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The only positive thing to take from the Philadelphia Eagles’ horrendous 2012 campaign, where they finished 4-12, is that everything can only improve in 2013.
While 2012 was a complete culmination of misery for the Eagles, 2011 was the year that really sparked the demise of former Eagles head coach Andy Reid and his entire battalion. The Eagles decided to ax Reid on a very eventful ‘Black Monday’ this off-season, before the 14-year front-man found a new home with the Kansas City Chiefs just days after the Birds sent him packing.
There are really no excuses for any NFL team when they perform as terribly as the Eagles did all of last year, but some wildly unfortunate circumstances certainly played a part. Everything started to go downhill for the Eagles once perennial All-Pro LT Jason Peters was lost for the year (Achilles) before the season even began, and starting center Jason Kelce was also placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) following a torn ACL he suffered in just the second game of the season.
These two losses marked only the beginning of an avalanche of injuries for the Eagles, as QB Michael Vick (concussion) was lost for six games, RB LeSean McCoy (concussion) was lost for four, WR DeSean Jackson (broken ribs) missed his team’s final five contests, and RT Todd Herremans (foot) was sent to the IR just half way through the season. Amazingly, these are only the most notable injuries for the 2012 Eagles, as plenty of other athletes spent time on the sidelines with ailments as well.
Soon after Reid was canned, the Eagles decided to bring in former University of Oregon head coach Chip Kelly to take his spot. Kelly is a well-known and highly-respected offensive mastermind who has found great success while running an exciting, high-octane, spread-option style of offense.
So now that the Eagles have experienced a serious organizational face-lift and their plethora of injured all-stars are expected back before the 2013 season kicks off, I look for the Birds to put together an impressive campaign.
While it may be far-fetched and ill-advised to expect a legitimate playoff run or any sort of dominance from the Eagles this season, I think that the notion of an eight-plus win season is very realistic.
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