Banner talks "gap" between Eagles and Cowboys
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagles Blog
Banner talks "gap" between Eagles and Cowboys
Eagles president Joe Banner called this past season "a mixed bag" during an interview with the team Web site and said it was "very disappointing and frustrating" to go another season without a championship.
He also acknowledged "there is a gap there" between the Eagles and the Cowboys based on the Birds' losses in the regular-season finale and the playoffs. However, he cautioned the gap might not be dramatic as it appears, just as he said the gap was not as large as it seemed when the Eagles beat the Cowboys, 44-6, in the regular-season finale in 2008.
Asked to evaluate the season, Banner said, "It’s difficult to make the playoffs, sustain the level of injuries we did, see the team play as hard as we did and not feel some satisfaction in that. At the same time, we are singular-minded in this goal we have. There is only one thing to focus on and achieve and we certainly haven’t reached that goal another year. That’s very frustrating, and disappointing. We have got to go back and look at what we can do and try to figure out how we can get back."
As for the Cowboys, he said, "The truth is, when you lose that solidly, and Andy says this and people think he’s not really giving them a lot of information, but I think this says everything, they must have beat you in a lot of different phases. Whether they are talking about the caliber of play, the scheme they used, who showed up that day or how healthy they stayed or all of the above. When you lose 20-17, it could have been the bounce of the ball or somebody having a good day that day. When you lose that soundly twice in the span of six days, then you have to look at all of the aspects that go into the game and objectively evaluate what areas you need to upgrade to be able to change the outcome of the game … I don’t think the difference is as dramatic as one may think just looking at the scores of those two games but there is a gap there. We have to figure out how to close that gap and be ready to go next year.
Banner said he expected the NFC East to be the toughest division in football next season, which he said was a good thing because the players realize the team is not going anywhere without winning the division.
Here is a link to the multimedia page of the Eagles Web site
yes, let's close that gap with more of the status quo...- So much changes from season to season in the NFL I wouldn't make too much out of this supposed gap.— soulman386
- Joe loves to spin. He will realize that trading Donovan and going with Kolb allows him to spin a tale of a "young, talented, up-and-coming team" for the next few years. He can say Kolb-DeSean-Maclin-McCoy-Celek can rise up together like Utley-Howard-Rollins-Hamels did.— clunkerlane
Comment removed.- FA hasn't even begun, they have 3 new faces on the staff...lets relax with the status quo stuff— Tyahav
Hey Joe, never mind the Cowboys as you should be concerned about the gap between the Iggles and the teams that played in the Superbowl!— HappyBob- I can't wait to see how lonewolf turns this article into yet another opportunity for him to bash 5 and make outrageous claims regarding Kolb.— The Reddgie
- What about the "gap" between Reid and Payton?— Andrewsgvl
Yea, a mixed bag of sh**. What seperates the Birds and Boys is FS and OL. Positions that Banner let his ego get in the way of putting the best team on the field. He is no longer just classless, he is also now clueless in making football PERSONNEL decisions.— Earl J
For some reason, watching the Saints win the Super Bowl gave me the feeling that the Eagles will never do it. Certainly not with a combo of Reid, McNabb, and Westbrook. You gotta at least change two of the three, and we all know Andy isn't going anywhere...— gho_matt- Poor safety play, no pass rush and a weak group of linebackers = 2 losses to the Cowboys, they have a good TE and solid receivers so you cannot double TE, they also have a QB who makes good throws when not under pressure. We need to drastically fix one area and we will be back.— airpope
- We need a pass rushing DE! this will help the safety and corner back problems. The eagles are giving qb's too much time to throw the ball. We should pay sheldon some more money as he is a number 1 CB, but we need another as asante is not a number 1.— PEFF
- I quite honestly believe the reason they brought Jauron in is to fill in for McDermott if and when he fails. For everyone that wants to fault McNabb, it's the defense today that's holding back this team. The scheme doesn't work, and there isn't enough talent. We need size and talent on the defense, flat out.— beegal99
- When will the offense get right? Long bomb or no score. Morningweig is still here so what will change??— tulsaphil
- Comment removed.
