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!