As the 2005 NFL season approached, Terrell Owens blasted his quarterback Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, and the entire city of Philadelphia. His beef? TO thought he deserved more money, despite signing a seven-year $52 million contract a year earlier.
After all these verbal jabs, TO reported to training camp, but refused to sign autographs. Eagles coach Andy Reid had to ask Owens to join the team during training camp instead of practicing on his own. TO refused and Reid asked him to leave the camp. Welcome to Eaglesville 2005!
This turmoil might have spelled disaster for other teams. But no other team has Andy Reid as its head coach. Reid is probably the calmest and most collected coach in the NFL and players love playing for him.
Reid told Inside the NFL at the owners meeting in Hawaii last March he had quickly moved on from the Eagles' Super Bowl loss.
"I took a vacation and put the Super Bowl out of mind," he said. "I didn't think what could have happened. The media probably worried about the loss more than I did."
To the dismay of ESPN cameras ready to televise every iteration of the TO soap opera, the all-out verbal war has not continued to develop in the regular season. Reid has successfully played the role of diplomat between his two superstars.
The media this year has overlooked the substance of the Eagles in favor of the constant drama. It is important to give Philadelphia its due. The Eagles accomplished one of the most amazing comebacks in recent memory when they scored 31 unanswered points to beat the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
One Eagles fan, Assaf Holtaman, had some harsh words for the media. "I hate people like you," he said. "Where were you last week when the Eagles came back from a 17-0 deficit and David Ackers kicked the game winning field goal on one leg."
The Eagles' three wins, however, came against teams with a combined 4-8 record. Philadelphia lost a close contest to the Atlanta Falcons in their season opener and was blown out last week by the Dallas Cowboys, 33-10. The Eagle defense has struggled mightily, surrendering 64 points in its last two games. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, notorious for heavy blitzing, often leaves cornerbacks with single coverage.
The Eagles this season have played some of the most talented offenses in football including Kansas City, Atlanta, and the Oakland Raiders. Translation: Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, and Brian Dawkins have been forced to cover talented receivers in man coverage. When the Eagles are playing zone, their defensive line has not been able to pressure the quarterback, giving receivers a long window to shake coverage.
The other major issue for the Eagles is Brian Westbrook's lack of rushing production. There are many explanations as to why the talented multi-purpose back has been reduced to such a minor role. Westbrook is in the middle of a contract dispute. The strain of two disgruntled players on offensive may be holding the Eagles back offensively.
It could be that the Eagles are reeling from offseason free-agent choices. They decided not to re-sign main run stopper Corey Simon, leaving him free to sign with the Indianapolis Colts and lead that team's resurgent defense to a surprising No. 1 ranking in the NFL.
The Eagles also let Derrick Burgess, arguably their best pass rusher, sign with Oakland. Burgess was not a big-money player, just somebody that was always around the ball. He developed into an excellent run-stopper as well, and functioned as the Eagles version of New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi.
The Eagles lost Darwin Walker, Paul Grasmanis, and Jerome McDougle to injuries. Each played a critical role in Jim Johnson's defensive scheme - where linebackers are constantly blitzing and moving around.
The Eagles have been forced to rely on defensive tackle Jevon Kearse, who has not lived up to his big-money contract. The Patriots' Matt Light shut down Kearse in the Super Bowl, and the Kearse's performance has continued to be disappointing.
The Eagles have their bye week to fix these problems. They will then host the San Diego Chargers and then play the Denver Broncos on the road. Each game should provide a strong benchmark for Philadelphia's prospects this season.
The future of this Philadelphia team is a complete question mark. Free agent losses, injuries and on-going soap operas pose challenges for a hungry Philadelphia squad. Three months from now, the Eagles could be the No.1 seed in the NFC or a complete mess. With a club that bears considerable resemblance to the Energizer bunny, Inside the NFL is betting on the former.
