What they're saying about the Eagles
Before I get to the roundup, be sure to check out our Eagles section for complete coverage of last night's game from the Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com.
Here's a look at what the national media are saying:
Matt Bowen of the National Football Post says he's played on a team that packed it in, during Steve Spurrier's final season in Washington, and he was reminded of that squad when he watched the Eagles last night:
Watching the Eagles lose 31-14 to the Seahawks out in Seattle tonight, I saw a team that look disinterested (minus a few players), played with poor technique and didn't execute the basic fundamentals of the game.
... A general lack of discipline of both sides of the ball. Vince Young's turnovers, missed assignments, etc. That's on Andy Reid and the players. And from my perspective, I am looking at a team that isn't responding to coaching. And when you have that disconnect between the locker room and the coaching staff, that is serious trouble.
Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung suffered a potentially serious pectoral injury with 1:57 left in last night's game. The injury occurred when Trent Cole flipped him after a run play. Okung was blocking Cole and appeared to have let up, even though he was still on Cole's back, as the run went to the other side. Cole, after the whistle blew, flipped Okung to the ground.
"I didn't see the play where they threw him down, but he got hurt," said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, per the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "He has a pec injury that doesn't look good right now. From what I heard, it was really an unnecessary play that didn't have to happen. You guys will probably see that. I don't know if you saw it upstairs or not. He got thrown down and hurt his right shoulder or his pec or something. We'll find out in the next day or so."
According to ESPN.com's Mike Sando, the view in the Seahawks locker room was that Cole took a cheap shot on Okung. I wonder if that play had anything to do with Carroll's decision two plays later. The Seahawks were up 31-17, had a 4th-and-6 and threw for 25 yards to tight end Zach Miller, before taking a knee to end the game.
Moving on, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com says it's simple: the Eagles are losers.
The Eagles are losers. It's as simple as that. One more loss will ensure a losing record for a team that does nothing as well as it does losing. There was absolutely no excuse for the defense to come out the way it did in this game, playing soft, missing tackles and watching Marshawn Lynch, who it knew was Seattle's only real weapon, run over it at will. There was no excuse for DeSean Jackson, who's still moping about his contract after insisting he wouldn't, to be giving up on deep routes when he's the only deep threat the team has. There was no excuse for the Eagles' penalties, for not calling timeout after a third-down stop with a minute left in the first half, for sending 12 men onto the field for a punt return and having to call a timeout when they were still in the game and looked as though they might need their timeouts. These are the careless, lazy, undisciplined acts of losing players and losing teams, and whatever the Eagles might have been or should have been, this is what they are. They are 4-8. They are the most disappointing flop of a team in the entire league. They are losers.
Former Eagle Jeremiah Trotter used Twitter to sound off on the Eagles:
This organization #Eagles have a history of making guys hate playing for them!!!!!!'
#EagleNation u can love playing for the fans an not love playing for front office at same time!
Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com says DeSean Jackson has quit:
If they try to trade him next season his value has dropped precipitously. If they give him a new deal fans will wonder why they gave a guy who quit on the team a new contract. I find it difficult to believe Eagles players trust Jackson. Same with the coaching staff.
In that game on Thursday night, Young was fighting hard. Other Eagles were fighting their asses off. Jackson, um, was not. Because Jackson has flat out quit.
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