As the old saying goes, you are what your record says you are and right now the Eagles are a 3-5 team that has been riddled with constant mistakes that have prevented them from winning games. The Eagles have held the lead during the fourth quarter in seven of eight games this season, and yet they've still found a way to come out with only three wins. The issues, says head coach Andy Reid, are plentiful.
"There are things we need to work on and get better at, as coaches, starting with myself, and as players," Reid said during his Tuesday press conference. "The obvious are the turnovers and the penalties, we've got to take care of business there ... The last thing is getting off the field on third downs, and staying on the field on crucial third downs, ones that we needed."
The Eagles have turned the ball over 19 times this season, tied for most in the league. In the red zone, the Eagles have committed six turnovers, two more than any other team in the league. During Monday night's 30-24 loss to the Chicago Bears, the Eagles threw one interception in the red zone, added a fumbled punt return inside their own red zone and missed on a fake punt attempt in the fourth quarter. The result, unsurprisingly, was a loss, but Reid and the Eagles will continue to fight with an entire second half of football still to come.
"I don't feel people are necessarily stopping us, that we're stopping ourselves, and we've got to take care of that," Reid said. "Right now that's what you can control, and so you go to work and make sure that you get that taken care of. And when we do those things, when we don't have the penalties, whether they're right or wrong, whether we agree with them or don't agree with them, or when we have turnovers, when we don't do those things, we're a pretty good football team. In fact, we're a really good football team.
"I've seen this football team play good football, and we're going to get this thing right and continue to play good football, and that's the approach I'm taking."
Two players who could have an impact on the Eagles' second half are rookie safety Jaiquawn Jarrett and second-year defensive end Brandon Graham, who played his first game of the season against the Bears.
"I thought he did some good things," Reid said of Graham. "There's a bit of rust he's got to knock off, but he did some good things.
"We gave him three plays at a time, and then just kept track of him on the sideline to see how he was feeling. I think he came out feeling pretty good."
Jarrett, meanwhile, could be in line for his first start in the NFL after he played the majority of Monday night's game replacing Nate Allen on defense. Allen suffered a concussion and will be monitored throughout the week, according to Reid.
"He did pretty good," said Reid of Jarrett. "He's got some things he's got to work on there, but I thought for the most part stepping in with a limited amount of reps, I thought he did a pretty good job."
Elsewhere on the injury front, left guard Evan Mathis has a turf toe injury and will likely not practice Wednesday, Reid said. If Mathis is unable to play, Todd Herremans would likely slide to left guard with King Dunlap moving to right tackle. Defensive end Juqua Parker is also continuing to improve with a high ankle sprain.
This Sunday, as the Eagles once again look to right the ship, they'll welcome in the Arizona Cardinals, a team whose No. 1 quarterback should be plenty familiar to Andy Reid. But Kevin Kolb, who the Eagles traded in exchange for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick, is unlikely to play because of a turf toe injury.
"I've followed him," Reid said when asked if he's kept tabs on Kolb this season. "He didn't play this past week, but I have followed him throughout. He's doing a good job."
