Dreams and Nightmares: Hungry Dogs Gotta Eat
2 January 2020 Eagles News Opinion
60 minutes.
An entire offseason, a 16-game schedule, and a lifetime of preparation comes down to 60 minutes on Sunday.
We are battle tested and war ready.
When a group of remarkable people come together and have a common goal, that is when you find yourself in a position to accomplish an uncommon achievement. Opportunity and willingness to live in pain and the hurt is what creates champions.
Let me say this regarding the 2019 season. No matter how it ends, we are witnessing one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. I know that many will disagree. Arguments and counter points will most certainly be valid and warranted given the circumstance of this season; however, something truly special has unfolded before us.
It is incredible how fast people stopped believing in magic.
We are only 2 years removed from seeing an injury ridden team be reignited by a quarterback in Nick Foles who had almost quit the game, rise to the occasion and secure one of the greatest feats in the world of sports.
The 2019 Philadelphia Eagles were a team of promise.
A team of hope.
We added a mix of nostalgia and vets with a mix of youthful promise. Players like DeSean Jackson, Jason Peters, Darren Sproles, and Vinny Curry found their way home. Meanwhile, Jordan Howard, Malik Jackson, Miles Sanders, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and Andre Dillard found a new home in Philly.
Expectations were sky high. As they should have been.
A week 1 explosion of offense and a welcome home party for DeSean Jackson had all of Eagles Nation in a frenzy and ready to conquer the world. However, reality quickly set in as the Eagles players and their Super Bowl aspirations quickly took a nosedive after string of injuries and losses came. The boo birds were out at home and at the Linc. Whispers of possible problems with the team became shouting of undeniable “truths.”
“Carson doesn’t have it” “We let the wrong QB go” “Tank for the draft” “We can’t beat New York, we can’t beat Washington, we can’t beat Dallas” “Howie is fraud” “Doug is a fraud”
We heard it all. I heard it all.
As I stood with my back against the edge of a cliff that I built all offseason convincing others but importantly myself that Carson Wentz is elite and this Eagles team is a Super Bowl contender, I started to feel the surface beneath me crumble. But I did not waiver. I knew my quarterback, I knew my coach, I knew my team, and I knew my damn city.
We don’t quit. We don’t back down from a fight.
As I was backed off the cliff, I remembered that I wasn’t the only one there. I wasn’t the only one who believed. Quickly the legs got some juice back in them and we started moving forward.
We needed 4 wins against division rivals to keep dancing.
Injuries and a lack of identity plagued this team all the way up until week 12 then something clicked.
There was an awakening.
“Isn’t clutch” Carson leads the Eagles to a 4th quarter and overtime victory over the New York Giants—that’s 1.
“Can’t win a game” Carson throws a game winning touchdown on the road to Greg Ward—a wide receiver who was playing for the San Antonio Commanders earlier this year.
“Dak is better than this bum” Carson without his top 3 WRs, top TE, top RB, and pro bowl right tackle defeats the Dallas Cowboys at full strength in a game where no one outside of Philly gave them a chance.
“Danny Dimes is a rookie and looks better than our QB” Carson goes on the road without 70% of his offensive weapons and 2 starting lineman and leads the team to two 4th quarter scoring drives to secure the division title.
Now we’re in the dance.
And the criticism and doubt are still at an all time high. People ask Carson to win games and he wins them but it’s not enough because we should have won those games. People ask Carson to play better and he has one of the best Decembers in NFL history but that’s because people stepped up around him. People say Carson isn’t a leader and then we start winning games and it has nothing to do with the guys rallying around him. I have learned that you can’t satisfy these idiotic and ignorant people. They will always be miserable sorry excuses for “fans” and they can continue to call our team and players bad as they live their mediocre lives.
It’s playoff time and the real fans have no time for that type of energy.
Everyone is 0-0 going into this weekend.
All I know is that the Philadelphia Eagles just won 4 games in a row and are playing at the Linc Sunday.
All I know is that my quarterback is playing at high level, setting records, and more importantly is winning with a group of backups.
People are telling me that we have no shot against Seattle. That they blew us out the first time. Russell Wilson is unbeatable. None of this crap is true.
As beaten up as we are, the Philadelphia Eagles have every chance to win this game.
Seattle needed a trick play and for us to turn the ball over 5 times to pass by us. Additionally, they’re missing close to 70% of their offense from that day with Chris Carson, Rashad Penny, and Josh Gordon. Their defense is 2nd worst in the NFL against TEs and the worst against RBs out of the backfield and ya know what? We are one of the best teams at utilizing our TEs and RBs in the pass game.
A beat-up Seattle team is flying across the country to play a beat-up Eagles team, but I know this as a fact— they aren’t as tough as us. They aren’t playing at home. They aren’t on a 4-game win streak with their back up players. We have made the adjustments and we most certainly have come together as a team.
This Eagles team is playing together. In the NFL, you can have the most talented roster in the league but if your players and coaches are not in sync (cough* Dallas sucks cough*) you will find yourselves being a mediocre team that coulda, woulda, and shoulda.
The Linc is going to be ELECTRIC. I cannot wait to be around my people and ready to kick these weirdos out of our stadium, city, and the playoffs.
This season is so special people. As brutal as the lows have been, I would not have it any other way for the highs we have felt. Without the lows, maybe Greg Ward Jr. never gets a chance to breakout. Maybe Boston Scott never gets called up and scores 3 TDs against the Giants. Maybe Sidney Jones doesn’t get a shot at redemption. Maybe you fair weather fans should get shot into the sun. Regardless, it’s showtime on Sunday and this team is hungry again and they aren’t going to stop until they satisfy that hunger.
One more.
One more game and a caged dog in DeSean Jackson is unleashed. And believe me, he’s going to eat.
Put on your Sunday green, whip up some breakfast, turn off Disney +, and get down to the parking lot or basement and bring the energy. It’s do or die. Us vs the world. Time to shut up these clowns on tv or at work who act like their arguments matter because they yell them.
This Eagles team doesn’t care where or who, they’re showing up with whatever 53 guys check in on time and punching you in the damn mouth and having fun while they’re doing it. That’s Philly. And this Philly team is ready to eat some more. See you on Sunday folks. As Always, Fly Eagles Fly!
Chris Mallee Carson Wentz, NFC Wild Card, Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks