This was the time so many people in Philadelphia were waiting for. They have been clamoring for this move for weeks and they rose to their feet as the next chapter in Eagles football was beginning. Unfortunately, some things are just not as good as you envision them and the start of the Nick Foles era certainly didn't live up to the hype in the early stages.
Nick Foles got off to a rocky start Sunday night in the Eagles' 38-23 loss to the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mike Vick suffered a concussion in the second quarter which forced Foles into action, as he stepped onto the field behind a raucous applause from the home crowd. In a city where the backup quarterback is everyone's favorite player, it was hardly a surprise to see this reaction. It has been a trying season for Vick, Andy Reid and the Eagles in general, with the proverbial hot seat reaching scorching hot levels with every loss. The fans have been crying for Foles all year, many of them just desperate for any sign of change, since his solid pre-season, but the cries have been deafening in over the course of this current five game losing streak. The Eagles were bailed out of any eventual decision to bench Vick, as he was taken out due to injury (it was only a matter of time), so now we have a chance to see what Foles is made of, as the 2012 season is effectively over.
The Eagles (3-6) have plenty of issues, and yes Mike Vick is ONE of them. One of many. Their offensive line is atrocious and decimated by injuries. Four of the projected five members of the offensive line are hurt as of right now, with Evan Mathis being the last man standing, and he's hardly the best lineman. There is no depth, as evidenced by the human turn-styles that are King Dunlap and Demetress Bell. Danny Watkins has regressed in his sophomore season, Jason Kelce has been a bigger loss that most had imagined and Jason Peters is proving to be the most valuable player on the Eagles this year due to his absence on that line. Todd Herremans went down last week and who knows if or when he would return, but to be honest, it doesn't matter.
The high-priced defense is not giving the front office much return on their investment. Juan Castillo was fired two weeks ago, on the heels of blowing a ten point lead with five minutes left against Detroit. While the defense's numbers were solid under Castillo (13th overall in opponents' scoring despite opponents having the best average starting field position in the NFL), they lacked the killer instinct needed to shut down teams and close out games. They went a three games without a sack, which is unacceptable considering the talent on the defensive line. Since new coordinator Todd Bowles has taken over, the defense has been even worse, and often looked clueless in recent blow-outs courtesy of Atlanta and New Orleans.
Then we get to Vick. Always the lightning rod for debate, his biggest problem this year is what it's always been, turnovers. During his career year in 2010, one of the important things people forget is that Vick wasn't turning the ball over. He has 13 total turnovers this year, many of which have been in red-zone situations that have been absolute killers for the team. Vick has never been accurate, as he has a career 56% completion percentage. He's a spectacular athlete, although his jaw-dropping runs have been few and far between lately, but it's his athleticism makes up for a lot of the deficiencies along the offensive line. It's also what allows him to think that he can make throws off his back foot, or while falling down, which often lead to interceptions.
The main problem with this entire situation is the head coach, Andy Reid. Any Eagles fan, when it's all said and done, should have respect and appreciation for Andy Reid. He took a 3-13 team and transformed them into a perennial contender. He brought in some of the franchise's most beloved players and coaches, and while he will ultimately be known for his shortcomings in big games and his poor clock management, he helped elevate the Eagles into a class franchise. I don't believe it's a scenario in which players have stopped playing for him, because his players have great respect for him, but it's his philosophies that need to go. What Andy Reid did for this city during his time here is undeniable.
In the last two years, he brought in all these vaunted coaches with their schemes and brought in high-priced talent to fit into those systems, and it has been nothing short of a disaster. Howard Mudd, the offensive line guru who protected Peyton Manning for a decade, has had a revolving door of lineman that allowed Vick to lead the league in hurries and knockdowns. Jim Washburn's wide-9 defensive front resulted in plenty of sacks last year but also gave way to a porous rush defense. Nnamdi Asomugha, the prize of the 2011 free agent class, has been a disappointment and will never quite live up to his contract. All of these guys were brought in by Reid, and ultimately will help spell the end of his tenure in Philadelphia.
The organization needs a change in philosophy, and that starts and ends with replacing Reid. The offensive line needs to be solidified, the middle of the defense needs to be patched up and decisions need to be made on some of the under-performing, costly players on both sides of the ball. The offense needs to run through LeSean McCoy, by far the team's best player. Use the rest of the season to see if Nick Foles shows you enough to believe that he's the quarterback of the future for this team. With Vick suffering a "pretty significant" concussion according to Reid, it looks like Foles will be the man at least for this upcoming week against the Redskins. If he isn't the future, look for the Eagles to eye up a quarterback in the early rounds of the upcoming draft and go from there. There's plenty of head coaching candidates out there. There are some in the announcing booth with Super Bowl rings (Gruden, Billick), some hungry college coaches looking to become the next Jim Harbaugh (Kelly), some are serving a suspension (Payton) and some coordinators looking to make the jump to head coach (Fewell). Who knows which route would be best, but it's becoming inevitable that this will be the final year for the league's longest tenured coach.
It's been a long, successful run for Andy Reid here in Philly. Mike Vick has had a polarizing/electric couple years here and 2010 will always be remembered as one of the most exciting regular seasons in the Reid era. The time is now to move on and start the rebuilding process and that starts with cutting ties with both of them.
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