Eagles Fans Got What We Deserved
Look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand.
(Job 40:12)
Eagles fans, we got what we deserved. We became something so foreign to us that we would’ve hated ourselves. We sounded like Patriots, Steelers, and Cowboys fans, but without the rings. The city formerly known by some as Negadelphia suddenly became Cockyadelphia with regards to our cherished Eagles. Cocky without winning anything meaningful.
The transformation started on Sunday August 16. Sure, many of us fans had doubts about Bradford. He didn’t even play that Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. However, the Bradford-less Eagles put up 36 points vs. the Colts in a 36-10 victory. That’s when fans rationalized if the Eagles can put up 36 without Bradford, then the sky is the limit with a healthy Bradford.
On Saturday, August 22nd, the Eagles met up with the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore no longer has Ed Reed or Ray Lewis patrolling their defensive side of the ball, but their defense is still legit. Bradford played a couple of series and survived a cheap shot at the knees by Terrell Suggs and a monster hit to the chest area by Brandon Williams. Bradford took shots and got back up on his feet. Our confidence rose. By the way, the Eagles put up 40 against the Ravens in another victory. 40 vs the Ravens? Chip’s offense looked unstoppable!
Then came Saturday August 29th. Lambeau Field. Sam Bradford goes 10-10 with 3 TDs. The Eagles went on to win 39-26. We had seen all that we needed from Sam Bradford. A perfect ten for ten in pass attempts with three touchdowns! Those 10 completions were both beautiful and precise. Bradford looked omnipotent. The offense could and would score at will and at a frenetic pace that both exhausts and confuses opposing defenses.
Who could stop this Chip Kelly orchestrated Bradford blitzkrieg of scoring? In pubs, offices, and at family gatherings we began to convince each other and ourselves that the Eagles were going to make a run at the Super Bowl.
Then, Vegas followed our lead. The odds of the Eagles winning the Super Bowl went from 20-1 to 15-1 to 10-2 to 8-1. The Eagles were behind only the Patriots, Packers, and Seahawks. If Vegas says it’s true, then it’s true. The Eagles were contenders.
That’s when we lost ourselves. We, us Eagles fans, felt good about our team, seriously hopeful. This hope was different. Vegas legitimized our hope. We started looking at the schedule and predicting wins. 10-6 was a popular prediction early in preseason. By the end of the preseason, Fans in local watering-holes and on sportstalk radio began predicting 12-4 and even the rare 13-3. Many thought that a 7-0 start to the season was completely plausible.
13-3? 7-0 start? We knew this was still the NFL with NFL players, but our Eagles were different. They were special, or so we thought. We found amusement at the messes going on in Washington, DC and with the New York Giants. The Cowboys would be the only bump in the road on the Eagles’ journey to the NFC East Division title, but nothing more than an annoyance.
We were a prideful bunch based on preseason games and Vegas odds. The Sports Gods do not look kindly upon those filled with conceit. They found it necessary to hit Eagles fans with a reality check right in the jimmy in the form of a humbling loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
We knew the Falcons would score points, but our Eagles would surely outscore them. They didn’t. The Gods had the Eagles playing confused and impotent in the first half and unable, at times, to gain one yard in the second half. In one final blow, the Eagles Pro Bowl kicker couldn’t convert a 44 yard field goal lined up in the center of the field and in a dome.
As the Biblical quote from Job says : Look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand. We were all crushed and humbled wherever we watched the game and we’re better for it. We, as a fan base, have been grounded back in reality. Are the Eagles a good team, possibly elite? Yes. Thanks to the Sports Gods, we are back to our good old selves complaining about referees and questioning coaching decisions. We’re cautiously optimistic, but understand that every week in the NFL is grind—even for our Eagles. Any given Sunday, right?
We were smelling ourselves. Even Adam Schefter picked the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. We got caught up in the hype and the Sports Gods gave us just what we deserved—a full serving of humble pie to shake us back to normal. I like us better this way. We’re more fun and interesting as fans. Thanks Sports Gods! Lesson learned.
WHAT THE HELL WAS CHIP KELLY THINKING BY KICKING A FIELD GOAL INSTEAD OF GOING FOR IT??!!
As always, thanks for reading and sharing.