When I think of 1 organization that has tried to copy so many different teams that have won championships or teams that are successful it is the Philadelphia Eagles. Over 20 years in the making since Andy Reid was hired by them and they still are doing this, here is their story.
2000: With Reid in his 2nd year as Head Coach owner Jeffery Lorie’s plan is to copy the team that was the powerhouse of sports in the 1980s in the 49ers. They need their own version of Joe Montana and Steve Young and at the moment they have that in Donovan McNabb who finished behind Ray Lewis and Marshall Faulk in the MVP voting that season. After a rough 1999 season they made it to the playoffs with a 10-6 season. Despite crushing the Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round in front of a rabid Veterans Stadium crowd they got smacked by their arch rivals in the Giants right from the word GO. (As soon as Ron Dixon ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown there was no way Big Blue would lose at home.) Well at least Philly has promise.
2001: Even with McNabbs talents they need some support in the running game. The answer for that is Duce Staley and Ferrell Buckholder. Not to mention they have an aggressive defense led by Coordinator Jim Johnson that is starting to become one of the best in the league led by Hugh Douglas and Brian Dawkins. In the playoffs the Wild Card Round was similar to the previous year, holding Tampa Bay out of the endzone and the offense doing just enough against a rock solid Bucs defense. The following week they went into their QBs hometown of the Windy City and allowed the clock to strike midnight on the Cinderella Bears. This is their time!
2001 NFC Championship: Despite outstanding performances by McNabb, Staley, and James Trease Philly got 1-upped by the Greatest Show on Turf. Even with a lead at halftime the defense can’t solve Faulk and Issac Bruce. Well they ran into a force and they weren’t expected to win but they’ll be back.
2002: Do you like the best record in the NFL? The Eagles got it, and everything that Reid and McNabb have done has turned into gold. Not to mention they sent 6 defensive players to the Pro Bowl including Dawkins, and Troy Vincent. Despite McNabb missing most of the 2nd half with a broken ankle they rallied to win 4 of their last 5 behind 3rd string QB AJ Feally. At 12-4 with homefield throughout the playoffs which means they can give the Vet a grand sendoff. So far so good. They stormed past Michael Vick and the Falcons thanks to an early Pick6 by Bobby Taylor and their star QBs return. This is their chance to go to the SuperBowl for the first time since 1980.
2002 NFC Championship: Joe Buck: “Duce Staley, (Crowd Noise) TOUCHDOWN PHILADELPHIA!” 52 seconds into the last game at the Vet the Eagles already have the lead. Not to mention they are playing a Bucs team that they have crushed the last 2 years and they have never won a playoff game under 40 degrees. The bad news is that the Bucs defense shut everything down afterwards, Tampa Bay outscores the Birds 27-3 the rest of the game, don’t show that late game Pick6 by Ronde Barber to any Eagles fan because that is how their stay at the Vet is remembered for.
2003: It’s a new age for Philly, Veterans Stadium has been replaced by Lincoln Financial Field, it isn’t as rough as the old Vet but their fans still love to trash the opponents. Just like in 2002 the Eagles have another 12-4 regular season thanks to Brian Westbrook becoming the focal point of the offense instead of Staley and their receivers. In the playoffs they overcame an early deficit against Brett Favre and the Packers to hold them off thanks to late game heroics by David Akers (Thanks for giving Dawkins a free INT Favre) Now they are back in the NFC Championship Game but this time it’s against a Cinderella Panthers team, this should be easy!
2003 NFC Championship: Unlike last year when they had to face the Bucs this time Donovan McNabb and his QB coach Greg Roman sealed their choking reputation by means of 3 picks by Carolina’s Ricky Manning. Even if the defense held the Panthers in check for much of the game the Eagles fell apart YET AGAIN! I feel like this team needs a receiver to carry Reid to a championship. I just don’t know where you can find one.
2004: What I meant by big fish in free agency I didn’t expect the biggest names on the market in Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse but it could work. So far those 2 stars have made huge impacts on the team, despite his antics and injuries TO would have the best season an Eagles receiver has ever had (“As a Man offended TO” -Ray Lewis.) Once again they have home field throughout the playoffs but the NFC should be easy thanks to Green Bay and Seattle getting eliminated early.
2004 NFC Playoffs: This time there is no such thing as choking in the playoffs. The Eagles despite not having Owens cruised their way to the Super Bowl thanks to beating up the Mob Squad Vikings and crushing the Falcons thanks to their brick wall of a defense. All that remains between their first Lombardi Trophy is the dynasty known as the New England Patriots. This should be a great game!
Super Bowl XXXIX: Remember how you guys were planning your victory parade long before the Big Game. That backfired because it became bulletin board material for Bill Belichick. Despite TO playing with screws in his legs and catching 11 passes McNabb and Reid choke as the Patriots win their 2nd straight championship. Better luck next year boys!
2005: Well they got off to another strong start thanks to Brian Westbrook entering the Prime of his career. So how could this go wrong for them now? BOOM! ARE YOU SERIOUS! “Terrell Owens has been suspended by the team over an argument with Donovan and he will not play for 2 weeks.” At least they still have that great defense. (Their defense has lost it!) Well they decided to collapse in the regular season instead of in the playoffs. Losing 8 of 10 following the TO incident is a blow few can recover from, BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD PHILLY!
2006 Season: (“TO LEFT US FOR THOSE DAMN COWBOYS!” -Eagles fans)
Well it appears that their efforts to clone the West Coast offense of Reids old team in San Francisco failed so now they have a new solution. “Look at the Colts and Peyton Manning, their offensive system is the real deal!” “Let’s turn McNabb into more of a drop back passer than a runner. Lets see if it works?” PAUSE. So far it has worked as the Eagles offense returned to old form and their defense did just enough to clinch the NFC East for the 5th time in 6 years, they crushed the spirits of Giants fans thanks to another playoff miracle from David Akers, this is their time!
2006 NFC Divisional Round: The bad news for Reid and Jim Johnson is that they ran into the Booby Trap that is the wonders of Bourbon Street. Despite the offense putting together a solid performance the Saints held off a late comeback to win the game. At least there’s next year I guess.
2007: This year was the typical crossroads in their future plans. The majority of their core was aging immensely, their division was stacked and despite another strong start they didn’t have the guns to keep up with the powerhouses. Remember that Steve Spagluolo guy, who was an assistant under Johnson, ended up being the main reason for the Giants ending the Patriots undefeated season.
2008 Regular Season: In a year where most teams ran the ball in their division, Reid made the decision to remain a pass heavy team like in years past. So far it has been mixed results but the low point for McNabb was getting benched in a blowout loss against the Ravens. (At least he didn’t throw a 107 yard Pick6 to Ed Reed.) But then the Coaching Staff and McNabb decided to use Brian Westbrook more in the running game than as a pass catcher. It worked in the final 5 games as the Eagles stormed past almost every foe including their rivals from Dallas 44-6 to clinch a playoff spot. At least they might win a playoff game.
2008 1st 2 Rounds: Just like in 2001 the Birds went from overlooked to white hot in a matter of weeks. Thanks to the Run Game and Defense they stormed past the Vikings in the Metrodome then they shocked the Football World by knocking off the Defending Champion and #1 seeded Giants in the Meadowlands. Lets see if they can go into the Desert and knock off another Cinderella Team in the Cardinals?
2008 NFC Championship: It’s happening again, McNabb and DeSean Jackson are having the game of their lives. Despite trailing 24-6 in the 1st Half they have mounted a furious comeback. The Eagles are leading the Cardinals late in the 4th Quarter! This isn’t like those failures of years past this is a new team.
2008 NFC Championship 4th Quarter: You just had to turn into a pumpkin when it truly mattered again Iggles! Narratives are restored as the defense gets burned by Kurt Warner in the NFC Title Game again and Philly goes out in awful fashion. Don’t worry boys your receiver core is stacked.
2009: Unfortunately Brian Dawkins wasn’t able to resign with the Eagles that offseason thanks to how close they were to the Cap. The good news is that even with BDawk done and Brian Westbrook out for the season and McNabb declining, the Eagles still made the playoffs again as the 6 seed. The reward was giving up 27 2nd Quarter points against a Cowboys team that hadn’t won a playoff game in 13 years. The real work is about to be done.
2010 Offseason: Donovan McNabb is in the final year of his contract and Philly also signed Michael Vick on his redemption tour. We know what to do TRADE HIM TO THE REDSKINS! At least the picks they got in return became Jason Kelce and Nick Foles, more on them later. So with the Colts experiment failing, Lorie has a new plan! This time they want to copy the teams of the Buddy Ryan era in Eagles history. A scrambling QB, plus a historic defense, sure they couldn’t get past the 2nd Round but this time it will be successful.
2010 Regular Season and Playoffs: Thanks to Vick putting up the best season of his career and replacing Westbrook with LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin realizing their potential. The highlight of the stretch run was the so-called Miracle of Meadowlands II. In that game the Giants led 31-10 in the 4th Quarter only for Vick and the offense to rally like never before by scoring 3 unanswered touchdowns, Come and witness their usual magic against the G-Men.
Merrill Reese: “Matt Dodge to punt it’s a high snap, gets it away, it’s a knuckler, Jackson takes it at the 35, fumbles it, picks it up, looks for running room, he’s at the 40 he’s at the 45 MIDFIELD! (OH) He’s at 40, (OH) HE’S GONNA GO, (OH) DESEAN JACKSON! I DON’T CARE IF HE RUNS DIVES HE’S RUNNING AROUND AND HE’S IN THE ENDZONE AND THERE’S NO TIME AND THE EAGLES WIN! (THIS IS MIRACLE AT THE MEADOWLANDS #2!)”
Not only did the Eagles win that game they won the NFC East again. The reward is another home playoff game against the Packers. Despite Green Bay taking an early lead, Philly stormed back and cut the lead to 5, all they can hope for is that Vick can pull out another rabbit out of his hat.
Packers Radio: “Vick steps up and throws it into the endzone and it’s INTERCEPTED! TRAMON WILLIAMS, AND THERE IS YOUR WILDCARD DAGGER!” Well they got robbed in the playoffs again! At least they have plenty of Cap Space now that they don’t have to pay McNabb anymore.
2011: Alright, they are going all in on this new formula. Now after what they did last year they have plenty of Cap Space to bring in star players thanks to Vicks cheap contract. They brought in basically the 2008 All Pro Team but most of them were past their primes. It didn’t stop backup QB Vince Young from calling them the “Dream Team”. He might have been right at that time because the rest of the division was in quicksand at the time but most of the big signings flopped in their face. Thanks to underachieving for much of the season they missed the playoffs via tiebreaker despite winning their last 4 games. And guess what the Giants won it all again so there’s even more salt in the streets of South Philly. At least there’s always next year!
2012 Weeks 1-4: Just what I said, they started 3-1 but most of it is due to the Refs robbing the Ravens and Giants in Weeks 2 and 4. Hey now, at least Michael Vick is healthy and LeSean McCoy isn’t underachieving. Playoffs are once again in your sights.
2012 Weeks 5-17: The lucid dreams of a playoff run disappear as Philly loses 11 of 12 thanks to injuries to Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and most of the defense deciding to give up. The result was the end of the Andy Reid era. Honestly he shouldn’t have been fired. The problems of the past few years weren’t his fault they just had bad luck all around. But let’s be real if they allowed him to come back the fans would have thrown things at him during every home game. Not to mention their old special teams coach John Harbaugh won a championship in Baltimore. Too bad!
2013 Offseason: So the last strategy of copying the Gang Green Eagles failed but new GM Howie Roseman isn’t taking no for an answer. He saw what the 49ers did in the 1989-1992 seasons and stated. “Lets copy them despite the fact that we don’t know who the QB is.” Their replacement for “Full Reid” is an offensive mastermind from Oregon named Chip Kelly. If there is one thing they have lacked the past few years it’s a top flite offense.
2013 Season: After another slow start the Eagles realized their true potential after Vick suffered YET ANOTHER INJURY! Replacing him was 2nd year QB Nick Foles. With St Nick at the helm he had the highest passer rating in a season in franchise history and the rest of the offense rose to new heights. Led by a hot streak at the end of the season including wins against the Lions Bears and Cowboys, Philly clinched the NFC East and another playoff spot. However the Saints are looking to get a chance at another Super Bowl. They stormed into the Linc and ended the Eagles hopes on a last second field goal by Shane Graham. At least they got their QB of the future.
2014 Offseason: Michael Vick is looking to get out of Philadelphia and is in the final year of his contract. I know the solution, trade him to the Jets for Mark Sanchez. Why because Roseman and Lorie want to create a QB empire like those George Seifert led 9ers did with Montana, Young, Bono, and Grbac! Ok?
2014 Weeks 1-13: The Eagles look like they are taking the next step in returning to being a Super Bowl Contender. A 9-3 start to the season and a 95% at a playoff spot. Looks like Foles has established himself as a top QB. BOOM! Then he suffered a season ending injury thus causing concern across the city. It’s ok, Mark Sanchez has always played well in the final weeks of the season when he was in the Big Apple. That’s always good.
2014 Weeks 14-17: Unfortunately they had a rough finish thanks to having to play Green Bay, Seattle, and of course Dem Cowboys in 3 of their final 4 games. Even with an experienced late season QB like Sanchez the Eagles finished 10-6, the result is missing the playoffs via tiebreaker. Don’t worry at least Foles is coming back I guess.
2015 Offseason: Turns out that Howie Roseman wants a marque QB instead of an injury prone guy. The Eagles then traded Foles to St Louis for SAM BRADFORD AND ALSO SIGNED TIM TEBOW! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! PAUSE. Not to mention they threw 15 million a year at DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell, and Kiko Alonso. This is what they called “Dream Team Redux”.
2015 Season: The pair of QBs doesn’t work out. They couldn’t take advantage of a Giants trainwreck and the Cowboys losing Tony Romo for the rest of the year. A 7-9 season is the result and Chip Kelly was run out of town by the Philly Faithful. Good luck trying to find a new head coach.
2016 Offseason: They replaced Chip Kelly with a clone of Andy Reid in Doug Pederson who is perfect for Roseman and Lorie’s new analytical system. Not to mention they traded Sam Bradford to the Vikings for a boatload of draft picks. I’m not done yet they immediately traded those picks to Cleveland for the 2nd pick in the upcoming draft. In the words of all Eagles fans, especially the diehards “You traded away our entire future for one BEEP person!” The result was a new franchise QB in Carson Wentz. At least there’s hope now right.
2016 Season: In typical Eagles fashion they get off to a hot start and do everything they can to make the playoffs yet fail miserably to go the extra mile. It’s ok though they have an outside chance at a Wild Card berth. The bad news is that they were eliminated from the playoffs late in the season that year when Pederson tried going for 2 to win their Week 15 game in Baltimore and FAILED BIG TIME! At least Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham look like studs.
2017 Regular Season: It’s finally over, the years of mediocrity, of metalsome ownership, and of CopyCatting failures are washed away! The Eagles are a legit Super Bowl Contender again! Led by Carson Wentz LeGarrett Blount Torrey Smith Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz the offense reaches new heights even if their lord and savior of a QB tore his ACL in LA late in the season. The defense was back to being a brick wall. The D-Line of Chris Long, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett were outstanding not to mention Malcolm Jenkins and newcomer Nigel Bradham were leading a linebacker core and secondary with tremendous upside. They had the best record in all of football with a 13-3 season. The years of CopyCatting other powerhouses were finally working again. But the issue going into the playoffs was this, they were playing with a backup QB. Remember that Nick Foles guy? He is now the backup to Wentz and now must take his place in the playoffs. The Rocky Story has BEGUN!
2017 Playoffs: In their first playoff game against the Falcons they enjoyed squashing the Atlanta receiver core and Jake Elliott did most of the work by kicking 3 crucial field goals. The final blow being a late game goal line stand thanks to Matt Ryan having deer in his headlights. The following week was utter domination. Despite trailing an old playoff foe in the Vikings during the 1st Quarter, Philadelphia scored 45 unanswered points led by 3 TD passes from Foles, 3 turnovers including a Pick 6 by Patrick Robinson, and the running game was also kicking it in high gear again. The Eagles were heading back to the Super Bowl to play in the backyard of Minnesota. (Have fun watching the Iggles in your home stadium Skolkings!) Too bad they have to play the Patriots again. But this is Drago vs Rocky in every Philly fans’ eye!.
Super Bowl LII: In this game Doug Pederson pulled out all of the stops including the “Philly Special” on a 4th and goal late in the 1st Half. Even though the Eagles were leading by 13 in the 2nd Half the Patriots stormed back for 2 straight touchdowns. But then something amazing happened. Philadelphia retook the lead, then strip sacked Tom Brady but however they failed to run out the clock. If you can stop this Hail Mary the Curse of Billy Penn is lifted, “Brady is back he steps up he will throw it as far as he can it is juggled, tipped and it’s finally incomplete and the Eagles are World Champions!” It’s finally done, 57 years of failure are over! The Lombardi Trophy is headed for South Philadelphia! Well done soldiers!
2018 Offseason: You may think this is the happiest ever after for this franchise. However that isn’t the case. This is Jeffery Lorie and Howie Roseman! Even with the glories of a Super Bowl Championship they still need to make analytical moves for the sake of it. Extending Carson Wentz not bad considering that he was an MVP candidate during the previous season before that knee injury. Bringing back Nick Foles just in case Wentz isn’t ready to return is very logical. Not to mention they kept most of the 2017 team around for a chance at a repeat. But on Draft Day 2018 is when the Eagles organization “Jumped the Shark.” At the time they were being praised for trading for DT Timmy Jernigan and WR Mike Wallace, 2 role players that should be perfect fits for their positions and had the best years of their careers in 2016 and 2017. However both of them were in their early 30s and were starting to decline. I’m not going to roast them for making that move because they thought they needed more depth across the board. The bad news for them is that they traded 5 future draft picks to the Ravens which included 2 1st Rounders in 2018 and 19. Come on the players that Baltimore got only became Mark Andrews Orlando Brown Jr, Marquise Brown, and Jaylon Ferguson. (Wait for it) AND Lamar Jackson! (At least you prevented him from going to the Giants!) Don’t worry the Eagles are still sure fire favorites to win the NFC East despite a rough schedule in 2018.
2018 Weeks 1-14: The Super Bowl Hangover hit them and hit them hard. At 6-7 they are in danger of missing the playoffs. Getting swept by Dem Cowboys and crumbling in late game situations throughout the season caused many people to be concerned about them. However Carson Wentz got injured again thus entering the “Legend of Philly Lore!” ST NICHOLAS THE GREAT FOLES!
2018 Weeks 15-Wild Card Round: Just like in 2017 Foles rose from the dead and the Eagles won 3 straight games including epics against the Rams and Texans. Not to mention they went to Washington and crushed an injury riddled Redskins team not to mention they got help thanks to the Vikings collapsing yet again! (Truth Hurts, doesn’t it!) Thus they went to the Windy City and faced a Super Bowl Contender in the Bears. Look at this drive that Foles is putting together, they took the lead with less than a minute left. However Chicago quickly got into field goal range. It will take another miracle for Philadelphia to pull this off! “AAANNNDDD! OH IT HITS THE UPRIGHT AGAIN! THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!!!” Behold the glorious wonders of the “Double Doink!” May it guide the Eagles into the 2nd Round of the playoffs. Another Cinderella Story is upon us!
2018 NFC Divisional: Early in the game the Eagles took a 14 point lead with the Saints down for the count. However the offense went ice cold and the defense allowed New Orleans to get back in the game. Trailing by 6 deep into the 4th quarter Foles has a chance to redeem himself for his 2nd Half struggles, witness his crafts being perfected. “Foles throws it THROUGH THE HANDS OF JEFFERY AND ITS INTERCEPTED!” Well at least you made it this far despite all being left for dead in Week 15. Now how are they going to figure out the QB situation?
2019 Offseason: Philadelphia decided to let their playoff hero sign a massive contract in Jacksonville which meant that Carson Wentz was now the future. Now they decided to bring back an old face in DeSean Jackson and trade for Jordan Howard. Now they are set up for a nice future.
2019 Weeks 1-13: Once again the Eagles played down to competition only to get bailed out by high end talent for much of the season. Fans were calling for Wentz’s head despite the offensive line going through injuries plus Jason Peters and Jason Kelce were starting to decline. At 5-7 they aren’t eliminated yet but they will have to beat the Giants twice not to mention the Redskins and Cowboys. Good luck!
2019 Week 14-Wild Card Game: This year Carson Wentz becomes the new age Nick Foles. In 4 games the Eagles offense unleashed its talents and abilities and once again went from out of the hunt completely to making the playoffs again. CRACK! However the Football Gods punished Wentz in the playoffs by means of yet another injury and there was no Nick Foles to save them. Losing at home to the Seahawks is the punishment. Even with the injury excuse Pederson fired his offensive coordinator after the game. Not to mention their old boss Andy Reid won that long awaited Title in Kansas City. The upcoming offseason can be described by one simple scene. Lorie: “GET THOSE NERDS!” Pederson: “NERDS!” Roseman: “NERRRRDS!!!”
2020 Offseason: Their last copycatting strategy which was copping the 1989 49ers worked out for them but soon got outdated once teams figured them out. Today they have a new approach! Look at those 2019 Ravens! They dominated the league with a punishing ground game, they blew teams out with an elite secondary featuring 2 Top Tier Corners, and their QB that Roseman allowed those “Charm City Beasts” to get turned the NFL upside down. It’s time to take a page out of Philly’s old special teams coaches book. (OUT LOUD NERD!)
Roseman and Lorie: “Lets go after their QB coach James Urban and make him the OC, (YoYo sound) he wants nothing to do with us ok. I know let’s get their old OC in Marty Mornigweig, sure he ruined Joe Flacco’s prime but he’s perfect for our new look scheme. You know what we need our own version of Marlon Humphrey in Darius Slay, yes he may only like to play on one side of the field but who cares. And guess what Jalen Reagar looks like Hollywood Brown, LETS DRAFT HIM! And finally we need our own Lamar Jackson. Jalen Hurts is the guy we need, sure it will cause plenty of controversy across America but this how we roll. (NERRRRDS!) Look at all of the hype we are getting once again. We are bound for another Super Bowl run and not even the Packers, Seahawks, or 49ers will bow down to our glory! BOOM! OH MY GOSH WHAT DID WE JUST DO!”
2020 Season: Well that season was punishment for all of the nerd type decisions the font office made. Due to having the hardest schedule in the NFL the Eagles imploded immensely. The QB controversy between Hurts and Wentz got harsh in the middle of the season and it eventually cost Doug Pederson and the entire offensive staff their jobs. Honestly they should have fired Roseman but Lorie didn’t want to get rid of his old buddy. Their record was 4-11-1, and the potential end of their championship window.
A 20+ year period where Philadelphia lived and died by copycatting great teams of the past. It’s a solid strategy especially in the modern NFL but if you don’t know what you are doing or you overly rely on it too much it can cost you. As a fan of their I-95 neighbors in Baltimore I have understood what it’s like dealing with Philly fans. They are desperate to win everything and when they don’t, they want the players and coaches heads. If you look at that window of success closely the only years where they missed the playoffs was because they either had a hard schedule or the NFC East was stacked with talent. Even if they had several playoff heartbreaks Eagles fans are very lucky. They broke the Curse of Billy Penn, they had solid players and coaches. Their plans to copycat other dynasties worked wonders for them even if they were mostly short lived. Now they can only hope Jalen Hurts becomes the 2nd coming of Donovan McNabb and the bad year in 2020 was a fluke with a new coaching staff. In the words of a local Philly news station, COUNT ON IT!
Bragging Rights Sports 