Open Letter to Eagles Executives

by Posted on

*Sent via email to Eagles Executive Staff*

November 2, 2012

Dear Mr. Lurie & Eagles Staff,

The earliest pictures of me, outside of a hospital nursery, show an old-school Philadelphia Eagles sticker on the top of my highchair. My favorite Christmas gift as a kid was a replica Roman Gabriel quarterback uniform. I proudly wore that uniform, including the helmet, in the living room of our Juniata Park row-home, while pretending to make last-minute touchdown passes to defeat the Dallas Cowboys.

I bleed green. Well, I bled green. I’ve been bled dry by an attitude of arrogance, disrespect, and mediocrity from the top of the organization to unproven rookies. Instead of gathering with my dad and nephews on Sundays to watch Eagles games, I now watch the games on my couch, switching between the Eagles and NFL’s RedZone.

I am not alone. Pubs, where I would fight for a place to stand during prime-time games, aren’t so crowded any more. Five years ago, I would’ve heard E-A-G-L-E-S chants at every baseball game with a last place baseball team in town. Instead, I heard a few S-I-X-E-R-S chants. I’m tired and exhausted. Worst of all, I am a hopeless fan.

I am hopeless from playing a fourteen year-old game of Cry Wolf. Instead of crying wolf, your organization cries “Super Bowl.” I was told the Eagles were the gold standard. When I didn’t believe in your wide receivers, I came running to Lehigh with my Super Bowl dreams. Every time the organization cried Super Bowl, or more recently “all-in”, the fans ran back—no matter how disappointing the previous season.

I’ve watched the Ravens, Buccaneers, Colts, Giants, Packers, Rams, Saints, and Giants, again, win Super Bowls. Those are the ones that hurt—the Saints and Buccaneers before the Eagles? I am watching the Redskins develop, while the Eagles struggle to stay afloat in a pool of quicksand. I hear those Super Bowl cries from Lincoln Financial Field, but I don’t come running any longer, it’s more of a stroll now.

Andy Reid has always alienated himself from the city with his terse press conferences, which have become ridiculous at this point. Fourteen years of saying “I’ve got to do a better job” eventually leads one to lose faith in the ability of that person to do a better job. The players follow his lead, which feels like an “us against them” mentality between the organization and the press/fans. Kelce, Avant, and now Babin take shots at the fans loyalty. It’s unacceptable and feels like a learned behavior from the top down of the Philadelphia Eagles. I, personally, feel taken for granted as a fan.

Players question a loyalty, which has thousands on a season-ticket waiting list for a team that has never won a Super Bowl. They question the loyalty of a fan-base, in a city with a median income of $36,251, which rarely hesitates to buy hundred dollar jerseys and other merchandise. Those $100 jerseys, at the city’s median income, would be the equivalent of Jason Babin spending $15,052 of his $5.75M salary on a jersey. I don’t think Mr. Loyal would spend anywhere near that amount of money for an ordinary, replica jersey of ANY team or player.

This fan-base stayed loyal after being right about Wide Receivers, Punt Returners, Linebackers, Howie Roseman and/or Joe Banner’s drafting abilities, the release of Brian Dawkins and David Akers, and hiring of Juan Castillo. We stayed loyal while we watched the 49ers go from the basement to an elite team in two years. We stayed loyal because it’s our team. It was our team before you purchased it. It’ll remain our team long after these, mostly forgettable, players leave town. Without the fans, there are no merchandise sales, no ticket receipts, or television money.

I want our team back. I don’t care if they finish 10-6 and win a playoff game. I don’t believe the Philadelphia Eagles can win a Super Bowl and haven’t really believed that for a couple of years. There is nothing worse, for a fan of a professional sports team, than a feeling of hopelessness. And yet, I continue to take time away from my wife, pets, chores, and life to support the Philadelphia Eagles. Please do not allow this questioning of my loyalty to continue.

I want to believe again. I want football people, not someone running the newest trends, or a former intern—who wouldn’t be able to hold his own talking talent with Bill Parcells or Bill Polian—as a GM. Most of all, I just want our team back and to be appreciated by the franchise I support and its players.

I can’t speak for the fan-base, but I think we all need a transfusion so that we may, once again, bleed green and chant proudly E-A-G-L-E-S!

Sincerely,

Violations Greg
Lifetime Eagles Fan.
(@violationsgreg)