Just now, NOTW said:

Put aside risk of injury for a moment. It's also a bye week for the starters that will get rest. Teams play for the #1 seed and one of the benefits is a bye week, which is seen as an advantage to get rest. Plenty of teams have rested starters in the final regular season game to heal from injury, rest, and prepare for playoffs. It is what it is.

I would say this is the bigger deal than an outright injury. Team had a week 5 bye, the earliest possible. Before the Dallas game, they were involved in 4 straight physical and/or down to the wire games where starters couldn't be pulled. I was ok, but nervous if they tried to go for it, but I really perfered they maximize their chance at a ring.

8 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

There was a chance he got injured every game

Every game that impacted our playoff positioning to improve our SB odds. now that it’s set in stone, there is zero reason for him to play 

Everyone will forget about this record by next week when we're all gearing up for the playoff game.

However, if they played Sunday, lost Barkley or another key starter, and that caused them to lose in the wild card round after the season the Eagles just had, that is something you will be thinking about for months to come. Possibly years.

And honestly, not only do I not care about the record, I have active disdain for all sports records and awards. Awards are decided by agenda-driven biased clowns(as you can see by my sig, that's why I make my own declarations on who the REAL winners are for awards). And records are also decided by clowns.

If there was any justice Barry Bonds would not be acknowledged as the HR leader.

TO would have been a first ballot HOFer, not third ballot.

Embiid would've won multiple MVPs, not just one, because voters are bitter that the Sixers got him via tanking.

Carter would've won ROTY and not deprived it because of the Georgia car incident.

F the leagues, F their awards, F their records. I'm done with all of that garbage. It's all BS anyway. I hope no teams ever chase records again just to make a mockery of all of it.

18 minutes ago, Ace Nova said:

It’s anything but a meaningless game.  I’m done talking about it because Sirianni made his decision. 

What I can guarantee you is that he likely pissed off at least half the team.

So yes, anything less than (at least) a Super Bowl appearance and he will be second guessed - not just by fans, media, etc but by the players themselves and justifiably so. 

 

Schlereth made a really good point. He said OL dont get their names on records like this. But having Terrell Davis' name on that list is something that is tied to him and each of the OL. So its a really special thing for each of those guys.

I knew Barkley wasnt goint to tell Siri he wants it. But I hoped the OL would have weighed in, knowing Barkley is that unselfish, and said we want to get this for him. And for themselves.

1 minute ago, Sack that QB said:

Everyone will forget about this record by next week when we're all gearing up for the playoff game.

 

wrong....

22 minutes ago, Saltpeter said:

Ridiculous.

So it's a loser mentality to sit starters in a meaningless game so you go into the playoffs fully healthy?

Yet...

It's not a loser mentality to play everyone in a meaningless game because you're scared to look stupid if we don't make it to the Super Bowl?

Just complete drivel.

This team - especially the offense and the offensive line would have been remembered as long as professional football is a relevant sport if Barkley broke that record.

 

What part of that don’t you understand?

 

Which means this game is anything but meaningless. 

21 minutes ago, Blazehound said:

As long as the Eagles don’t lose in the first round, this decision will never be legitimately second guessed.

Wrong.

1 minute ago, HazletonEagle said:

Schlereth made a really good point. He said OL dont get their names on records like this. But having Terrell Davis' name on that list is something that is tied to him and each of the OL. So its a really special thing for each of those guys.

I knew Barkley wasnt goint to tell Siri he wants it. But I hoped the OL would have weighed in, knowing Barkley is that unselfish, and said we want to get this for him. And for themselves.

Exactly. 

6 minutes ago, Aerolithe_Lion said:

Every game that impacted our playoff positioning to improve our SB odds. now that it’s set in stone, there is zero reason for him to play 

Agree to disagree

15 hours ago, Iggles25 said:

Happy New Year EMB!

Did she give up her ass for Lent and forgot to get it back?

Rushing records don’t matter 

Just now, LeanMeanGM said:

Rushing records don’t matter 

Wrong. 

1 minute ago, Ace Nova said:

Wrong. 

Nope

9 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

Schlereth made a really good point. He said OL dont get their names on records like this. But having Terrell Davis' name on that list is something that is tied to him and each of the OL. So its a really special thing for each of those guys.

I knew Barkley wasnt goint to tell Siri he wants it. But I hoped the OL would have weighed in, knowing Barkley is that unselfish, and said we want to get this for him. And for themselves.

Lane said rest. Mailata said go for it. I haven't seen comments from other O linemen. AJ Brown said he should go for the record, but also said that he (AJ) wants to rest.

 

Good thing Eagles have a great owner who despises running the football and put an immediate end to this malarkey 

59 minutes ago, mikemack8 said:

Resting the starters is loser/scared mentality.  Early playoff exit incoming 

I disagree. I see smart, firm coaching. 

Eagles are going to the SB this year and will win it.  Over Buffalo, imo.  Not KC.  Their luck won't hold out.

They are the best overall team this year, best overall Eagles team I have seen in 50 years, healthy AF*, rested and playing well with 2 games at home.  Maybe 3 if someone stumbles.  

*A little nervous about Hurts but lots of time to heal his head.

19 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

I'm not superstitious and scared that he'll get injured 🤷‍♂️

How very brave of you.

A 17 game rushing title is such a worthless title.  

If the Eagles got the bye, then I would understand going for the record because you are getting the rest...and that would be a lot of time off anyway.  But this is our only shot at recharging.

 

5 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Nope

Yep.

Lane was interviewed on Good Morning Football earlier (before the decision). He was asked about the opportunity as an O linemen to have his name attached to the rushing record. 

He says for Barkley, it would be awesome and he would want that for him. But at the same time, I know what's at stake. In the interview he mentions the risk/reward discussion everyone has to have around this, and points to injury happening last year so they know what that's like. He said he will take his marching orders and do whatever asked. 

 

 

28 minutes ago, Mike030270 said:

There was a chance he got injured every game

But he didn't. And now we are here. With risks to mitigate.  So the team wisely has chosen to mitigate those risks to be at their absolutely strongest to start the playoffs.

The end of the Falcons game was a perfect encapsulation of this discussion:

All we had to do was run the ball 1 more time, burn 30 seconds off the clock, which would have made the Falcon’s final drive impossible and we win. Just give up and you win. Instead, we threw on third down, because it would have been cooler to end the game with the ball. That way they never get the final drive and we just kneel. But the risk was completely unnecessary. 
 

It’s not just about Saquon getting injured. What if he doesn’t get the record? What if he has 14 Carries for 59 yards at halftime. "Play him in the second half, just keep feeding him! He’s so close!” Now NYG is just stacking 8 in the box and he has 25 Carries for 81 yards through 3 quarters. This is the Giants Super Bowl, they will do everything possible. "McKee throws 5 TDs? We’re tanking anyway. No way our Benedict Arnold gets this record.”

Then what? Play him in the fourth, set a personal carries record, beat the crap out of him and he still may not get it anyway? What does that achieve then? Suddenly he’s slower in the Packers wild card game. Doesn’t cut as hard, dude got destroyed in a way he never has before a week ago.

Or do you just say, "if he can’t get it in 15 Carries, it was all a mistake and give up?” Would that be better than just sitting him altogether? F’ing with him like that?

If we don’t play him and have a short playoff run, no regrets. We gave it our best, and it is what it is. But if we do play starters, and people get beat up, and then we have a short playoff run… it will forever be woulda coulda shoulda.

There record is absolutely pointless. Winning the Super Bowl and doing everything possible to increase that probability is why we play.

4 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

A 17 game rushing title is such a worthless title.  

If the Eagles got the bye, then I would understand going for the record because you are getting the rest...and that would be a lot of time off anyway.  But this is our only shot at recharging.

 

This argument has been debunked many times. Dickerson did it in 2 more games than OJ but no one called that worthless. 

 

Hopefully I’m wrong but I kinda feel we are all gonna wish they left them play atleast a little bit this week when our qb who soon won’t play in 3+ weeks comes back super sluggish for the playoffs.. 

we did the same stupid crap and didn’t play anyone in the preseason and look how slow they started!

I actually commend Dan Campbell for his take that hey his starters are the starters for a reason and the roster isn’t big enough for them all to sit so let’s just go out there and let what happens happen and worry about tomorrow later. 

1 minute ago, NOTW said:

This argument has been debunked many times. Dickerson did it in 2 more games than OJ but no one called that worthless. 

 

Then just take the words "17 game” out of it.

1 minute ago, Cheesteakitis said:

Hopefully I’m wrong but I kinda feel we are all gonna wish they left them play atleast a little bit this week when our qb who soon won’t play in 3+ weeks comes back super sluggish for the playoffs.. 

we did the same stupid crap and didn’t play anyone in the preseason and look how slow they started!

I actually commend Dan Campbell for his take that hey his starters are the starters for a reason and the roster isn’t big enough for them all to sit so let’s just go out there and let what happens happen and worry about tomorrow later. 

He literally can't play this week because of concussion protocol, so that argument is moot (regarding Hurts).