Eagle091
November-13th-2005, 10:35 PM
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/99-11132005-569568.html
PHILADELPHIA — Hard to believe it's come to this.
The Eagles had just lost to the Redskins and Brian Dawkins, who's been through 3-13, who's been through three straight losing seasons, who's survived Bobby Hoying and Darnell Autry and Charles Dimry and David Diaz-Infante, was talking about all the positives he saw.
Positives?
A year ago, they were in the Super Bowl.
Now they're looking for positives in a seven-point loss to a division rival?
“Absolutely,” Dawkins said after the Eagles' lost 17-10 to the Redskins Sunday night on the heels of a 49-21 loss in Denver. “If we got blown out again, we'd be scratching our heads wondering where we're going. But that didn't happen. We came out and played with emotion. I see a team that's ready to turn things around.”
After winning an NFL-high 59 games from 2000 through 2004, after reaching the NFC Championship Game four straight times and winning the NFC East four years in a row, after coasting to the playoffs five years in a row, the Eagles are facing an uphill climb just to play football beyond the regular-season finale on New Year's day against the Redskins.
They're sitting 4-4 halfway through the season, the first time since 1999 — Andy Reid's first year as head coach — they haven't had a winning record at the season's mid-point.
They've already lost twice by 23 or more points for the first time since 1999 and allowed 30 or more points in a game three times for the first time since 1997.
The Eagles must beat the Cowboys tomorrow night at Lincoln Financial Field to avoid their first three-game losing streak in six years, their first sweep at the hands of the Cowboys since 1998 and their first 0-3 start within the NFC East since 1990.
And all this is happening in the middle of the Terrell Owens drama, which has drained an Eagles team already scuffling to win games.
“It's a must win,” linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said. “That's the position we've put ourselves in. We have to win.”
And, yes, things are so bad right now that Dawkins was willing to look at the Eagles' first loss to the Redskins in five years as a triumph of sorts.
“I know how it sounds,” Dawkins explained later in the week. “But I'm just being honest. When you lost 49-21 the week before and come back the next week in a hostile environment on the road and have a chance to win in the last minute, that's something to build on.
“I would love for us to blow teams out like we did last year. I would love games to be over in the third quarter. But that's not going to happen every week. So I was looking in the Washington game for signs that we were still fighting and I saw that. Now, you're still disappointed you didn't find a way to win the game, but if we keep playing hard and fighting like we did, the wins are going to come. I know it. I know what we have here.”
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This has been a brutal stretch for the Eagles. Today's game is their fifth in a stretch of seven consecutive games against winning teams, teams with a combined 37-20 record.
Last year, on the way to Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, the Eagles beat only three winning teams all year — the 10-6 Packers and 9-7 Ravens during the regular season and the Falcons in the playoffs.
The Eagles face the Cowboys at 9 p.m. tomorrow at the Linc five weeks after losing 33-10 at Texas Stadium.
“There's no doubt in my mind we'll turn this around,” Trotter said. “We have the players to do it. We're still a good football team, we just have to start showing it.”
With eight weeks to go, eight NFC teams have a better record than the Eagles. With a loss tomorrow night, the Eagles would fall two games and a tiebreaker behind the Cowboys and — if the Giants beat the Vikings at the Meadowlands, where they're undefeated — the Eagles would be three games out of first place in the NFC East.
Want something encouraging? The Eagles play four of their next five games at home, where they're undefeated this year and 17-1 in their last 18 meaningful games. And then, over the last six weeks of the season, their only road games are in St. Louis and Arizona against two beatable teams.
It does get easier. At least, in theory.
“We still have the second half of the season,” tight end L.J. Smith said. “People look at us like we're 0-8 instead of 4-4. I still think we can make a run out of it. I think we have the talent to do so.”
But it has to start tomorrow, when the Eagles try to avenge their worst division loss in seven years, their worst loss to the Cowboys in seven years.
“No question about it,” defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. “This is what you play for. I think we're all excited. The players are excited, coaches are excited. Dallas is coming to town, Monday Night football, it can't get any better than this.
“And we know where we're at. We're 4-4 like some other teams and this is a big game for us.”
Twice under Buddy Ryan, the Eagles hit the midway point at or below .500 — 3-5 in 1988, 4-4 in 1990 — and reached the playoffs.
Maybe this thing isn't over just yet.
“You never like to say it's a must-win game against Dallas,” defensive end Ndukwe Kalu said. “But it's a must-win just to prove to ourselves we're not the team that we're showing people.”
PHILADELPHIA — Hard to believe it's come to this.
The Eagles had just lost to the Redskins and Brian Dawkins, who's been through 3-13, who's been through three straight losing seasons, who's survived Bobby Hoying and Darnell Autry and Charles Dimry and David Diaz-Infante, was talking about all the positives he saw.
Positives?
A year ago, they were in the Super Bowl.
Now they're looking for positives in a seven-point loss to a division rival?
“Absolutely,” Dawkins said after the Eagles' lost 17-10 to the Redskins Sunday night on the heels of a 49-21 loss in Denver. “If we got blown out again, we'd be scratching our heads wondering where we're going. But that didn't happen. We came out and played with emotion. I see a team that's ready to turn things around.”
After winning an NFL-high 59 games from 2000 through 2004, after reaching the NFC Championship Game four straight times and winning the NFC East four years in a row, after coasting to the playoffs five years in a row, the Eagles are facing an uphill climb just to play football beyond the regular-season finale on New Year's day against the Redskins.
They're sitting 4-4 halfway through the season, the first time since 1999 — Andy Reid's first year as head coach — they haven't had a winning record at the season's mid-point.
They've already lost twice by 23 or more points for the first time since 1999 and allowed 30 or more points in a game three times for the first time since 1997.
The Eagles must beat the Cowboys tomorrow night at Lincoln Financial Field to avoid their first three-game losing streak in six years, their first sweep at the hands of the Cowboys since 1998 and their first 0-3 start within the NFC East since 1990.
And all this is happening in the middle of the Terrell Owens drama, which has drained an Eagles team already scuffling to win games.
“It's a must win,” linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said. “That's the position we've put ourselves in. We have to win.”
And, yes, things are so bad right now that Dawkins was willing to look at the Eagles' first loss to the Redskins in five years as a triumph of sorts.
“I know how it sounds,” Dawkins explained later in the week. “But I'm just being honest. When you lost 49-21 the week before and come back the next week in a hostile environment on the road and have a chance to win in the last minute, that's something to build on.
“I would love for us to blow teams out like we did last year. I would love games to be over in the third quarter. But that's not going to happen every week. So I was looking in the Washington game for signs that we were still fighting and I saw that. Now, you're still disappointed you didn't find a way to win the game, but if we keep playing hard and fighting like we did, the wins are going to come. I know it. I know what we have here.”
Click here!
This has been a brutal stretch for the Eagles. Today's game is their fifth in a stretch of seven consecutive games against winning teams, teams with a combined 37-20 record.
Last year, on the way to Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, the Eagles beat only three winning teams all year — the 10-6 Packers and 9-7 Ravens during the regular season and the Falcons in the playoffs.
The Eagles face the Cowboys at 9 p.m. tomorrow at the Linc five weeks after losing 33-10 at Texas Stadium.
“There's no doubt in my mind we'll turn this around,” Trotter said. “We have the players to do it. We're still a good football team, we just have to start showing it.”
With eight weeks to go, eight NFC teams have a better record than the Eagles. With a loss tomorrow night, the Eagles would fall two games and a tiebreaker behind the Cowboys and — if the Giants beat the Vikings at the Meadowlands, where they're undefeated — the Eagles would be three games out of first place in the NFC East.
Want something encouraging? The Eagles play four of their next five games at home, where they're undefeated this year and 17-1 in their last 18 meaningful games. And then, over the last six weeks of the season, their only road games are in St. Louis and Arizona against two beatable teams.
It does get easier. At least, in theory.
“We still have the second half of the season,” tight end L.J. Smith said. “People look at us like we're 0-8 instead of 4-4. I still think we can make a run out of it. I think we have the talent to do so.”
But it has to start tomorrow, when the Eagles try to avenge their worst division loss in seven years, their worst loss to the Cowboys in seven years.
“No question about it,” defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. “This is what you play for. I think we're all excited. The players are excited, coaches are excited. Dallas is coming to town, Monday Night football, it can't get any better than this.
“And we know where we're at. We're 4-4 like some other teams and this is a big game for us.”
Twice under Buddy Ryan, the Eagles hit the midway point at or below .500 — 3-5 in 1988, 4-4 in 1990 — and reached the playoffs.
Maybe this thing isn't over just yet.
“You never like to say it's a must-win game against Dallas,” defensive end Ndukwe Kalu said. “But it's a must-win just to prove to ourselves we're not the team that we're showing people.”