State of the Eagles

Looks like us Philadelphians are in for a repeat of last season, when the Birds finished with an underachieving 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.

Right now, there's no reason to expect anything better. I headed into this season predicting a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl appearance as I do every single year. But this year seemed different (as I say every single year).

In the offseason, we had fixed our linebacking problem by picking up DeMeco Ryans from Houston and selecting Mychal Kendricks in the second round of this year's draft. Both have been impressive thus far.

The drafting of Fletcher Cox would further our effort into solving last year's issue of the defense being slaughtered by the run. Vinny Curry, the pick acquired in the Kevin Kolb deal with Rodgers-Cromartie, had potential to piggyback on Trent Cole and Jason Babin's substantial sack totals.

We'd traded Asante Samuel to the Falcons for essentially nothing, but that wouldn't matter because he didn't fit into the scheme and now DRC could start opposite Nnamdi Asomugha.

We were ready, and after winning out in the preseason, we were really ready.

A one-point win against the lowly Browns followed. Uh-oh. But it was still a W. We'd recover. The Ravens were next. It was awfully close again, and despite Vick's three turnovers, we still pulled out a win against a contender. 2-0. Life's good.

The Cardinals were the reality check.

Part 2 tomorrow.

Is This the Year for the Eagles?

The fans in Philly have been waiting forever. The Andy Reid era has consisted of perennial winning seasons with numerous playoff and NFC Championship appearances. Of the five NFC Championship appearances, the Birds have only gone to the Super Bowl once, in which they lost by a field goal to New England.

Every year, when it looks like the Eagles have another strong team, fans in the City of Brotherly Love get their hopes up for a Super Bowl run. Every September, as the NFL season comes around, people ask "Is this the year?" But it never has been. They've always found a way to come up short in the end. There's always been some fatal flaw. Every year, the season ends a failure.

Fans continue to flock to the Linc, selling out game after game, in hope of a Eagles victory. More times then not, they deliver. But not in the end. Someone always gets the best of them, whether it be the Cowboys like last year, or any other team.

The failure to go all the way brings change. The former faces of the team, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and Brian Dawkins are all somewhere else. New, young talent has taken their place, with the likes of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy, as well as numerous other changes. Trent Cole remains a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball, and corner Asante Samuel, who has been in Philly a couple years now, jumps routes with the best of them.

And then there's Michael Vick. No one could have mapped out his path back, as Kevin Kolb was the presumed starter. Vick's game is better than ever, and he's taken this offense places McNabb never had.

So as a Birds fan, I have my hopes up once again, while expecting them to be deflated, but always knowing there's a chance, that this could finally be the year.