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There are all sorts of compelling narratives heading into the NFL season. Pro football is the subject of a concussion lawsuit by former players and a defamation suit by Jonathan Vilma of the New Orleans Saints. Losing both could cost the NFL oodles of money and threaten the power of Commissioner Roger Goodell. As if that were not enough, the question of the competency of replacement referees hangs over the regular season like a shroud. But probably the most intriguing storyline of the new season for local football fans is whether the Eagles can finally win that elusive Super Bowl led by a head coach and a quarterback who might be facing their last chance to do so in Philadelphia.
Only one head coach in NFL history coached the same team for 13 years without winning a Super Bowl — Bill Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He won it in his 14th season. Recently under Andy Reid, the Eagles have actually gotten farther away from their goal, missing the playoffs entirely last season. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2008. As if the challenge were not difficult enough, Reid is dealing with the death of his oldest son who died while at training camp. He knows the patience of the Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is wearing thin, despite his personal fondness for his head coach. Lurie issued an ultimatum of sorts after the disappointment of last season.
Just as Reid faces tremendous pressure to win it all this season, so does his quarterback, Michael Vick. Vick is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma. He got his chance when Kevin Kolb went down and made the most of it. His incredible talent is, at times, overshadowed by turnovers and injuries. Like Reid, he has never won a Super Bowl, and most observers believe this may be his last chance with the Eagles to achieve that goal.
In one of the more bizarre decisions of his tenure, Reid named former offensive line coach Juan Castillo his defensive coordinator last season. You didn’t have to be a football genius to see that Castillo seemed overwhelmed. Players were routinely caught out of position and penalties cost the team dearly. The assumption among a lot of us was Castillo would be replaced as Reid entered this potential make-or-break season. He is still the defensive coordinator, and we are still being told about his tremendous work ethic. But the real question is not whether Castillo works hard, it’s whether he is one of a relatively handful of men who can make in-game decisions to outwit the opposition’s offense, and do so while still learning on the job. Assurances that Castillo has been surrounded by capable assistants only make you wonder why one of those assistants isn’t running the defense.
The defensive line is as “deep as the ocean,” but hopefully not “as high as the sky.” Adjustments have now been made to the wide-nine scheme to better contain the run. The linebackers will not wind up in Canton when their careers end, but they are better than last year. DeMeco Ryans is not Chuck Bednarik, but neither is he the inexperienced Casey Mathews of last season. The problem is the wide-nine scheme, while fueling a ferocious pass rush, exposes the linebackers and secondary. Highly touted Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha say they know their assignments. That might not sound like much until you view the tapes of last season’s games. Questions regarding ability and health remain about the safeties.
The offense is loaded. LeSean McCoy is one of the best runners in the team’s history. A content DeSean Jackson should be an enormous improvement over the sullen-faced and underachieving receiver of last year. Whether Jackson can stay on the field while taking hits is another matter. The rest of the cast is stellar, even without All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters, gone for the season. It all comes down to the quarterback.
Most of the early hype was about rookie Nick Foles winning the back-up QB job. The identity of the back-up QB is not a big issue on most other elite teams. The Eagles are different. Vick’s holds the ball too long and runs with risky abandon, that makes him doubly vulnerable to injury. As if to emphasize this point, Vick incurred injuries in both preseason games in which he played. He will start Sunday wearing an improved lightweight flak jacket. I don’t care if they built a protective bubble over Vick, based on his past history he will miss a minimum of two or three weeks this season. That means tossing Foles into the fray. The rookie will not be facing second- or third-unit defenses when that happens or the Cleveland Browns starters (which amount to the same thing).
I like the Eagles to go 10-6 and win a playoff game. A lot depends upon whether the team finishes strong and also the strength of its playoff performance. My sense tells me that between Reid and Vick, it’s Vick that’s on the shorter leash.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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