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At a time when football should be the focus, it has become the smallest of stories as far as Philadelphia Eagles training camp is concerned these days. Headlines continue to mount each day surrounding outside issues about the team, its players and the league, instead of the focus being on the production on the field. Distractions are a mainstay lately, providing unnecessary interruptions for a new head coach and players who should be focused on the upcoming season and preparations instead of dealing with a media circus.
The disruptions began this past Saturday when former first round draft choice and star wide receiver Jeremy Maclin tore his ACL, thus ending his 2013 season. The injury stole the headlines for most of the week placing more pressure on his possible replacements and questioning just how much the Eagles offense will suffer without him.
The issues continued with the league delivering a statement that they would in no way change the speed with which referees worked a game, therefore, slowing down Chip Kelly’s offense. The NFL plans to continue and control the tempo of a game from the referee standpoint, which Kelly stated will not be a problem. The Eagles will formulate their new game plans on speed, catching defenses off-guard and rushing to the line to get as many plays off as possible. It seems that smoothing this issue over instead of taking on the league was determined the best option for the new Philadelphia head coach, but it remains to be seen how this will impact the high octane Eagle offense.
Finally, the whirlwind media week came to a head with Riley Cooper going viral using an inappropriate racial slur, creating yet another situation that the Eagles did not need. Capturing headlines of negativity around the country, Cooper found a way to add more fuel to the fire for the Eagles. All eyes are now on how the situation will be handled and how it will affect an already fragile locker room. The support of teammates for each player is extremely important and understandably now in question in Philadelphia.
It would seem that for the Eagles and the sake of them returning to success in the NFC East, they are in desperate need of some normalcy at training camp. Only time will tell if they will ever find it, and dealing with these other issues is sure to be a long-lasting process both in the media and the locker room. Hopefully in the end, for the faithful fan base, the Eagles can overcome the distractions and get back to football.
Bob Francis is a Philadelphia Eagles contributor for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rfrancisjr, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
