Friday, December 28, 2007

8-8 Is Simply Not Honest

Is it me- or does Rich Hoffman need to lighten up about a thousand degrees?

I don’t know anyone who is happy with the “mediocrity party” the Eagles are throwing- maybe this smiling Eagles' cheerleader is? They are a thoroughly .500 team- slice any part of the season up post-September they are a game or so over .500, parcel any September slice and they are under .500. Trust me Rich, we totally get it out here. They were a good defensive team, with a super skill position player, sunk by soul-sucking ennui at the quarterback position more Sundays than not.

But folks- and apparently the team- are marginally excited that when not afflicted by soul-sucking ennui at the quarterback position, or aside from that woe- they really aren’t bad. Reid's formulation: We are playing good football, probably as good as anybody in the NFC right now- admittedly misses the point, is also largely correct.

The Saints had won seven of ten- not bad for battered. Spare me talk of Dallas being bored; the Eagles played great on defense. Football isn’t a study in passivity; Philly is allowed to pitch its best game on defense too. They were very credible against the Pats- or was New England bored too?

Point is- a healthy, productive McNabb, fused on this group, is bad trouble in the NFC. That is what people are semi-excited about. But no one is excited about 8-8.

Winning always helps; cynical protestations about said winning do not. At 8-8, a legit earned 8-8, the woes are a lot easier to fix that than 5-11 train wreck Hoffman feels is more honest I guess. And if Philadephia would rather continue to play hard, beat Buffalo- and commence on off-season around here of optimism rather than the drudgery of the past few years, I for one can’t vote for that approach fast enough.

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