Eagles 22 Panthers 30 Your Covers Blown

So much for trying to be optimistic!

The Eagles once again slumped to a well deserved defeat, this time against the less than formidable Carolina Panthers.  Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and most of the offensive line are all out injured, Jason Babin has been released and the secondary appear to have broken up early for Christmas.

It was a difficult watch, and I found it tough to be too harsh on the young players on offensive.  Rookie QB Nick Foles was ineffective and not asked to do a great deal.  There was nothing to suggest he is the answer for the Eagles, there were a few nice, short throws early on, but the play calling was very conservative.  The jury remains out on the young passer.  However, working behind the Eagles dire O line is a thankless task and one that even the best QBs would find difficult.  This is an area that the Eagles need to address in the off season and get some significant upgrades in place.

If Folks failed to impress, the same couldn't be said for fellow rookie Bryce Brown.  Stepping into the considerable void left by McCoy, Brown showcased his speed, instinct and agility in running for a whopping 178 yards.  This included a storming 65 yard TD run that got the crowd on it's feet and a short TD run to the outside that showed his impressive acceleration.  Of course, this is the Eagles 2012, so Brown also had to cough up a couple of fumbles that stalled promising drives. But there was enough to suggest that next season a Brown-McCoy double act could give the Eagles a potent running game.

On the other side of the ball, Demeco Ryans once again showed what a great signing he has been.  Fletcher Cox is proving to be a shrewd Draft signing, and Vinny Curry played with a passion that has been lacking from the Eagles D for much of the season.  However, they still found it hard to contain Cam Newton and the Carolina QB had his best outing of a difficult rookie season.  He continually escaped the pressure and found running room or time to fire downfield and it was downfield that the Panthers won the game.

The Eagles secondary were once again an embarrassment.  The time and space that Brandon LeFells had for his TD was scandalous and signing/Drafting a couple of safeties must also be high up on the Eagles priority list for 2013.  Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen look lost at times, and it's the second week in a row that our coverage has spectacularly failed.  In fact, since Juan Castillo was harshly fired, the secondary has been a shambles.  It's certainly not helping Todd Bowles prospects of getting a head coaching job anytime soon!

Despite the Eagles being competitive for much of the game, I never truly felt that we'd emerge victorious.  Alex Henery kept us close with some efficient kicking (one of the few successes of the season), but we couldn't make big plays of defence or stop Newton having his way.  The final straw was a Boykin kick off fumble, ironically after he'd reached midfield and looked to be setting us up for a final drive.  There was a crushing inevitability about the fumble, it was the Eagles season in microcosm...hope, destroyed by ineptitude.

There are 5 games left of this soul crushing season, and given the recent displays it's hard to see the Eagles winning any of them.  The important thing for the franchise is to take a look at some of the younger players (Curry, Brown etc) and decide which of the old guard need to be shipped out.  Jason Babin has already been shown the door after a poor season, but if Babin is deemed surplus to requirements then surely the likes of Coleman and Allen need to be following him pretty sharpish.  Andy "Need to do better" Reid is surely on his way out too, and the choice of the next Head Coach will be crucial.  I'd like to see a college coach like Chip Kelly get a chance.  It's clearly going to be a long term rebuild so why not give somebody a a chance to find their feet in the NFL and build the team up.


Quarterback Michael Vick looks to be a spent force and the 2013 Draft class isn't exactly stellar   A solid Free Agency signing may be in order to provide some stability to the offence.  Alex Smith could be an astute acquisition should the Niners let him leave in the New Year, it certainly seems as if Colin Kaeperick is the future in San Francisco, so Smith could well become available.  Failing that, then there are a few decent QBs struggling to get gametime at present.  The likes of Matt Flynn, Matt Hasselbeck or Kyle Orton may not get the pulses racing, but they are solid, safe options.  After a couple of years of erratic QB, a steady hand may be just what the Eagles need.  As for the O line and secondary, these areas need to be addressed in the Draft.  Hopefully, players like Ryans, Mathis, and Peters can help these young players establish themselves in the team.
Whatever the Eagles decide to do, a big operation is needed in Philadelphia to get the franchise back to the top of the NFC East.  I've certainly not picked the easy option when it comes to supporting an NFL team!

Eagles 6 Redskins 31 A History Project

My mother taught me that if I didn't have anything good to say then to not say anything at all.  This means I've got absolutely nothing to say regarding the Eagles latest  - and worst - defeat of the season.  Suffice to say that, the season is now over, wholesale changes are needed, Andy Reid must go, various players must go and new Co-ordinators are needed.  Aside from that, everything is looking good.

So instead of banging on about the Eagles and their deficiencies, I'm going to talk about something I'm currently working on and will forming the basis for this blog after the NFL season has concluded. I'm talking about the History of the NFL in the UK.  It started as a little bit of Internet research on a slow night in (aka girlfriend watching the soaps!) after reading an article about John Smith.  Smith was the kicker for the New England Patriots for 10 years from 1974 and is most famous for being the kicker during the infamous Snow Plough game against the Dolphins.  I found it interesting that Smith had been brought up in England and was offered a contract as a soccer* player.  He turned it down, moved to the US shortly after and the rest is history.

Me being me, I decided to look up other players from the UK who have appeared in the NFL.  It's not exactly a long list, but it does provide some great stories.  It certainly provided enough to intrigue me and set me off on a long train of thought. So long was the train, that it ended with me deciding to look into the entire history of the NFL in terms of it's connections to the UK.  Cue lots of research and more fascinating stories.

Broadly speaking, I categorised my findings into 5 categories:

* The Origins of the Sport - Like most US sports, American Football derives from an English sport  - in this case rugby.  How did the sport evolve from the time that William Webb Ellis supposedly pick up a ball during a game of football?  How did it get across the Atlantic and evolve into the sport we now watch and enjoy?

* The Early Days - Before Channel 4 got involved in the early 80's, the NFL was a mystery to the vast majority of the UK.  However, there were a few connections, aside from the previously mentioned Smith.  I am also trying to track down a story that I'm sure I read in the guardian a while ago, it concerns a kicker from the UK who ended up in the NFL after a franchise decided to run kicking trials over here.  If anybody has a link to that story or more information on what happened then please can you let me know, as I seem to recall it was a great story.

Possibly the greatest
TV logo ever!

* The 80's Boom - Everyone of a certain age (older than me I hasten to add) remember Channel 4's coverage of the NFL, it led to a massive growth of the NFL in the UK and exhibition games being played at Wembley stadium.  Ultimately, Channel 4's coverage was the catalyst for the League becoming what it has in this country.  They are plenty of interesting facts and anecdotes surrounding the sport and it's presence in the UK during this period.

* The London Monarchs and the World League - With all due respect the likes of the London Blitz and co, it seems ludicrous to think that an American Football team from the UK played and Wembley stadium and regularly attracted crowds of other 40,000.  It was a weird time for the sport in the UK, highlighted by the fact that my geography teacher used to put on Monarchs videos when he had time to kill at the end of a lesson!


*  Finally, after a late nineties dip, we have the "Second Boom" that exists to this day and is underlined by the playing of regular season NFL games at Wembley.  I still get amazed when people complain about aspects of the International Series - Team x are crap, the queues at the Tailgate are too long, tickets are too expensive etc - we shouldn't ever get complacent about the NFL playing in this country.  It is an incredible privilege that the overwhelming majority of sports fans never experience.  It is also growing year upon year -the Tailgates, the Fan Rallies etc and next year we have 2 games to look forward to.  What's more, they are also events such as the Super Bash and the Thanksgiving Party that help to raise the profile of the sport here, as well as more and more games being televised.  It's a fantastic time to be a UK based fan of the NFL, but what does the future hold and how can the sport continue to grow?

I'm still hunting around for stories and information about the NFL/UK connections, but after the end of the NFL season I'm going to start putting the stories together.  I've yet yet decided whether to use this blog to publish my work or to look at other avenues (websites, etc) or even to put it all together in one place.  Either way, I'm excited about working on a more substantial writing project and to find out more about the NFLs connections with the UK.

It's certainly better then writing about the Eagles every week!




(* Like most people in the UK I hate the word Soccer, but it's the simplest way to differentiate between football and American Football...so tough!)

Cowboys 38 Eagles 23: 5 Reasons to be Cheerful

Another week, another dismal defeat for the Eagles.  This time at home, against one of our Divisional rivals.  Yup, the hits keep coming for the 2012 Eagles.  To add to the woes, this latest debacle saw Michael Vick knocked out of the game, the concession of 2 Defensive TDs and some classic Andy Reid clock management to end the first half.

But I've had enough of whinging about the Eagles and there many many flaws, instead I'm going to focus on the positives.  I've got plenty of experience of watching a struggling sports team after much thought (and some creative thinking) here are 5 reasons to be cheerful for Eagles fans:

1. 2013 Will Be a Clean Slate

Andy Reid's tenure is surely coming to an end.  His overall body (and it's a large body) of work has been impressive, but the last two years have been a bit of a sham.  In recent weeks, Reid has had the look of a man going through the motions it's clear that he needs a change of scenery.
In addition to Reid, it seems likely that a lot of the "Dream Team" signings will be moving on before next season, or at least playing in reduced roles.  Once again, Nmandi Asomugha was at fault for a TD on Sunday, and there has been more bad than good from the ex Raider this season.  The same could be said for DRC after an excellent Week 1 performance.  Whilst Babin and Jenkins look shadows of their former selves.  The odds of Michael Vick being the Eagles QB next season also appear to be lengthening by the day.
New coach, new QB and some young and hungry new players may be just what the franchise needs.

2.  The Defence (Well, some of it)

Demeco Ryans has been an inspired signing, once again on Sunday he was all over the field making tackles, disrupting passes and generally making it hard for Dallas to make gains.  It typified his season and Ryans looks like a shoe in for Eagles Player of the Year.
Alongside Ryans, Fletcher Cox and Michael Kendricks have had impressive starts to their NFL career.  Both look strong in the tackle and mobile.  We even saw them record a pair of sacks on Sunday, which bodes well for the future.
In fact, throughout the 2012 season the Defence hasn't been much of a problem and with a few tweaks it can be elite in 2013.

3.  Nick Foles Will Now Get a Chance

Vote Pedro!

I'm not going to anoint Foles as the next Tom Brady, but he did enough in his first outing to deserve an extended look.  He looked comfortable marshaling the troops in the huddle, he displayed a strong arm on a 50 yard TD pass and he wasn't afraid to try and make plays.  Yes, there was a pick 6 and an End Zone fumble, but that's par for the course for rookies, especially coming into the game midway through.
Foles deserves the rest of the season to see if he can nail down the starter's spot.  If he can then great.  If not, then it seems likely the Eagles will have a very high Draft pick with which to address the situation.  There's certainly more to be gained by playing Foles, then there is by going back to Michael Vick.


4.  You Can Enjoy the Rest of the Season

With the Eagles out of the Play Off picture, fans can kick back and enjoy the rest of the season.  Sure, we still want the Eagles to win and will watch the games, but it doesn't matter too much.  Instead we can relax and enjoy seeing some good teams compete for Divisional honours and a place at the SuperBowl.
There are some fascinating stories developing this season - Peyton Manning's return, Andrew Luck's progress, The Bears defence, Adrian Peterson's miraculous recovery etc,  I've been too hung up on the Eagles to fully enjoy the action.  Now all Eagles fans can soak up the rest of the NFL year without worrying about another Philadelphia disaster.

5.  It's Character Building

Honestly, going through seasons like this (and 2011) just makes the good times even better.  Look at the Colts, there were a train wreck last season, won only 2 games and had to endure Curtis Painter's QB play for much of the year.  Now they are sitting in a great spot in the Play Off race, have their QB of the future and have become the darlings of the league thanks to the amazing story of Chuck Pagano.
Last season's misery, will only have made this season's success sweeter.  Colts fans will look back at the dark days and it will make them appreciate what they have now.  Think how much Niners fans have enjoyed the last 2 seasons, after some horrendous years of bad management. Or how much Texan fans are wallowing in their success after a very slow start to NFL life.

When the Eagles have a successful 2013 (No laughing at the back!) we can all look back at this campaign and realise how lucky we are.  Now there's optimism for you!

Eagles 13 Saints 28 A New Low

According to the NFL schedule, there are 8 games left of the 2012 Regular Season, but try telling that to Philadelphia Eagles fans.  Even the most widely optimistic supporter would have to conceded that this team is finished for the year.  This latest defeat on Monday night, was arguably the worst so far.  Which is a pretty bold statement given some of the other losses this term.

I've got plenty of experience of supporting a losing team and defeat doesn't hit me hard anymore, but it's the hope that kills you, and heading into this season I had plenty of hope. I even wrote an article about it for the British Eagles website, I was optimistic that our big name players would step up and win us the big games.  Maybe it was my lack of battle scars, but I genuinely thought my first season as an Eagles fan was going to be a triumphant one.  Well, I certainly won't be making that mistake next year.  Pessimism will be the order of the day before the 2013 season.

This game was like the season in microcosm.  A promising start, followed by a ridiculously poor turnover, a period of awfulness, a hint at improvement, but ultimately a dreadful performance.  If you want a specific example of how the season has gone then look no further than the first quarter drive to the Saints Red Zone that ended with a 98 yard interception return for a touchdown.  That doesn't happen to the best teams, and if it does they respond to it.  The Eagles looked resigned to their fate from a very early stage.

I'd spent a lot of the off season reading about the great play makers the Eagles had on Defence - Cole, Babin, DRC, Asomugha, Ryans, plus 2 high end Draft picks.  Well, after a reasonable start to the season the Defence have turned in a couple of dreadful displays. New Co-ordinator Todd Bowles is proving to be about as much use as Todd Carty and teams are marching down the field on us pretty easily.

It's not all bad.......(paragraph scrapped due to lack of content)

I'm well used to losing and bad runs.  A couple of season's ago, Gillingham went a whopping 18 months without winning away.  A run that included a relegation and some truly abysmal defeats.  A 5-4 at Bury, a 4-0 walloping to local rivals Millwall and a scarcely believable 7-4 loss at Accrington bloody Stanley!
This difference between Gillingham being rubbish and the Eagles being rubbish is that I've not grown to expect it from the Eagles. The NFL is built to give everyone a chance, parity is the order of the day, it's all about coaches and players performing.  And quite simply, this hasn't happened enough this year in Philadelphia.  What's more, the organization has made some strange decisions concerning staff - firing Castillo, continuing to hire Reid etc.

Is it denting my faith in the Eagles?  Not at all, I wouldn't be a sports fan if I couldn't cope with defeat.  It makes the victories all the sweeter.  In many ways, this season has been a perfect introduction to the Eagles and the failings that I'd previously read about have.  Maybe I'd have felt a fraud if I'd experienced the glory at my first attempt.

Apologies for the negative nature of this week's post, but if you'd have got up at 6am to watch that debacle before work, you'd be struggling to come up with another positive.  At least, we're playing Dallas this week - one of the few franchises that having an equally shambolic season.

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In other news, I've got a rough idea for a series of longer articles on the history of the NFL, in terms of it's connections with the UK - starting from the way American Football evolved, going through the early Brits to play in the NFL, Channel 4 and the 80's boom, the London Monarchs etc, right up to the International Series and the ongoing second boom.  Doing some research at present, so the current plan is to use the next off season to write it all out.
Watch this Space!