In a town that has not seen a professional sports championship since 1983 every playoff loss is magnified. The vehemence of every criticism leveled by both the fans and the dreaded media increase with each off-season. Philadelphia is a blue collar city that is known for embracing the underdog (see Rocky I-V and Rocky Balboa) and its rabid loyal fan base.
Of the four major sports teams in this city, the Eagles are the only team not to win their league championship (the Eagles did win NFL Championship the precursor the Super Bowl) and yet this is a city where football is discussed and debated year round. And yet every year fans show up to training camp, eight home games and descend on opponents cities like biblical locust.
Every year the Birds find a news ways to raise the hopes of their fandom only to have them come crashing down in a sequence of events so dramatic you have to wonder if they secretly have Law and Order producer Dick Wolf on the payroll scripting this stuff.
There were too many question marks coming into this season. Can the defense stop the run, will the offense use their running game. In the ebb and flow, “any given Sunday” world of the NFL, many had seen the Eagles run of four straight NFC championship games culminating in a 2004 Super Bowl appearance as over. Was it time they fell victim to the NFL mantra of parity? This town, me included, tempered enthusiasms with expectations. Enjoy the season but do not expect much from this team, this was a transition year.
There was supposed to be little chance of the classic Philly let down. Through the first few games of the year while the team had success, the holes that the team had were exposed. Besides, everyone knew that the first eight games of the season were the easiest, if there was any chance of success it would all be dependant on the teams record going into the second half. How would they do with three games on the road against division foes?
The Eagles, to their credit, for the most part did not disappoint. Yes they lost games they should not have, but we had expected that. Then the unthinkable happened. The one man this team could least afford to lose, the quarterback, the franchise, Donovan McNabb went down for the season.
The Eagles still had a chance, however remote, to make the playoffs and if the stars aligned right even the division. But the best player on the team was gone, the defense could not stop the run, and Reid still had not acknowledged a need to use the run. The season was over and fans turned to being depressed about the sad state of the Flyers and Sixers.
Then it happened again, after an embarrassing loss to the Indianapolis Colts, when hope and expectations were at its lowest. The Birds won a tough brawl against the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football. It was a nice win but not enough to encourage the faithful to be just that, faithful. Even a win in Washington to make the last three games of the year mean something did not awake the sleeping dragon that lies in Philadelphia.
But then they beat New York to take control of their playoff destiny. The town was now just thinking hey look the managed to make it to the playoffs if they win one of the next two games. With those Cowboys on Christmas in Dallas this town started to come alive if nothing else it was the ‘Boys with our former cancer T.O.” Then it happened they beat the Cowboys to take the lead in the division with one game to go.
Thanks to the Cowboys, that last game lasted five minutes for the starters because those wonderful Cowboys buggered their last game giving the Eagles the division without have to win that last game. The impossible had happened, the Eagles had conquered the toughest part of the schedule and as an added bonus won the division and got a chance to host a home playoff game.
They even won that playoff game one step closer to the Promise Land again. It had to be alright to believe now, believe that this team could not let you down right?
The along came 4th and 15. The Birds are down by three with less then four minutes to play. So far they had defied the odds and come out on top. They had just completed a pass for ten yards on fourth down that was brought back due to a penalty.
Now this is the part of the story where Rocky goes for it against the champ only to fall short but not for a lack of trying. Not Andy Reid. He decides that he should punt. He does not take a shot at it; he played it safe.
I am not even advocating for the Hollywood ending. I have lived in this city too long I just wanted to go down fighting. Instead the Eagles go quietly into the off-season. Once again leaving a fan based left asking why does this happen to us all the time.
