Eagles-Washington Up-Down Drill: Jeffrey Lurie’s team has become an embarrassment
Eagles #Eagles
The tank
👎 — Maybe the Eagles will make the most of the three spots they gained in the draft by tanking to Washington. Maybe they’ll find the next Lane Johnson or Fletcher Cox … or Carson Wentz. It takes a lot to win a Super Bowl. One player isn’t enough. A winning culture is necessary. The Eagles had it. They showed again Sunday they no longer do.
Doug Pederson
👎 — The Eagles coach may be back next season, and sold his soul with Sunday’s tank as compensation, but his decision to pull Jalen Hurts for Nate Sudfeld in a three-point game was disgraceful.
Jeffrey Lurie
👎 — His team was appropriately criticized for the way it handled playing to lose in the finale. The NFL could decide to punish the Eagles. But the bigger issue for Lurie is that he has overseen an organization that has gone from the gold standard to an embarrassment in just three years.
Howie Roseman
👎 — If Roseman was pushing the buttons for three measly draft spots, then shame on him. Does anyone even trust that he’ll get the draft right following whiff after whiff the last four years? The Eagles need a complete overhaul. Is Roseman the man to spearhead it?
Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham
👍 — The long-time Eagles could have sat for the meaningless finale and few would have bat an eye. Kelce made his 105th straight start and has been playing through an elbow injury. Graham gives his all on every snap. That the pair, along with Fletcher Cox, were the Eagles’ only Pro Bowlers speaks to the team’s lack of young talent.
Tanks for nothing: Eagles brass sends clear message in fitting end to dreadful seasonJalen Hurts
👎 — He didn’t play well in his fourth start. Hurts’ 25.4 passer rating reflected as much. But was he hindered by the tank? It’s hard to make much of an evaluation about his future off the game. Was there enough for the Eagles to go all-in next season? Probably not yet.
Nate Sudfeld
👎 — The quarterback factory spit out an ugly late-game appearance by Sudfeld. It’s hard to fault him. Pederson said he was paying the third-stringer back for his loyalty, but he threw him to the wolves.
Jim Schwartz
👍 — At least the Eagles defensive coordinator coached to win. Schwartz’s unit, despite missing eight regulars, played hard from start to finish. He was visibly into the game all night long and it’s understandable considering it could have been his last ever.
Alex Singleton
👍 — The Eagles linebacker notched another double-digit tackle game and made plays from sideline to sideline. It took weeks before Schwartz realized he should have been his top backer, rather than Nate Gerry, but better late than never.
Jalen Reagor
👎 — The rookie receiver left early with a concussion. The “down” here isn’t because of Reagor’s head injury. And while he suffered multiple injuries this season, the knock on his first season was that he didn’t look like a first-round talent. The Eagles still believe he has a bright future, though.
Zach Ertz
👍 — The Eagles tight end’s final game was much like his 8th season: underwhelming. But Ertz’s effort or devotion to the team and this city should never be in question. Long after every other player had left the field, he sat alone on the bench. It’s likely he considered the prospect that he had played his last game for the Eagles.
Zach Ertz and Vinny Curry sitting on the bench long after players have left. Could be their last games as #Eagles: pic.twitter.com/poKlTiOYN0
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 4, 2021
Carson Wentz
👎 — Wentz has yet to be quoted as saying he wants out of Philly, but there was another report Sunday that he wants to be traded and that his relationship with Pederson is fractured beyond repair. If true, anything is salvageable, but Wentz may have hindered his standing with Eagles fans, which may not be.