We all feel your pain, Jeremy.
Yesterday afternoon, I found myself in a weird place. Normally, at 1 pm on Sundays in the fall, I find myself firmly entrenched in front of the TV, watching a few NFL games – the NFL RedZone channel on one TV and the Philadelphia Eagles game on another.
But yesterday was different. Yesterday, I couldn’t have cared less about the Eagles. Somewhere around halftime, after I had awoken from a nap, I wandered downstairs to see what was happening in the game. It was the result I have come to expect, the Eagles down 17-3 to the Washington Redskins after two quarters of play.
Same old crap, just a different week.
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest Eagles’ fan. I watch them every week, I pay attention to their in-season and off-season moves, I have my opinions, and I’m knowledgeable about the team. I want to see them win, just as I do every Philadelphia sports team, but it doesn’t break me up inside if they lose. I’m the type of person who prefers to watch the game at home instead of at the stadium; I even turned down free tickets to the New York Giants game earlier this year.
Some may read this and say, “yeah, but you don’t really care anyway, so what’s the point?” The point, my friends, is that I’m now not alone. Eagles fans all across Philadelphia have developed this same type of apathy toward the team, this same type of displeasure and what-else-is-on-TV attitude.
Everyone is frustrated, fed up and sick of watching this mess. This team was marketed to us as one loaded with talent, loaded with promise and primed to compete for a Super Bowl. Heck, I even thought they’d run away with the NFC East title this year.
But alas, we were duped – all of us.
After Sunday’s 31-6 loss to the Redskins, the Eagles have next to no shot at the playoffs. They’re 3-7 on the season, so even an undefeated end to the year would put them at 9-7 and most likely on the outside looking in. Philly would have to go 5-1 the rest of the way just to equal last year’s 8-8 record.
So, as we sit here on Thanksgiving week, we’re already running through the what-ifs of the 2012 NFL season. Fans will be calling for head coach Andy Reid’s head, as well as that of a good portion of the coaching staff. While I am in agreement that the coaching staff needs a thorough house cleaning, I’m not sure what firing Reid mid-season would do. If anything, I think his coaching could be a benefit to rookie QB Nick Foles. If anything, these last six games could be a tryout for Foles as the Eagles decide what direction to take the team next season.
On the NBA
Spencer Hawes gets physical.
After starting the week with two losses, the Philadelphia 76ers closed the week out in fine fashion, beating the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers. Swing man Evan Turner put up solid performances in those games, scoring 30 points with 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
He, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes will be relied upon to score some points and bang the boards even more after it was announced that Andrew Bynum will miss more time than originally expected because of his knee injuries.
The Sixers also welcomed off-season acquisition Jason Richardson to the court for the first time this week, and he didn’t disappoint. He scored in double digits in three of last week’s four games (including 20 points in two of them), and provided a solid perimeter and inside slash to his game. At the age of 31, he’s not the same player as he was a few years ago, but he’s no slouch, either.
The Sixers sit at 6-4 on the season, 2 games back of the New York Knicks in the Atlantic division. They have four games this week: a home game against Toronto on Tuesday, a road trip to Cleveland on Wednesday, and then home games on Saturday against Oklahoma City and Sunday against Phoenix.
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