Eagles Preseason Woes…Are they Worrisome?

The Philadelphia Eagles had a stinker last night as they lost to the Cleveland Browns. There were only five points in the game and they all belonged to the Browns. This game continued to worry Eagles fans as the Birds are winless throughout the first three preseason games.

The biggest worry being the performance of the Eagles starting offense. The first team offense has been terrible as they have scored zero points in the preseason and last night games were their last before the first regular season game.

Is there a reason for concern for the Eagles? I think the answer to that is a stern no. But with that being said there are a couple of players to worry about.

Slight Reasons for Concern

The two players that fans are putting under the microscope are Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Nick Foles. They have both been atrocious and have made Eagles fans lose their minds.

Vaitai has even admitted to being complacent due to the Super Bowl win. He also came to camp 20 pounds overweight and has just has not looked locked in. Vaitai also managed to scare Eagles fans as he let Adrian Clayborn go right past him to hit Foles in which gave Foles an injury concern. People have to understand Vaitai is not the starter with Jason Peters in his way. So just pray that Jason Peters stays healthy. Enough with Vaitai, let’s talk about the Super Bowl MVP.

Nick Foles has really thrown Eagles fans in a loop as he finished preseason 16-for-26 and 171 yards with two interceptions. And no, I didn’t forget to list touchdowns as Foles didn’t throw one. The Arizona product struggled with accuracy the whole preseason and just didn’t look like the quarterback that won the Eagles their first-ever Super Bowl. Fans should temper their outrageous takes that Nate Sudfeld should be the backup instead. Foles has been incredibly streaky throughout his career and no one knows what one the Eagles will get a couple weeks from now.

Those two along with some people who aren’t going to make the roster – hint, hint Matt Jones – have been the biggest concern so far though. The Eagles also have some injury concerns but they should be back quick.

Also, a little thing to look at was the Eagles missed tackles. They have struggled with tackling in preseason but with this new helmet rule, a lot of teams have. Hopefully, they can improve this and it is just a result of transitioning to the new rule.

R-E-L-A-X

As the great Aaron Rodgers said to Packers fans way back when…relax. The Eagles were Super Bowl champs for a reason last year and they are looking to have even more talent than last year. They also have quarterback Carson Wentz coming back from injury and looking for vengeance. Wentz will not let this team get complacent as anything less than a playoff appearance is a complete failure for him. Carson also has the likes of Darren Sproles, Jason Peters, Chris Maragos, and Jordan Hicks coming off major injuries with him. So truth be told, there are too many players that missed their chance to play in the big game that would let their teammates not play their hardest.

The head coach Doug Pederson also will not let any of the BS stop him. Coach Pederson also did not go as complex as usual with his playcalling in the preseason because welp…it is the preseason. He will be back to his true form of one of the best play-callers in the league in week one.

People also forget about the other side of the ball. The Eagles defense had two great games with a slight bump in the road against the Patriots. Tom Brady, the best quarterback ever, can do that type of stuff to defenses like the Eagles. This defense is stagnant and should be just as good as last year.

Also, a simple fact that people forget about this preseason is that most of the starters weren’t playing. Jason Peters, Nelson Agholor, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement are expected to be back in week one. Then Alshon Jeffery and Carson Wentz will be back right after if they aren’t back in week one. So as week one might be a struggle, the Eagles should be good for the rest of the season.

Will the Eagles Repeat?

Will this team repeat? It’s very unlikely, but they should be near the top in the NFC again and make the playoffs. It is plain out dumb to think this team is going in a downward spiral. The only way this team will not make the playoffs is if Wentz doesn’t play because of a setback or another injury.