Since this blog is quite highbrow, I'm going to start this off by using a philosophical quote: "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." In 2019, coming off a disappointing 2018 season, the Eagles mired in mediocrity for 3/4ths of the season. Their offense was bland, ineffective, and predictable. Carson Wentz, still nursing himself back to 100% from injury, regressed. Several other skill position players who were vital to winning a Super Bowl the season prior also regressed. There was very little, if any, developmental progression of anyone on the roster. Even on the defensive side of the ball, we saw a widespread lack of fundamentals, execution, and production. Routinely giving up 3rd and longs, and even 4th and longs all season. However, and to their credit, the team rebounded with Nick Foles at the helm in December, finishing the season strong, making the playoffs, and coming one fluky dropped pass away from potentially having another NFC Championship Game appearance.
In the Spring of 2019, Howie Roseman and the front office approached the offseason like the prior 3 months of football before December never happened. They allowed recency bias to cloud their view of the shortcomings of the roster, and they spent almost the entire offseason making minimal upgrades, and amassing compensatory picks. Several quality players were available in free agency and on the trade market(even into the regular season) that Howie Roseman flat-out passed on. Guys like Jadeveon Clowney, who played a significant role(dirty or not) in ending the Eagles' season on Sunday, and Devante Parker, who was available at the trade deadline and went on to have an incredibly strong finish to the season. They are just two names of many. They allowed one hot December month in 2018 and built-in injury excuses to influence them into ignoring the many deficiencies that were so clearly apparent. Not just personnel deficiencies, but on the coaching staff as well.
Now, enter 2019 and once again, for 3/4ths of the season, the same problems we all saw in 2018 were once again front and center. A poor, unimaginative, bland offense. Poor execution and preparation on both sides of the ball. Widespread player regression and lack of development across most of the roster. And just like in 2018, the team finished with a strong month of December to once again get the team into the playoffs. The narratives had already started.
"This proves Wentz doesn't need great players around him to succeed."
"See? Groh proved he can really coach, people gave up on him too quickly."
"The Eagles have a lot more talent on this team than we thought, we just didn't give it a chance."
Keep in mind, this winning streak was against the basement dwellers of the NFL. And the Eagles didn't exactly dominate these opponents either. In two of the games, the Eagles needed to fight tooth and nail to storm comebacks against the lowly Redskins and Giants. Credit them for making the playoffs, but doing so in a horrendous division is not exactly a premium accomplishment. Even with the injuries.
So, sitting here in 2020, we find ourselves in a very similar position as we were in 2019. A flawed team that was mediocre for 75% of the season, finished with a hot month and made the playoffs under dire circumstances. In 2019, Howie and co. decided that all was right in the world, and minor tweaks would suffice in getting the Eagles back to the promised land. And as we saw for the majority of this season, that assessment was very wrong. Let's all hope that Howie doesn't make the same mistake this year that he did last year. He needs to evaluate the season as a whole and not fixate on one hot December month, which is an incredibly small sample. He needs to look at two full seasons of regression, poor execution, lack of player development, and stagnant offenses. He needs to look at a medical and training staff that has a laundry list of severe injuries every season. He needs to evaluate it all, because it's obvious that the mystique of the Super Bowl team has worn off and this organization needs a serious overhaul in personnel and coaching. And if he doesn't, it's time for him to be re-evaluated by Jeffrey Lurie. This is the most important offseason in recent memory, and it's not one the Eagles can afford to mess up.
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