WEIRD BYE WEEK WHEN YOU’RE 3-0….GOOD PROBLEM FOR EAGLES TO HAVE…

I’m no stranger to weirdness, if you have followed my columns here over the past 9 years…

This Week 4 Bye week is weird in that it comes at an illogical point in a long season. Ideally to me you’d want a Bye in Week 7 or Week 8—an optimum point in the season for your coaches to do a comprehensive re-eval of your entire personnel resources and your game plans.

But no, it’s an early break for the Eagles and the Packers…the earliest Bye possible.

Maybe it works out okay for the better?… when you’re 3-0 and a lot of good stuff is clicking, maybe the early break from the action kinda assists in the physical rejuvenation process and the mental refreshment from the playbook. Maybe an early break in a marathon is more valuable than a late break?

I don’t know.

Bless his heart, Dave Spadaro at PE.com: “The Bye week is a time to reflect, however briefly, and to look ahead. For the coaching staff, the days are spent reviewing every nuance of the opening three games, checking tendencies, going over what worked and what didn’t, as well as preparing for the Detroit Lions in two Sundays. For the players, the days are here to visit family and friends and also to stay in shape to get ready to win in Detroit.”

Dave puts the human spin on it. Coaches don’t get much of a break in a Bye week, but for the players, it’s their one chance of a long season to become civilians again.

Yet to be fair, Dave reminds us:

• There are going to be some tremendous tests ahead, starting with back-to-back road games in Detroit and at Washington. Both offenses have high-powered passing games, so the defensive secondary will be tested by the depth and explosiveness of those two passing games.
• Lane Johnson’s situation needs to be resolved, and he is reportedly on the verge of being suspended by the NFL for 10 games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Johnson reportedly has an October 4 hearing for his appeal. What happens if he is suspended? The Eagles plan to move left guard Allen Barbre to right tackle and would likely insert veteran Stefen Wisniewski into the starting left guard spot. Youngsters Isaac Seumalo and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, along with Matt Tobin, would be in line to play in the case of injury. That’s a real challenge for the line, and there is no telling how that would impact Wentz and the structure of the offense. Johnson has played outstanding football through three games.

So to be realistic, even when the BYE feels like a week on vacation, major stuff is still churning behind the scenes.

Chris McPherson: “When the Eagles return for practice on Monday following the Bye week, Pederson embarks on a new challenge. The Eagles are 3-0 behind the brilliant performance of that rookie quarterback Carson Wentz along with the league’s top-ranked scoring defense. Very few analysts gave the Eagles any chance of knocking off the Steelers last Sunday. Now, the Eagles are one of the best stories of the young season. Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins said that the defense has played with a chip on its shoulder. Can Pederson keep the Eagles focused when fans and analysts will say the team has arrived?”

“The biggest thing is complacency. … You think you are all that. When that creeps in, that’s when you get beat. It’s my job not to let that creep in. I’ve got to keep the guys focused and grounded,” Pederson said. “I told them this week they’re going to travel and go home and people are going to pat them on the back and say how great they are. But next Monday, I’m going to tell them, ‘Hey, we’re back to work. We’re zero and zero. This is Game 1 and let’s go.’ That’s just the way it has to be. You are building for one ultimate goal and that’s a few weeks down the road. That’s what you are trying to get to. But you can’t get there unless you take care of the next opponent. It’s my job to keep them focused that way.”

At the same time, Pederson wants the players to “get away from football.” Following a team meeting on Monday, the team was sent home for the rest of the week. Pederson put the Eagles through a rigorous Training Camp. Even though the Eagles are one of the first teams to have a Bye week, the timing could prove to be just right.

“It’s early, but really in the big picture it’s kind of halfway through the year if you count Training Camp. So, it could be a great time for a bye week,” defensive end Connor Barwin said.

It could be great if the players heal their bodies and come back with the right mindset.

“We just have to approach it the same, one day at a time. That’s the way this business goes,” Pederson said. “You are on top of the world one minute, and you can be at the bottom of the heap the next. Just got to keep things even-keeled and can’t get too high, can’t get too low. Approach it the same. … You can’t substitute for hard work. That pays off on Sundays. We just have to stay the course. Again, a lot of football left.”