Hayes: Eagles what we expected from start

LANDOVER, Md. - "They are who we thought they were."

- Denny Green, and everyone who watched the Eagles lose at Washington.

It was 10 years ago to the day that the emotional coach of the Arizona Cardinals exploded with his famous rant at a press conference following a particularly galling loss.

A decade later Denny is gone, but the words apply again.

The Eagles, once 3-0 and the darlings of the NFL, continued their descent to normalcy Sunday with a 27-20 loss at Washington. Their brilliant start caught the football world by surprise, and with good reason.

It had a rookie head coach with minimal NFL experience who was given a team with a reconstructed defense with no frontline cornerbacks running a wide-nine scheme, with no upgrades at wide receiver and no depth on the offensive line; a team that, incredibly, traded its $36 million veteran quarterback after the final preseason game in favor of a FCS (I-AA) rookie who missed most of training camp due to a second significant injury in as many years.

With that profile, 3-13 seemed more likely than 3-0. Look at the schedule, with the Vikings, Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks, etc.; 3-13 is back in play.

Doug Pederson's team came out flat for the second straight week and Washington took a 14-0 lead, just like Detroit did the week before. The offensive line lost Lane Johnson to a 10-game suspension for a second positive PED test and the replacement Pederson chose, fifth-round rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai, was underqualified and overwhelmed and a big reason why Carson Wentz was sacked five times. The line's spotty play knocked the Wentz Wagon completely off the road. Stunned from the outset, he often made poor decisions, held the ball too long and threw badly all day: 11-for-22 for 179 yards.

Four Eagles punts in the first 17 minutes contributed to the defense having to play 26 of the game's first 36 minutes, which, in turn, contributed to 493 total yards. The wide-nine seeks to pressure the passer with the defensive line but can be vulnerable to the run. The defensive line managed zero sacks and the front seven allowed 230 rushing yards.

It's almost as if teams know what's coming. That would have been impossible in the first few weeks, considering every facet on offense and defense was new.

"There's more film out there for teams to take a look at you," Pederson agreed.

Most rebuilt teams have issues adjusting, and most have issues with penalties, but the Eagles averaged about seven penalties for about 60 yards in the first three games. Given the 13 penalties for 114 yards on Sunday and the 14 penalties for 111 yards against the Lions, the Birds are, now, playing to form.

"It's undisciplined," said safety Malcolm Jenkins. "We don't see ourselves as an undisciplined team, but the numbers will tell you we're undisciplined."

Numbers such as, say, 11 points, which is how many points Pro Bowl defensive tackle Fletcher Cox cost the Birds the last two games with illegal hits to quarterbacks.

"I am going to look in the mirror," Cox said, "because I know I can be better."

A pleasant sentiment, but this might not get better any time soon. Not without Johnson, the team's best offensive player. Not without run-stopping defensive tackle Bennie Logan, who left in the first half with a groin strain. Not with Pederson doggedly devoted to Vaitai. Asked if he considered replacing Vaitai in the second half, Pederson said, "No. That would have sent the wrong message."

Clearly, the message Pederson wanted to send was, "Get abused and earn playing time." Got it.

Do not curse fate for this situation. The Eagles' roster was left in tatters by tyrannical Chip Kelly, but it was up to the new regime to sufficiently reconfigure the personnel.

So desperate were the Eagles for receiver help that, during training camp, they traded solid backup lineman Dennis Kelly to Tennessee for Dorial Green-Beckham, a giant wideout with giant "measurables" but, so far, with invisible impact. DGB was a second-round pick in 2015 and he arrived at PHL with the nickname "Mini-Megatron." Perhaps it should have been Microtron, or maybe even Nanotron. He has 11 catches for 131 yards and the same number of touchdowns as Dennis Kelly (zero).

Remember, too, that the Eagles traded Kelly fully expecting Johnson to be suspended. They therefore created the vacuum that either Stefen Wisniewski or Vaitai had to fill; Wisniewski would have replaced Allen Barbre at left guard and moved Barbre to right tackle, but Barbre was playing too well to move.

Sure, 27-20 sounds like a competitive game but the reality is that Washington gifted the Eagles 14 points. Vernon Davis' jump shot with the football cost Washington 15 yards on the kickoff, which made the kick returnable and Wendell Smallwood did so, 86 yards, for a touchdown. Cousins ended the next Washington possession when, with a rusher 5 yards away, he threw a cowardly pick-six to Jenkins, and it was tied.

It was tied . . . but, somehow, it never seemed close.

The tight ends were rendered toothless since they usually had to stay on the line to preserve Wentz's well-being. If this continues, as it should, it would minimize the $55.5 million investment in tight ends the Eagles made in the offseason. Zach Ertz and Brent Celek combined for one catch Sunday, Ertz's 22-yarder.

"I knew this was going to be the plan," said Ertz, who didn't sound happy with the plan. He set the franchise record for catches in a game here in 2014 and, the past two seasons, he averaged slightly fewer than 4.3 catches and slightly more than 50 yards per game. It's hard to make catches when you're holding a rookie's hand.

Maybe, said Pederson, it's time for him to hold Wentz's hand.

"We're going to make sure we're not trying to do too much offensively," Pederson said. "We want our guys to play fast."

To be fair, Pederson has presented a viable NFL product in a very short time while facing remarkable challenges. The Eagles are not a bad team, irredeemable and mockable.

They are not very good, either.

They are what we thought they were.

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