I want to reward all of the fans, thousands of them, who made the trip to Seattle for Thursday night's game ...
Oh, it was so uplifting to see the fans lining the stands before the game yelling and cheering for their favorite team. Those fans, you fans, all Eagles fans, deserve so much better than this.
Instead of a positive-feeling game, the Eagles were lousy against a bad Seattle team. They came out and did what they've done all season. They turned the football over. They couldn't make stops on defense. They committed foolish penalties and made mental mistakes and missed tackles and dropped passes and lost. They lost to the Seattle Seahawks and they lost decisively, 34-14, and fell away, for sure, out of the playoff race.
The Philadelphia Eagles, your Philadelphia Eagles, our Philadelphia Eagles, are now 4-8.
So depressing.
"It's surely high," said defensive end Trent Cole, describing the level of frustration in the locker room.
Where did it go wrong on this night? In so many places, just like the entire season. Quarterback Vince Young started things out with an interception on his first pass, a wobbler on the run in the direction of DeSean Jackson along the right sideline, an underthrown pass that cornerback Cam Chancellor came back and intercepted. The defense then permitted Seattle to drive 60 yards, the last 15 on a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run on which he was literally touched by every member of the defense and tackled by none.
Young threw four interceptions on the night, part of the desultory offensive effort. The defense couldn't stop the run and the special teams were not special in the least.
It was a night when everything fell apart. A torn anterior cruciate ligament ended the season of special-teams ace Colt Anderson, a particularly sad note when 200 fans from his hometown of Missoula, Montana came to watch their hero play in an NFL game. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha left the game in the first half with a neck/head injury and did not return.
The Eagles were listless and lifeless and ineffective in just about every phase of the game against a Seattle team that isn't any good at all. They failed to take a timeout in the final minute of the first half and didn't give the offense a chance to maybe get into scoring position to trim a 17-7 deficit. Then they burned a timeout as Seattle lined up to punt in the fourth quarter because of concern that the Eagles had 12 men on the field. The offense showed little urgency in the fourth quarter, winding the clock down and burning time instead of going to a hurry-up approach trailing by 10 points.
Offense, defense, special teams, the players and the coaches shared in this one again.
At this point, the Eagles have running back LeSean McCoy and, well, not much else. He is worth the price of admission and he delivered again with 84 rushing yards, 49 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
I want to be optimistic, I really do. I'm begging to write some good things. This team just won't let that happen. This team is 4-8 and in a season-long tailspin. They are going to say all the right things the rest of the way, about how they want to fight and how they know they have to go out and play well, but they just don't then back up their words.
Seattle has an offense that, well, stinks. Lynch is a terrific running back, but quarterback Tarvaris Jackson? Really? The Eagles have now lost games this season to the following quarterbacks: Jackson, John Skelton, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the revived Alex Smith. Amazing. Truly, it is amazing.
"Everyone here is sick about it," said tight end Brent Celek, underused with 3 catches and 21 yards against Seattle. "It's beyond frustrating. There are so many emotions going through my head right now that it's hard to talk about."
Cole insisted that the Eagles will continue to fight, that "we're all fighters, every one of us." That's true, to a degree. Players don't get on the field in the NFL and lay down, or they don't have jobs the next week. But the Eagles have shown so little urgency this season that it is alarming. This is a team that has been a step behind all year, one that began with such incredible expectations but that is now been blown to smithereens.
"It's hard to explain," said Cole. "There is a lot of stuff that has happened over the year. We have a brand-new team with a lot of new guys. We have to play together."
Nobody has answers. Head coach Andy Reid stands up and takes the heat, but he gives no answers in his press conferences. He knows he is the guy in charge and he is the one who is going to take the blame. That's the territory. That's the head-coaching game.
Behind the scenes, there are all kinds of concerns. The football team has to explore every part of the operation, because it isn't working. Nothing is working. When you lose to Seattle, 4-7 entering the game, and you get blown out in a meandering performance, you deserve the blistering criticism.
All of those fans who attended the game, who dressed up in their Midnight Green and who brought the expressions of love with all of their signs, I'm sorry. I apologize. It is with much love that you came to the game, that you supported the Eagles on the road as you always do.
The feeling of being letdown, of being robbed of a season, is enormous. I understand. I feel the pain, every ounce of it. I want to be positive. I want to talk about McCoy, the best running back in the league. I want to talk about the sack attack and defensive end Jason Babin, who now has 12 on the season. I want to talk about so many young players who are gaining valuable experience now. I want to point out the recent past and all of the playoff appearances.
But I know the deal, too. You don't want to hear that. The Eagles have fallen down the staircase this season. They haven't handled the pressure of being a marquee team. They haven't exhibited leadership or outstanding desire or any sense of purpose. This is a 4-8 football team, and nothing more.
