IRVING, Texas - All things considered, it might seem like a chaotic time for America’s Team. They’re under .500 and their playoff chances are becoming smaller and smaller.
They also have various injuries to key players and their head coach has been scrutinized by the national media. But look toward their opponent this Sunday, and it’s obvious that it could be worse.
There’s no getting around the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles are in a state of turmoil. Thought by many to be a Super Bowl contender in the preseason, they currently stand at 3-8 on the season. Both Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy were held out last week with concussions, forcing the Eagles to start a rookie at both quarterback and running back before also losing wide DeSean Jackson.
They already fired their defensive coordinator and many believe it’s just a matter of time until head coach Andy Reid is out of a job as well.
“There’s not a person in this building that is happy about the way things have gone so far,” Reid said. “We’ve got competitive guys on this football team, coaching staff. You come into every game feeling like you can win the game and when it doesn’t go right, you’re disappointed.”
The tipping point for many Eagles fans came this week when the team chose to release defensive end Jason Babin. The 32-year-old only has 5.5 sacks after racking up 18 last year. The Eagles claim that the move was made in order to allow some of the younger players more playing time.
Fellow defensive linemen Trent Cole remained hesitant to talk about the team’s reaction to the release of Babin, who was one of the leaders of the defense.
“We were surprised, but that’s not our area to comment on,” Cole said. “That’s none of our business. We’re here to play ball and the franchise is here to run the business.”
Despite the move, Reid claims that the Eagles are actually doing all they can to win games in the present rather than focusing on the future.
“You play to win games, no matter where you sit,” Reid said. “You practice and play that way and it doesn’t matter what the record is. That’s how you go about your business and that’s what we’re doing.”
The fact that the franchise cited a younger direction as the reason for Babin’s release can’t make Cole completely comfortable considering he is a six-year veteran in the league. Cole said the Eagles will still play hard the rest of the year, not because they think they can make the playoffs, but because they’re all fighting to avoid the same fate as Babin.
“A lot of people say there’s nothing to play for, but there is,” Cole said. “We have to play for our jobs. We may not have the playoff hopes there, but we have to play for our jobs.”
The Eagles are an organization full of players and coaches playing and coaching for their jobs. There are few things that Eagle fans enjoy more than beating the Cowboys, but a win on Sunday night won’t the solve the issues in Philadelphia.
