Banner talks "gap" between Eagles and Cowboys
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Banner talks "gap" between Eagles and Cowboys
Daily News staff
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
Comment removed.
"We must not allow a mine shaft gap!"— torgo_98
Banner is a Weasel and should go back to selling suits like before his boyhood, nerdy buddy decided he knows real football personnel.— Earl J- Comment removed.
Don't worry Howie Roseman's on board!- Comment removed.
- The Tonner remembers something about the best roster in the NFL?
- Yup. Before I clicked on this article I knew there would be four or five idiots in the first ten posts blaming EVERYTHING on Donovan McNabb. Worst fans in sports right here in Philadelphia. It's McNabbs fault Sheldon Brown was playing injured. It's McNabb's fault the Eagles lost to the Arizona Cardinals last year with the lead in the fourth quarter. It's McNabbs fault the line backers couldn't get any rythym whatsoever this ENTIRE season. It's McNabbs fault DJax was owned by the Dallas secondary. It's McNabbs fault Westbrook had fifteen concussions this year. It's McNabbs fault he has to stand outside the huddle waiting for his nervous nancy coach to call plays to him in crunch time. It's McNabbs fault the Eagles receivers were, once again, in the top ten dropped passes for the entire NFL this year. It's McNabbs fault the O-line was giving him roughly 2.5 seconds in the pocket (from ESPN News, by the way). Yues, geniuses, it's all on Donovan. In reality, he wasn't very consistent in the first Dallas game. However, the only thing that WAS DOnovans fault was 11 losses to other teams in the NFL, over 3,000 yards and 22 touchdowns with, once again, the least amount of turnovers in the top 10 QBs. Those are stats and facts. What are the haters going to bring to that??? GUESSING that Kevin Kolb is the next Joe Montana. Worst fans in sports.— dr.elektrika
- dr.elektrika - maybe you want to answer my question. Since 2000 how many times has he had a completion % in the top 10 in the league?— jkidd49
- Hey Dr., here's all you need to know about Smiley. Losing 17-0 with under 30 seconds to go before half in the last game of the year, with so much riding on it, our Qb's last 2 passes were 6yd and 7 yd completions to Westbrook that moved us to our own 43 yd line as time ran out. Don't we have a speedy receiver we could throw downfield to? Two checkdown passes? No guts. Gotta keep that completion ratio solid. All I could here was Herm Edwards going " YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME ". Time for a change.— Tudelum
- I think someone on 610 stated this, but I have to repeat. The Eagles like to win, but they do not mind losing. This is the problem from the VERY top to the BOTTOM of this organization. At the end of the day, they go home and counts our hard earned money for their product, which does not care. It is more than just McNabb. This team will never change the philosophy and get RBs that can run it down the throat. Any young talented coaches with fresh ideas leave or are forced out of town where they are succeeding (Spags, Payton, Harbaugh, etc...). It is their way or the highway. "We have a team that will be in the hunt every year." What they don't tell you is they know they have a team that is just not good enough to win it all due to attitude, management, and yes... current personnel or lack of key personnel to save money. I am tired of their spin on things.— SlinkTMP
- Jiggs, Hopkins was right on about McSmall having no heart but he forgot Reid too! The 2 of them have had 11 years to put a Super Bowl on the shelf and both have failed miserably yet they are still here. Why??? I'll say it again one more time, I don't want to here about all the regular season wins that mean nothing when you fail so often in the big games. Check the fans poll on who should Go or Stay with the Eagles.— The Marco Islander
- The Eagles being "cheap" argument is one of the dumbest, and least insightful arguments out there. Love how people over look all the big money deals the Eagles make just because they didnt sign "their" guy.— jkidd49
- Morons, the fans and the ownership have different definitions of success: fans define success in a singular fashion, and that is by raising the Lombardi trophy at the end of the year & owners define success as a function of profitability and revenue, just like EVERY OTHER BUSINESS ON THE PLANET. For Christ's sake people, get a clue.— The Reddgie
- jkidd49 - umm, the eagles entered last season somewhere between $20 and $30 million under the salary cap. actually, at one point they were in danger of being penalized for not meeting the NFL's minimum salary requirement. So please, enlighten me, how is that a dumb argument?
