for themselves earlier in the season, but they did so with very little passion, focus, or pride. And that is an insult to the fans because it reflects on us and our city.

The next time Doug Pederson, his coaching staff, and his players don the green, white, and black, they better remember that they all get paid to compete with heart, to win, and to represent this city with some pride.

If not, they just might be out of a job in pro football, and then they"ll find out just how hard life really is.

William C. Kashatus is a historian and writer. bill@historylive.net

Published: December 5, 2016 11:54 AM EST The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20161206_Commentary__Recent_Eagles_losses_an_insult_to_the_fans.html

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NFL power rankings, Week 6: Patriots rise, Eagles fall

Matthew Stafford Guides Lions Down the Field for Another TD! | Eagles vs. Lions | NFL

32Cleveland Browns0-5Last week: L, 33-13, vs. NELast rank: 32nd

You had the feeling it could get ugly this week against the New England Patriots and a very motivated Tom Brady, making his season debut following his four-game suspension. Hue Jacksons club was outgained by 216 yards in the first half (321-105) and trailed 23-7 at intermission on the way to the 20-point setback. Rookie quarterback Cody Kessler was injured and replaced by veteran Charlie Whitehurst. The Cleveland ground attack managed a paltry 27 yards on 22 carries and the Browns attack finished with 262 yards on the afternoon. Jacksons club wound up surrendering 501 total yards on Sunday and allowed at least 30 points in a game for the third consecutive week.

Next Week: The Browns head south to Nashville to square off against a Tennessee Titans team coming off a 30-17 victory at Miami. This will mark the third consecutive year that these two franchises will square off, with Cleveland winning each of the last two meetings including a 28-14 home victory last season in Week 2.

Playoff hopes: Are you kidding? No team in NFL history has ever reached the postseason following a 0-5 start. And the Browns are chasing everyone these days given the fact that they are the lone winless team in the league. The teams biggest concern these days is who will be the starting quarterback at Nashville next Sunday against the Titans.

Source: http://fansided.com/2016/10/10/nfl-power-rankings-week-6-patriots-rise-eagles-fall/

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NFL Week 3 Recap: The Year of the Young QB - The New York Times

Philadelphia Eagles vs Pittsburgh Steelers Highlights & Recap

Benjamin, who missed last season due to injury, started the season well with 13 catches for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first two games, with Newton regularly praising how much easier everything was with him around. That changed this week, as Benjamin was targeted just once by Newton and finished the day with zero catches. It was the first time in his career that he failed to get a catch, and the Vikings did not stop there, also holding Devin Funchess without a single reception.

Captain Munnerlyn, a defensive back for the Vikings, told reporters after the game that the shutout was by design.

We just knew where Benjamin was the whole time, he said. Funchess, we werent worried about him. It was Kelvin Benjamin.

Munnerlyn went as far as to say the team was not worried about Funchess, saying hes not that good.

The loss ended a 14-game home winning streak by the Panthers.

Rams 37, Buccaneers 32: Turns out the offensively challenged Los Angeles Rams are capable of getting the ball in the end zone. Case Keenum threw for the teams first touchdown since relocating back to Los Angeles, and Todd Gurley rushed for two more scores Sunday in a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rams (2-1), who did not have TD in the first two games of the season, also scored on Ethan Westbrooks 77-yard fumble return and Tavon Austins 43-yard reception in the fourth quarter before thunder and lightning caused a 69-minute weather delay with two minutes remaining.

Colts 26, Chargers 22: There is still plenty to be worried about in Indianapolis, with Andrew Luck continuing to struggle with turnovers and inconsistency for the Colts, but the team finally got its first win of the season. A 63-yard catch-and-run by T.Y. Hilton in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter completed the Colts comeback, and the teams defense forced a fumble to seal the victory.

With the win by Indianapolis, the only winless teams left are Cleveland, Jacksonville, Chicago and New Orleans, but the Bears and Saints have yet to play this week.

Photo The Redskins Sua Cravens was tackled by the Giants Shane Vereen after making an interception that essentially ended the game. Credit Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Redskins 29, Giants 27: It was never going to be easy. The Giants defense knew it. They knew it when the linebacker Keegan Robinson stood during a meeting Friday morning to remind his teammates that the winless Washington Redskins were especially dangerous.

Its like a trap game, Robinson told them. This team is desperate.

But with an opportunity to bury their rivals deeper in the N.F.C. East division, at home on a crisp and sunny afternoon, the Giants defense did not heed its own warnings, falling, 29-27, at MetLife Stadium. Heres how the Redskins won.

Chiefs 24, Jets 3: The play that encapsulated the Chiefs demolition of the Jets on Sunday was not the first turnover they forced. Or the second. Or the third. Or the fourth. Or the fifth. Or the sixth. Or the seventh. Or even the eighth.

Rather, it was a long third-quarter gain by the Kansas Citys superlative tight end, Travis Kelce, who caught a pass over the middle, sprinted across the field and at the end of his run administered a blow to Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist that was less stiff arm than ultimate fighting move. Instead of purely shoving Gilchrist, Kelce appeared to lift him with his right hand, pushing him back five yards.

The Chiefs bullied the Jets throughout the game, taking advantage of a team that was too slow, too clumsy and too challenged by the task of making sensible decisions or holding onto the ball to bother trying to assert itself as a contender in the A.F.C.

Dolphins 30, Browns 24: Signed by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, Cody Parkey came out to kick what would have been a 46-yard game-winning field goal in the closing seconds of a hard-fought game against the Miami Dolphins. On a tough day in which he had already missed two other field goal attempts, Parkeys kick sailed wide-left and forced overtime.

For the Browns, who lost Robert Griffin III to injury in Week 1, and choked away a 20-point first quarter lead against Baltimore in Week 2, overtime had to feel like a foregone conclusion. And on Miamis second possession of overtime, Jay Ajayi confirmed those fears, breaking free for an 11-yard touchdown run that gave the Dolphins a 30-24 victory and dropped Clevelands record to 0-3.

Ravens 19, Jaguars 17: Justin Tucker kicked his fourth field goal, a 54-yarder, with 1 minute 2 seconds left for a road victory that kept the Baltimore Ravens undefeated and dropped the Jacksonville Jaguars to 0-3.

Packers 34, Lions 27: Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes all in the first half and the Packers withstood a rally from the Lions to win at home.

Raiders 17, Titans 10: The Oakland Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, getting three turnovers and a sack from their maligned defense.

Russell Wilson Injured in Seahawks Victory

Russell Wilson threw for 243 yards and a touchdown before suffering a left knee injury as the Seattle Seahawks rolled to a 37-18 rout of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Wilson was injured with about 10 minutes to go in the third quarter getting pulled down awkwardly on a sack by San Franciscos Eli Harold. Harold was called for a horse collar penalty, but the bigger concern was how he fell on Wilsons left leg.

Wilson stayed down on the field for a few moments before walking off. Wilson missed the first play of his career due to injury, but returned to throw one more pass. The completion led to the third of Steven Hauschkas three field goals for a 27-3 lead and after that Wilsons day was done. Read more about Wilsons injury.

No National Anthem Protests on Field in CharlottePhoto Panthers quarterback Cam Newton wore a shirt with a Martin Luther King Jr. quotation during pregame warm-ups. Credit Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton did not kneel during the national anthem on Sunday, but he addressed the unrest in Charlotte, N.C., by wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a quotation from Martin Luther King Jr.

Newton, who has avoided making race a part of his personal narrative, surprised some by taking time during the week to address Tuesdays shooting in Charlotte, which occurred close to the Panthers stadium. Many thought Newton would choose to take a knee during the national anthem, similar to the protests of Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers; instead, Newton wore a black T-shirt during warm-ups that read, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

While Newton did not kneel during the anthem, his teammate Marcus Ball stood with his arm extended and his index finger raised, and a group of protesters outside the stadium knelt.

Elsewhere in the league, a growing number of players knelt or raised their fists during the anthem, including four players from the Washington Redskins.

Last week, DeSean Jackson, who was one of the Redskins players raising his fist, published a photo of Terrence Crutcher, a black man shot by the police in Tulsa, Okla., on his Instagram feed with a caption that read in part, Us as black People are a threat , so jus take our lives smh the system been set up for us not to live and make it thru all this.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/25/sports/nfl-scores-schedule.html

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Eagles 4 downs: DeMeco Ryans on facing former locker-mate DeSean Jackson

Redskins vs. Eagles Preview (Week 16) | NFL

PHILADELPHIA --When the Eagles released wide receiver DeSean Jacksonfollowing the 2013 season, it began a thorough housecleaning by head coach Chip Kelly.

One of the first initiatives undertaken by Kelly when he was hired as the Eagles" head coach was to rearrange the team"s locker room. No longer would the stalls of players from the same position group be located in the same vicinity as one another.

PLUS:Scouts break down Eagles-Redskins

Under Kelly"s new layout, Eagles inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans wound up having his locker alongside Jackson"s during the head coach"s first NFL season.

Coincidentally, Ryans is one of just 17 players on the current roster who were teammates with Jackson.

In a weekly series called Eagles 4 DownsNJ Advance Media sits down with an Eagles player to discuss a key aspect of the upcoming game. This week, Ryans opens up about facing the dynamic wide receiver with the team"s playoff hopesat stake Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field:

ALSO: Agholor upbeat during down season

FIRST DOWN:Given that you are one of the last players on this roster that were around at the same time DeSean Jackson was here, what was it like having him as a teammate?

DeMeco Ryans:"I think he was a good teammate and cool guy to be around. His locker was actually right next to mine. He was a great player. The one thing about him is he demands a lot of attention when he"s out there on the field."

MORE:Why Jaylen Watkins doesn"t want to wind up on SportsCenter

SECOND DOWN:The last time you played Washington, he was injured and wasn"t out there on the field. As far as your preparation goes and your mentality leading up to the game, how much different do those things need to be this time around?

DeMeco Ryans:"The amount of attention you have to give him when he"s on the field is the biggest thing. He does a good job going deep. He"s not just a deep threat, he"s a big-time deep threat in this league. He"s been doing it for a long time. From that standpoint when he"s out there you have to have guys on him. They have to be ready to cover the vertical passing game because that"s what he does really well."

MORE: Kendricks gives Redskins bulletin board material

THIRD DOWN:He obviously took a lot of pride in ending your guys" season last year in Week 16. This time around the situation is pretty much identical. If they beat you, the season"s over and if you guys win it sets you up pretty nicely to play for the division title in Week 17. How much is that on your mind as far as a revenge factor goes?

DeMeco Ryans:"For me ... We have to come out and show them that we want it badder than they do. That"s the kind of game it"s going to be. It"s a playoff type feel around here already. We have to win to stay in it. For us, the playoffs start this week. I know that sounds cliche, but that"s just the way it is. If we win we live to play next week and keep rolling. Both teams have a lot on the line. I expect it to be a very tough game from both sides."

FOURTH DOWN:You"re obviously one of the more vocal and respected leaders on this team and you have a good sense of the mood and mentality of this group. Obviously Sunday didn"t go the way you wanted it to, but how do you bounce back from that during a short week?

DeMeco Ryans:"It"s obviously a big disappointment from Sunday. The thing about it is we can"t allow that to linger. We can"t allow it to impact us going into this week. What happened against Arizona, they"re a great team and they got us. We did"t play well. Going into this Saturday it"s all about whether or not you want it bad enough. If you want it, you"ll step up and bring your "A" game. It"s as simple as that. There"s nothing that needs to be said, or any speeches, or anything like that. Nobody really needs to remind the guys what we"re playing for. Everybody knows what"s on the table. If we want it bad enough, we"ll step up and play our "A" game, for sure."

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter@MattLombardo975.Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook

Source: http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2015/12/eagles_4_downs_demeco_ryans_on_facing_former_locke.html

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Scouts break down Eagles vs. Washington Redskins

EAGLES ~ "LYIN" EYES" 1977

PHILADELPHIA All right so it"s a 6-8 team against a 7-7 team; it"s still the biggest game of the season and will, in all probability, determine the NFC Eastchampion.

The Washington Redskins (7-7) come to Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night with a chance to win the division title, if they can beat the Eagles(6-8) for the second time this season and for the third straight time overall.

PLUS:Agholor remains upbeat

If the Eagles win Saturday night they could win their second division title in three years with a win the following week against the Giants.

Three highly-regarded scouts gave their take on their game and broke down the match-ups.

"I"m going with the Eagles, simply because they"re home,"" the first scout said. "I think it"s going to be close.""

The second went with the visitors.

"Anything can happen, right?"" he said. "But you"re asking me to pick, I"ll take Washington. (The Redskins) are just playing better right now.""

Finally, the third scout hedged his pick.

"With DeMarco Murray, Eagles 20-17,"" he said. "Without DeMarco Murray, Redskins, 24-14.""

MORE: Eagles in driver"s seat

Here"s the breakdown:

Redskins" offense vs. Eagles" defense

"You tell me the Eagles secondary is injured and then you add DeSean (Jackson)coming back with some motivation, that"s scary (for the Eagles),"" one scout said.

He added that while the primary focus will be on Jackson, the former Eagle, the Redskins spread the ball around and get everyone involved.

"They have (Pierre) Garcon and he"ll make all the tough, third-down catches,"" he said. "And then the tight end, Jordan Reed. They scheme him up and get the match-ups they want. That"s their guy.""

ALSO:3 Eagles selected for Pro Bowl

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins has been playing well, too.

Cousins, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, has a quarterback rating of 101.4, or better, in each of his last four games, including a near-perfect 153.7 last week against the Buffalo Bills.

In his last two games, both wins, Cousins is 46-for-59 for 619 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception. He also ran for two touchdowns.

"He"s showing he"s a NFL quarterback,"" one scout said. "And making himself some money, too.""

One scout said Washington"s running game with Alfred Morris and Matt Jones is scheme-based.

"They"re the old-school three-four yards at a time. Every once and again Jones will break one, or he"ll get you on a screen. But mostly they just want to grind it out when they run.""

How should the Eagles attack the offense?

"They have to get after Cousins, put him in a bad spot,"" one scout said. "That"s what Dallas did and it worked. Billy Davis likes to blitz, he might have to come up with some different ones to throw Cousins off his game.""

PLUS: Bradford just not good enough

Redskins" defense vs. Eagles" offense

"Give their coordinator (Joe Barry) a lot of credit,"" one scout said of the Redskins. "He"s doing a great job. He"s got them in the right schemes, making the right calls. He couldn"t have them playing much better than they are. Because talent-wise I really don"t like them much.""

Washington"s numbers on defense are not that impressive.

"You look at them on paper and you think that"s a really bad defense,"" another scout said. "But they play hard. They come up with a big play when they need it.""

The Redskins are 25th in overall defense: tied for 13th against the pass and 27th against the run. They allow 23.7 points per game, 15th in the league.

Quarterbacks have thrown 26 touchdown passes against them, with just nine interceptions for a cumulative passer rating of 96.2.

"You can make plays against their secondary,"" the first scout said. "If (Sam) Bradford and those receivers play well, the Eagles win.""

Mark Eckel may be reached atmjeck04@verizon.net. Follow him on Twitter@MarkEckel08.FindNJ.com Eagles on Facebook.

THE NO-HUDDLE SHOW, Ep. 21: DeMarco Murray gets exiled as Eagles get crushed

We"ve said for a few weeks now the Eagles" season would come down to the final two games, and that"s where we are with or without the $42M running back playing. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.

Source: http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2015/12/scouts_break_down_eagles_vs_washington_redskins.html

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Eagles vs. Washington Redskins injury report | Eric Rowe, Byron Maxwell ...

Eagles Hotel California

PHILADELPHIA --The Eagles were missing three defensive starters when the team reconvened Tuesday to begin preparing for Saturday night"s pivotal contest against the Washington Redskinsat Lincoln Financial Field.

ALSO:NFC power rankings

Cornerback Eric Rowe was a spectator, still in the NFL concussion protocol. Meanwhile, fellow starting cornerback Byron Maxwell was unable practice after suffering a shoulder sprain in Sunday night"s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Mychal Kendricks talks trash after blowout loss

Nose tackle Bennie Logan was not at practice. Logan has been on the injury report the past two weeks with an ankle injury and left the field on the final drive Sunday night due to an undisclosed injury and did not speak to the media afterwards.

MORE:10 things we learned about Eagles from blowout loss to Cardinals

Offensively, wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu sat out practice with an ankle injury but was not wearing a boot or on crutches as was the case on Sunday night.

The Eagles and Redskins kickoff Saturday night at 8:25 p.m.

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter@MattLombardo975.Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook

Source: http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2015/12/eagles_vs_washington_redskins_injury_report_eric_r.html

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