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I think Reid is comparing this year to last year with McNabb when McNabb was putting up huge numbers.

Morningweh does the same thing, when he says we're doing as good as last year except for the red zone.

For anyone not in denial, McNott is definitely laying the groundwork for his departure after this season.He realizes this is the end of the road for FB and the next coach wont coddle and cover for him. The beginning of the end was the superbowl cookie toss drive, we just didnt know it then. Mommy and daddy didnt give him enough attention as a child so he needs to be loved. Loved by a city that is not as passionate like Minnesota. The irony is we ran off TO for ego and Mcnott is ten times worst, but just as a passive aggressive.

Morningweh does the same thing, when he says we're doing as good as last year except for the red zone.

I really can't believe anyone can be good enough to become an offensive coordinator or head coach in the NFL and believe that line of bullshit. They are either in complete denial or simply trying to hold off the media with misleading stats.

Well, FD, Morningwood does. But then again, he also believes they need (*gasp!*) better players:

John Smallwood | Maybe the Birds simply need better players


IT COMES AS no surprise that Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg takes full responsibility for the Birds' failure to score points.

The Buck Stops Here principle is standard procedure for Eagles coaches.

So when pressed about quarterback Donovan McNabb's comment that he was "definitely not the whole reason why" the Eagles are sputtering with a 3-5 record, Mornhinweg did not bite.

"I'm not going to comment on other people's comments," Mornhinweg said. "I haven't seen them. The offense is my responsibility, period. It starts with me."

But the process ends with the players on the field, and somewhere between Mornhinweg's vision of what should happen and the players' execution, something has gone terribly wrong.

Earlier in the season, the Eagles kept saying they were only a hair away from things clicking in stride.

Now, it's the halfway point, and instead of getting things right, that hair-thin line has grown to be the size of the Afro Julius Erving sported back in the day.

After a modest step forward in a 23-16 win against Minnesota, the Eagles' offense went right back into the nest in Sunday's 38-17 whipping at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.

The offense is still disjointed; McNabb still looks disheveled, and the end zone still looks like the forbidden zone.

Training camp, four preseason games and eight regular-season games should have been enough time to come up with answers if any were to be found.

Yet, except for that 56-point aberration against the Detroit Lions in Week 3, this offense has been nothing like the high-scoring, dynamic unit everyone predicted.

"In many of the important statistics, we're just under or as good or even better than we have been last year or in 2004," Mornhinweg said. "The two problems that we've had are down in the red zone and sacks.

"Those have been our two problems. If you look at simply moving the ball, I think we're doing a reasonably good job there. Third downs, a reasonably good job. Yards per pass attempt, a reasonably good job."

In a classic case of statistics not telling the whole story, the Birds actually rank ninth in the NFL in total offense with 349.6 yards a game.

But in the infinitely more important category of scoring offense, the Eagles ranked 20th (19.5 points per game) - a level indicative of a team with a losing record. "Normally, if you're good, you'll score points," Mornhinweg conceded. "If not, you're going to have trouble scoring points."

So simple, yet so true.

The Eagles can't score points and are a bad team.

Trying to figure out why this has happened is what has everyone walking on eggshells around the NovaCare Complex.

While not naming anyone specifically, McNabb's comments on Wednesday were clearly a reaction to the inordinate amount of criticism that all quarterbacks get when things aren't going well offensively.

The Eagles have worked on this over and over, yet still haven't been able to get things right.

The answer isn't complicated - the Eagles either have a game plan that doesn't work or players who aren't good enough to execute it; or, it's a combination of both. The troublesome point comes in trying to determine which is the greater issue.

"I don't think the philosophy is the problem," Mornhinweg said. "In the last two games, we're 4-for-8 [on touchdowns] in the red zone.

"You need to be 5-for-8 to be really good. I think we've made some strides in that. We need more points. We need to be a little bit more consistent."

If the philosophy is good, then it comes down to the players not executing.

"Yes, that's right," Mornhinweg said when asked whether the struggles are a matter of execution. "Then, I've got to put the guys in positions to have success.

"If they're in positions that we thought going in was a good spot, and we don't get it done, then we've got to do something else or put other players in some of those positions."

Ding, ding, ding, dinggggg! I think we finally have a breakthrough.

It has taken half the season for the Eagles to find the answer that was there from the start. They don't have enough good players to make enough good plays. *

So funny.

It seems more and more clear every day that the players have ZERO faith in the offensive philosophy and the coaches continue to stubbornly believe the philosophy is great, but the players suck.

Here's the rub, FB...YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF COACHING AND ACQUIRING TALENT SO IT'S YOUR FAULT EITHER WAY.

This is all on FB. All of it. Let's go down the list:

- clock management. I think my head is going to explode every time they mosey up to the line and call a timeout before the clock expires. You'd think after all these years they'd get the plays in on time.

- shitty skills players. To see what a player of TO's caliber can do and then go back to scrubs at WR???

- passes on 3rd & 2
- horrendous drafts
- sad sack FA aquisistions
- not making adjustments as situations change

FB needs to go. Period. Keep McNabb for next season to give Kolb time to grow and rebuild the rest. O-line, receivers, special teams (oh lord please get a real returner), D-backs, a better 3rd corner.

McNabb should STFU, but he's completely right that this is not on him.

If I thought it would help Arkansas Fred would come out of retirement and put some flash back into this offense. But seeing as how much shit I've talked on McNabb in this forum (and you KNOW he's reading here), he'd probably just freeze me out of the offense just to show "it's his team".

sigh

I think I just lost my dinner. NTFF.

B-Dawk said on his radio show last night that there's a possibility that the "don't blame it all on me" comment was a shot at the front office.

As if we need any more indication that he'll be playing somewhere else next year.

Anyone catch 5's comments from his PC yesterday?

Basically, a "leader" who is the highest paid player on the team needn't say, "it isn't all me". What McJackAss doesn't acknowledge is that he is DEFINITELY a part of it.

Reid is clearly both literally and figuratively a bigger part of the problem.

I don't know about that Jules, Reid is obviously part of the problem but I think it has more to do with the way he protected McNabb for oh so many years that fed into McNabb's complex. Now Reid can't control the monster he created...

When McNabb was asked how he felt about AJ playing or something to that affect he went into a diatribe about there is nothing he can do about how fans feel other than go out and try to win games... There was no comment that he wasn't healthy enough to go and he was excited for AJ to have his moment in the sun(on a rainy day) It was all about him, not the team. IF he really gave a crap about the team he would have been or at least pretended he was behind AJ 100%...

I can't wait until the season is over and they trade his ass and the crap will come out about how IMO it was a situation Reid covered up that Donnie boy was the cancer in the lockerroom and he was the one tearing the team apart.


I wonder how many times McNabb has audibled otu of a run play or perhaps not called the exact play sent in by Reid or Marty because he thought he was in a better position to be successful than putting the ball into #36's hands... I know that may be a stretch but it would explain why when he isn't in there the team plays better and they run a more balanced attack...

Only problem, Tat, is that (aside from Da Hoff's clueless diatribe) they ran more without McNabb. Even if McNabb would audible into a run or a scramble, the #s after the play's done don't agree with that sentiment.

I do think that McNabb is part of the problem and a change of scenery is best for all involved, but that goes double for El Gringo Grande.

Only problem, Tat, is that (aside from Da Hoff's clueless diatribe) they ran more without McNabb. Even if McNabb would audible into a run or a scramble, the #s after the play's done don't agree with that sentiment.

Perhaps I wasn't clear but that was my point, what IF McNabb has been changing the plays that were runs into a passing plays and keeping it in his hands... So he is the "man" it explains why when McNabb ISN'T in there they seem to run the ball more and have a more balanced attack

Understood, Tat. And if that's the case, then that says two things:

McNabb is skewering FB's pass/run ratio way out of whack, and
FB's not letting us know how much power he gives McNabb.

Based on prior games, I doubt the latter is the case. And since we all know Reid is impatient and won't let the run develop, I doubt the former's on point, either. but I could be wrong, either way.

Not sure where to put this, but thought this thread might be good.

On Eagles live yesterday, Spuds said:

"This is a stupid thing for me to say, but it's almost like they dumb down the offense when McNabb is in there."

Yikes.

Oh good LORD.
So this would go 180 degrees counter to my point in the thread i just started.

I maintain that the Birds try to influence through various media by prepping them for whats afoot re: direction of the team.

This blasting of McNabb is totally contrary to what I thought may be coming, based on the latest remarks by both Reid and Banner.

But they've used the media both ways now, so it's kind of hard to say

I feel like Spuds is off the reservation a little bit right now, though.

He's calling for Kolb to play at some point in the next couple games, he's calling for Howard/Von Olhoffen to be deactivated for Abiamiri, he's calling for "smashmouth" football, and he's talking about aggressively pursuing difference makers int he off season by trading a precious for a big name WR, if one is available.

Also, is it possible that SPuds isn't toeing the line as much as usual?

He's already criticized the coaching a couple times, and when it boils down to it, he's an Eagles employee, not a Reid employee.

Probably far-fetched, but throwing it out there

Whoops, waited to long. Agreed with f-d here.

Plus, don't forget that Spuds has been with the Eagles longer than Banner, longer than Reid, longer than Heckert, etc.

He doesn't work for them...he works for Lurie.

Good point, f-d. It all comes down to who pays the check.

Spuds is actually pretty good at picking his spots in recent years, even with all the grief we enjoy throwing his way as a company mouthpiece.

I get the sense that they've given Spuds some autonomy this year in hopes of establishing some credibility. That website gets major traffic, and they certainly monetize it, but if he keeps appearing like a paid shill, the numbers will decline.

I could be wrong, but I don't think they dictate what he should write, tell him to pull up, lay back, go after it, etc.

I think he's generally an honest guy, but he follows a couple patterns:

1. If a player is here, he's great. if a player is not here or is not going to be here, he's less valuable. I don't believe that's a mandate from the team, but the reality of working in that building. If they know a player is going to be around for a while they are invested emotionally because they have to believe that player will get it done. If he's leaving, they have to move on and they'll justify why they don't need him. They have to do that because in their minds they have to believe they are making the right call. I think most people in the office feel the same way about these moves (sad to see a guy go, but believe the next guy will be "just as good or better" because "player x" has "y" problem).

2. He trusts the coach/GM. They've put together the best run in the franchise's history. Virtually every time the media or fans clamored for one thing, they did the other and over that period of time they were proven correct time and time again while improving each year. Why shouldn't he trust Reid when he says "We're fine at WR Dave. People like big names, but with this system we win without big names.", given the success they'd achieved.

I think now, what we're seeing for the first time, is doubt. He's afraid he's seen the best of what this team can offer. The predictions and calls that once were proven true over and over are going the other way now. They are losing...for the better part of 3 seasons this team has been a bunch of losers not fulfilling promises. There is no light at the end of the tunnel.

I think his separation from the "company line" is as much about the feelings of the organization as it is about him. Just like the good times when the positive outlook from every corner of the Novacare complex kinda bled into his column, the general negativity and questions are likely floating through that office right now.

I'm not saying he is never told to write a certain angle (good or bad), but I really feel like he's sort of a fan watching from inside a bubble and his recent turn to the negative is a reflection of the air he's breathing in those offices.

Thanks Science Bubble Time is only a couple months off.

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