The month of November basically encapsulated what it is to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Through five games in November, Eagles fans saw their team win two games in convincing fashion, get absolutely destroyed by the Packers, and then bounce back to dismantle the Titans and Cowboys. Not enough of a roller coaster for you? Now, factor all of these events into the equation, Nick Foles will miss 6-8 weeks with a broken collarbone, LeSean McCoy is unhappy and/or isn’t the same player her was last year, Riley Cooper makes comments about Jeremy Maclin’s playing time and contract. Yeah, all of that happened in a month and the Eagles are still 9-3 and alone atop their division. So for those of you who slept through November, or weren’t able to follow as closely, here are the “Spark Notes” for your month of November.
3 Bad Things We Learned in November
1. Riley Cooper is still an idiot and last year’s statistics were a fluke
Riley Cooper surpassed his first three season totals for receptions, yards, and touchdowns all in one season last year when he showed up to the tune of 47 receptions, 835 yards, and 8 touchdowns. However, since signing his offseason contract extension, he’s been God awful. He had very costly drops in the Colts and 49ers games, and was at it again Sunday, dropping three catchable balls on against the Cowboys. However, Cooper’s play on the field may not be what gets him cut in the offseason, but comments like the one he made last year (we all remember that one), and the ones he made about teammate Jeremy Maclin leading up to the Cowboys game will. When asked about his decrease in playing time, Cooper said: “[Jeremy] Maclin’s trying to get a contract so he’s probably not going to try and come out of the game.” Yeah, not smart Riley. If Cooper doesn’t get his act together, on and off the field, he may be looking for a new home next season.
2. The Eagles aren’t the best team in the NFC
Before the Eagles went up to Lambeau Field and got absolutely dominated by the Green Bay Packers, there was a lot of talk about them being the class of the NFC. I can’t say that I can argue that much, seeing that the Eagles barely lost on the road to the Cardinals and 49ers, but the Packers showed who the class of the NFC is. Rodgers came out and did whatever he wanted against the Eagles defense and before anyone knew what hit them, the Packers were up 24-3 and the game was virtually over. Now to be fair, every team has a game here and there that just gets away from them, but this was very disheartening to see for the Eagles.
3. The Eagles future at quarterback is still up in the air
Let’s face it, the Eagles haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Donovan McNabb in the early 2000’s. As much as he wore on us and said stupid things, he was a franchise quarterback. Since McNabb’s departure in 2009, we’ve seen a lot of different faces under center (Kolb, Vick, Young, Barkley, Foles, Sanchez), that’s not great. To be consistently great in this league, you need a steady presence at the quarterback position and the Eagles do not have it right now.
4 Good Things We Learned in November
1. Billy Davis has a defense that is starting to take shape
The 2012 draft class has arrived for the Philadelphia Eagles. Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks are turning into leaders and difference makers on the defensive side of the ball. Mix in steady contributions from Cedric Thornton, Trent Cole, Brandon Boykin, and Bennie Logan, you’ve got a nice handful of some home grown talent with their careers all on the upswing (with Cole being the exception). If you add in Conner Barwin and Malcolm Jenkins, who look to be free agent bargains, this defense is finally starting to fill out into a Super Bowl caliber unit. I think they’re probably still a corner and a safety away, but the future looks bright.
2. The Special Teams Are a Legitimate Threat
Every once in a while teams can string together a couple weeks of returns, fakes, and gadget plays where Special Teams really help them win games. However, it’s rare that you have a unit that is playing this well on a consistent basis. Darren Sproles has been nothing short of a Godsend for this team. He’s got 2 returns for touchdowns and is averaging 14.5 yards per return. Add in a couple kick returns by Chris Polk and Josh Huff and you’re already at 4 return touchdowns for the season. Not to mention the blocked Punts and PATs, this Special Teams unit has changed games all throughout the season and needs to be noticed. Anytime you can play neck and neck with a team, Special Teams often decide who the winner is, this is a great thing to have on your side entering December.
3. The Eagles Can Beat a Good Team on the Road
Many people, both locally and nationally, were questioning if the Eagles could beat good teams on the road. People pointed to Chip Kelly’s subpar record against winning teams, they pointed to losses against Green Bay, Arizona, and San Fran. Pundits said that the Colts win was a fluke and the Eagles only won that game due to bad officiating and poor play calling. With that being said, you can’t say much about the Dallas game on Thanksgiving, the Eagles dominated all three phases of the game from start to finish. The Eagles proved that they can beat a very good team on the road.
4. The Offensive Line and Shady McCoy Are Back
Yup, we’re saving the best for last. The Eagles have finally gotten most of their offensive line back and McCoy seems to be running like he was in 2013. Between the uncertainty at quarterback, missing DeSean, and a patchwork offensive line, something wasn’t right with LeSean McCoy. However, over the last two games he’s averaging a whopping 6.4 yards per carry and about 145 yards per game. The line is getting a strong push, communicating better, and McCoy is running more like the decisive runner that brought home the rushing title in 2014.
Summarization:
- The Packers are the Eagles biggest threat.
- The Eagles went 4-1 in November.
- LeSean McCoy is back on track.
- The defense keeps improving.
- The Eagles should win the NFC East.
- My prediction for an NFC title game appearance holds true.
It could be a fun ride this year Philadelphia, buckle up!
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