BLOG: The Eagles Bore Me
By: Andy Wheeler
So we've talked a lot on "The Penalty Box" podcast about the Flyers and the Sixers in the last 24 hours.
I've ripped the Flyers goaltending philosophy. I've decided the Sixers have no chance, which is sad.
I could expand on all these things but I feel like I'd be boring since we've discussed all of it already. What I'd like to talk about is the complete lack of interest in the Eagles right now.
From soup to nuts, nobody cares…and I think that's excellent.
Why should we care when we don't know if there is going to be a season? When the only reports we get are mediation rosters, what a certain judge says and what guy is insulted by this whole process. It's boring and stupid.
The draft is 2 weeks away…did you even know that? I honestly forgot.
What's happened is with all this stuff the Eagles needed to do this offseason, during a time period where people get very excited around here…we get nothing but court updates and politics.
I understand there is a lot at stake. That's fine. But Billionaire's vs. Millionaire's isn't as much fun as linebackers vs. running backs. And it's certainly not as fun as the Eagles fixing a billion leaks that sprung in the defense last year or their poor offensive line play. It's not as fun as a Kevin Kolb trade.
These are all the things we should be talking about. And in years past NFL Free Agent signings and the possible trade of Kolb for draft picks would be our lead story. Instead here we are wondering if the Sixers can rebound from a 20 point loss to the Heat.
But see this makes me happy. And not because I hate the Eagles, I love the Eagles and always will. What makes me happy about all this is the Eagles arrogance taking a hit.
For years there was a back and forth about the Eagles being the gold standard. How they took prominence (in their own minds) over all the other sports teams in town. And in some cases or with some people that is true.
But now the Eagles see what will happen with them if they stay on the road they are on. Labor difficulties are the worst thing that can happen to the Birds. The excitement they could have generated with a big time offseason of moves is left stuck in neutral, and they may actually have to satisfy us, the fan, if this lockout or whatever it is now runs into the season.
They would truly have to go for it to get the excitement back. And there is no excitement because this is the least I've been excited for a draft since before I knew what a draft was. And that is partially because they can't move Kolb for picks. And there are very few players to get excited about in the draft.
The most interesting thing that makes me feel good about the Eagles actually having to make splashes and satisfy us the fan and work towards making us happy is the Phillies and what they've done.
We ran a poll yesterday on CBSPhilly.com about what game fans would watch last night, the Phillies game, the Flyers or Sixers. Even though the Sixers and Flyers are in the playoffs the Phillies won with over 50% of the vote…and Joe Blanton was pitching!
The Eagles have lost their place as the number 1 team in town. And if the Flyers win the Cup they'll drop to 3 in a heartbeat.
The Eagles have a lot of work to do to regain the fan and not just because of the labor issues. Because they haven't won it all, they keep expecting us to buy tickets even though they haven't, and their arrogant enough to think that what we think doesn't matter.
