Reasons To Believe

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Reasons To Believe

Posted: September 7th, 2022 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

A year ago, expectations were not much of an issue for the Eagles. There were questions about the new quarterback. There were questions about the new coach. There were questions about the overall roster and the direction of the franchise.

A playoff berth, a strong offseason and a healthy team have certainly changed the expectations heading into 2022. Most experts think the Eagles will win the NFC East. Some even have the Eagles going to the Super Bowl.

Is this legit? Should we be yelling caveat emptor at all the people buying into the Eagles?

Are the Eagles just the flavor of the month?

Is this all because of Ian Book, who some think could be a combination of Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana and AJ Feeley?

Let’s take a look at some of the hype machine in action.

The good news: On offense, the Eagles return everyone from the 11th-ranked unit by DVOA while plopping A.J. Brown on top. On defense, they improved on paper at every level. The second-easiest schedule in the league makes them suddenly a very popular sleeper Super Bowl contender.

The bad news: Eagles fans are on edge because of the dynamic Jason Kelce described perfectly: "In this city, it feels like every year the media thinks we’re really good, we end up being s—-y. And every year the media thinks we’re going to be s—-y, we end up being really good.”

Nugget to remember: After the Eagles’ midseason trade of Zach Ertz in 2021, Dallas Goedert ranked sixth in the league among all players in receiving yards per route run (2.7). If that efficiency stays near the same level while the Eagles tilt back toward throwing the ball more than they did down the stretch, he’ll cement himself among the league’s best at the position. Brown, by the way, ranked at the top of that list.

This next one is a bit different.

https://twitter.com/FO_ASchatz/status/1564635222368550914

It’s one thing for NFL writers to list the Eagles high in their power rankings. That’s a nice compliment, but not all of the writers know the league as well as they think they do.

Aaron Schatz is a different story. He is the head of Football Outsiders and focuses on data. When the numbers say you’re a good team and going to have a good season, that feels even better than being somebody’s pick because they trusted their gut.

FO released their DVOA projections today and they have the Eagles at #6 overall, behind only the Rams and Bucs.

There are a lot of reasons to believe in this Eagles team.

The offense was good last year and should only be better. Jalen Hurts is in Year 2 as the starter and he got an impact weapon in AJ Brown. Depth is better with additions like Zach Pascal and Grant Calcaterra.

The defense added a lot of firepower. Haason Reddick, Brandon Graham, Jordan Davis, Kyzir White, Nakobe Dean, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and James Bradberry should improve last year’s erratic performance.

The whole coaching staff is back. Continuity has real value when it comes to coaching staffs in the NFL.

Right now the Eagles are healthy. The biggest issue is the backup LT having a broken arm. That’s very different from teams that are missing key starters heading into the season.

The Eagles play a weak schedule. We can argue if that is a good or bad thing, but it should help them to have a better record.

Sometimes the media looks for a team to like. They talk themselves into why a team might be good. That’s not the case with the Eagles this year. We don’t know anything for sure, but based on the information we have right now…the Eagles should be a good team.

Expectations can be scary. Sometimes it feels like they bring bad luck. That’s not the case. Think about the most disappointing Eagles teams in recent history.

• 2011 Dream Team
• 2015 Chip’s Team
• 2020 Doug’s Finale

The 2011 team was a mess for a variety of reasons. Expectations weren’t as big an issue as injuries, coaching and too many agendas.

The 2015 had a new QB, new RB and too many underachievers. Oh yeah, and a coach who had started to lose his team.

The 2020 team didn’t have crazy expectations, but they sure weren’t supposed to go 4-11-1. That team had a nightmare injury situation and way too many agendas.

Culture was a major issue for each of those groups. I would be shocked if culture was an issue for the 2022 Eagles. Nick Sirianni is still a relatively new coach, which means that his messages and ideas are still fresh. I don’t see many situations where personal agendas are likely to become a problem. This feels like a close-knit team.

Plenty of things can still go wrong. That’s true for every sports team. Injuries are an X-factor for every team. DeVonta Smith could become a Funyuns addict and develop a weight problem. Darius Slay might suddenly retire, saying he can no longer handle the pressure of the spotlight. Instead of shutting down receivers, he could be a librarian in Iowa.

I’m excited to see what this team can do. They have a lot of talent. There should be expectations.

I want to see a team that looks like they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The 2021 Eagles didn’t beat a playoff team. In their lone playoff game, they were clearly a notch below the Bucs. That has to change this year. The Eagles must show us they can beat good teams.

I would also be willing to accept a Super Bowl win.

*****

[NOTE: click on link to article below to view video]

That’s not a quote you’d expect from Sam Bradford or Carson Wentz.

We’ll get a better idea of Hurts talent this season, but we know he’s got the right mentality for the NFL. That’s another reason to believe in this team.

http://igglesblitz.com/2022/09/reasons-to-believe/