2004 Eagles

[Guest]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-12-super-bowl-runners-up-ranked-from-the-18-1-patriots-to-the-first-afl-representative/

This is basically the top 12 Super Bowl runner ups.  Hint Hint the 04 Eagles did not make the cut.  

This team was 13-1 and lost two meaningless games to go 13-3.  Dominated the Vikings and Falcons without their top Offensive Weapon, and arguably should've won the SB minus a couple McNabb INT's (1st and 2nd were killers, third doesn't really count since it was kinda a hail mary)

Defense was very solid was Trotter was named the starting MLB

Did we get screwed?

[EagleJoe8]

Maybe we’re looked down upon that season because the NFC wasn’t that tough that year. As you said, we were 13-1 in games that mattered and we could have been 15-1 if we needed to beat the Rams and Bengals. Atlanta was the 2 seed at I believe 11-5. We could have been 4 games better than 2nd place. That’s pretty significant. 

[FLYEAGLES]

Belicheat

[paco]

Pittsburgh was the runner up that year IMO.  Best record in the AFC and handed both us and New England our first losses.  We would have been, rightfully, dogs to either team in the Superbowl.

 

Given how much better of an opponent they were in the AFC Championship game (yes, I know that game was lopsided) than we were is what probably knocks us down because as you said, the NFC was much weaker than the AFC that year.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, paco said:

Pittsburgh was the runner up that year IMO.  Best record in the AFC and handed both us and New England our first losses.  We would have been, rightfully, dogs to either team in the Superbowl.

 

Given how much better of an opponent they were in the AFC Championship game (yes, I know that game was lopsided) than we were is what probably knocks us down because as you said, the NFC was much weaker than the AFC that year.

Can't think like that

Logically IF Pittsburgh blew us out AND NE blew them out THEN Patriots shoulda blown us out.  

That didn't happen, and minus a couple plays here and there the Eagles should've won that game

[NJWolverEagle11]

4 hours ago, EagleJoe8 said:

Maybe we’re looked down upon that season because the NFC wasn’t that tough that year. As you said, we were 13-1 in games that mattered and we could have been 15-1 if we needed to beat the Rams and Bengals. Atlanta was the 2 seed at I believe 11-5. We could have been 4 games better than 2nd place. That’s pretty significant. 

And if I recall the rest of the division all finished 6-10 and we swept the east that year.

[EagleJoe8]

5 minutes ago, NJWolverEagle11 said:

And if I recall the rest of the division all finished 6-10 and we swept the east that year.

Correct. 

[Guest]

92-95 East was week (plus they had our number 2 and 8 vs them)

Look what that other team did...

[DeathByEagle]

Since the Patriots cheated(SpyGate) they really feel we won that SB so we dont count on the list. 

[CHIP72]

Playing the anti-Eagles devil's advocate, it should be noted the Eagles not only got blown out by the Steelers, in their other regular season games against AFC teams they barely edged a 9-7 Ravens team 15-10 at home and needed overtime to beat a 4-12 Browns team 34-31 on the road.  (In their meaningless regular season finale, they also were beaten badly by the 8-8 Bengals in Philadelphia, 38-10.)

The NFC was so bad in 2004 (only four teams with winning records, only two teams with winning records against the AFC - Atlanta and Minnesota) that the Eagles' record that season really was better than their actual quality.  IMO, it is likely the Eagles would have been only the 5th best team in the AFC (behind 15-1 Pittsburgh, 14-2 New England, 12-4 Indianapolis, and 12-4 San Diego) had they played in the AFC that season.

[Uscg-green]

On 5/22/2020 at 10:38 AM, Matt03785 said:

Did we get screwed?

Over a SB loser list?

[Bwestbrook36]

Meh

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Uscg-green said:

Over a SB loser list?

Something to talk about 

literally nothing is going on right now 

if eagles were signing a RB I think they woulda done it by now 

 

[greend]

On 5/22/2020 at 2:00 PM, paco said:

Pittsburgh was the runner up that year IMO.  Best record in the AFC and handed both us and New England our first losses.  We would have been, rightfully, dogs to either team in the Superbowl.

 

Given how much better of an opponent they were in the AFC Championship game (yes, I know that game was lopsided) than we were is what probably knocks us down because as you said, the NFC was much weaker than the AFC that year.

Nah, Pittsburgh beat us in their stadium. In Philly we kill them, on a neutral field who knows? N.E. cheated and still only beat us by 3

[CHIP72]

5 hours ago, greend said:

Nah, Pittsburgh beat us in their stadium. In Philly we kill them, on a neutral field who knows? N.E. cheated and still only beat us by 3

It takes a lot to make up a 27-3 gap that was genuinely representative of the disparity between the Eagles and Steelers that day, regardless of where the game was played.  I will say the Steelers were not as good late in the season as they were earlier in the year; they needed overtime to beat a 10-6 Jets team in Pittsburgh in the divisional playoff round that season.  (I lived in the Harrisburg area at the time and RedZone didn't exist at that time, so I saw a handful of Squealers games that season.)

On the other hand, the Eagles haven't lost to the Steelers in Philadelphia since 1965 (and that includes games in two seasons in which the Steelers won the Super Bowl, 1979 and 2008), so maybe the Eagles play much better if the game was contested on the right side of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

[greend]

5 minutes ago, CHIP72 said:

It takes a lot to make up a 27-3 gap that was genuinely representative of the disparity between the Eagles and Steelers that day, regardless of where the game was played.  I will say the Steelers were not as good late in the season as they were earlier in the year; they needed overtime to beat a 10-6 Jets team in Pittsburgh in the divisional playoff round that season.  (I lived in the Harrisburg area at the time and RedZone didn't exist at that time, so I saw a handful of Squealers games that season.)

On the other hand, the Eagles haven't lost to the Steelers in Philadelphia since 1965 (and that includes games in two seasons in which the Steelers won the Super Bowl, 1979 and 2008), so maybe the Eagles play much better if the game was contested on the right side of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

This is it exactly.

[dawkins4prez]

On 5/22/2020 at 9:39 PM, CHIP72 said:

Playing the anti-Eagles devil's advocate, it should be noted the Eagles not only got blown out by the Steelers, in their other regular season games against AFC teams they barely edged a 9-7 Ravens team 15-10 at home and needed overtime to beat a 4-12 Browns team 34-31 on the road.  (In their meaningless regular season finale, they also were beaten badly by the 8-8 Bengals in Philadelphia, 38-10.)

The NFC was so bad in 2004 (only four teams with winning records, only two teams with winning records against the AFC - Atlanta and Minnesota) that the Eagles' record that season really was better than their actual quality.  IMO, it is likely the Eagles would have been only the 5th best team in the AFC (behind 15-1 Pittsburgh, 14-2 New England, 12-4 Indianapolis, and 12-4 San Diego) had they played in the AFC that season.

Andy Reid's teams were simply famous for that.  They always showed up against the division and always had letdowns against the AFC.  At least to me it was always more about Andy managing the emotions of his team over a long season and putting more emphasis on the games that mattered more in the standings.  Andy's offense also was famous for struggling against the 3-4, a defense that was almost exclusive to the AFC.

 

I remember predicting loud and clear that an undefeated eagles team was going to get thrashed in Pittsburgh.  We were also hurting on the O-Line that week if I remember right.

[EagleJoe8]

2 hours ago, dawkins4prez said:

Andy Reid's teams were simply famous for that.  They always showed up against the division and always had letdowns against the AFC.  At least to me it was always more about Andy managing the emotions of his team over a long season and putting more emphasis on the games that mattered more in the standings.  Andy's offense also was famous for struggling against the 3-4, a defense that was almost exclusive to the AFC.

 

I remember predicting loud and clear that an undefeated eagles team was going to get thrashed in Pittsburgh.  We were also hurting on the O-Line that week if I remember right.

I don't recall anything specific about the O-Line, but I do remember that was the last game Mark Simoneau started in the middle. Trotter was inserted back at MLB the following week when we played in Dallas on Monday Night. Still the only road game I've ever been too, but damn, what a game to be at!