One Step Back

For the first time in Andy Reid’s golden tenure, the Philadelphia Eagles’ fate in the 2005 season is not in his hands. Until now, Reid’s organization has almost been flawless in its dogged pursuit of a Super Bowl, but the organization made a questionable decision in handling the Terrell Owens flap during camp and now the fortunes of the team rest with the talented but unpredictable T.O. Number 81 isn’t just a distraction, he’s a mushroom cloud hanging over this team.

Admittedly it is hindsight to suggest that Reid and Joe Banner could have found a way to placate Owens when the contract dispute predictably blew up in the organization’s face. Would Owens have been satisfied if the Eagles had reacted to his demands differently? No one can say for sure. But the Minnesota Vikings found a way to restructure Daunte Culpepper’s contract to reward him for his terrific season last year. In baseball, the Boston Red Sox found a way to calm down Manny Ramirez without trading him away in the middle of their drive to defend their World Series championship. The Eagles chose instead to throw down the gauntlet. The organization mobilized public opinion against Owens and turned their disgruntled receiver into a ticking time bomb that could explode and destroy their hopes of getting back to the Super Bowl. The Eagles could have rewarded Owens for last year’s phenomenal season, not the least was the way he rehabbed his way into the Super Bowl where his performance was nothing short of incredible. Failing that, Reid could have chosen to cut Owens or trade him away. Instead he chose to keep him and it is likely the problem will fester throughout the season. With his spectacular preseason debut last Friday against the Cincinnati Bengals (five receptions, 131 yards, one touchdown), Owens has raised hopes that this on-field truce with Donovan McNabb will work, but as the man once said, those who forget history are almost always doomed to repeat it.

The rest of the receiving corps is adequate even without Todd Pinkston, given a productive T.O. in the lineup. But without him, it’s another matter. Owens makes the rest of a mediocre bunch a notch better. Minus Owens all you have is the mediocrity and inexperience. It’s not as if the Birds can turn toward a more run-oriented offense, not when they’re dependent on the brilliant but brittle Brian Westbrook. Rookie Ryan Moats can lighten Westbrook’s load. But with Correll Buckhalter gone for the year with a knee injury, at this writing the likelihood is that Reid will try to squeeze another season out of the aging legs of Dorsey Levens. Doresy Levens – please!! Levens did a good job last year, but faded in the stretch and was a non-factor in the Super Bowl.

Westbrook, of course, has been less public about his contract problems than T.O. (who isn’t?), but he’s just as unhappy. It’s incredible how well the Eagles have manipulated the media and the fans so that there has not been much outrage expressed over the way the indispensable Westbrook has been treated by the organization. But then when Gary Papa of WPVI Channel 6 had the temerity to ask Westbrook about his contract before a recent preseason game, the Eagles dumped him from their preseason telecasts so you won’t hear a discouraging word from anyone directly connected with the broadcasts or telecasts this season.

The offensive line has other less-publicized questions. Will Tra Thomas be effective after dealing with a blood clot in his leg during the off-season? Jon Runyan is no longer a dominant NFL lineman. But the return of Shawn Andrews from his injury-shortened rookie season will help big time. Andrews has All-Pro potential.

The Eagles real strength will once again be Jim Johnson’s defense. No matter how the organization screws with the defensive personnel, nothing seems to detract from the brilliance of Johnson’s unit. Even after rescinding the franchise tag on defensive tackle Corey Simon, thus making him an unrestricted free agent, rookie Mike Patterson of USC appears ready to step forward in the team’s defensive line rotation. The secondary is back intact and is probably the best in the NFL right now.

Despite some early scares during the preseason with the special teams, John Harbaugh always has this unit ready to play come the regular season. Punter Dirk Johnson coming off surgery is a question mark, but the team smartly brought back veteran Sean Landetta as an insurance policy. David Akers is second only to Adam Vinatieri among the game’s best placekickers.

The Eagles organization under Andy Reid has been superb, yet it is not uncharitable to say that part of the Eagles’ great success has been the weakness of the rest of their conference. Only two teams in NFL history lost in the Super Bowl and made it back to win it the next season. If you assume Owens stays quiet and has another great year, the Eagles will make it back to the Super Bowl again in a mediocre NFC. More likely, Owens will cause enough problems to get himself suspended or finally traded/cut/deactivated and the lack of depth in the receiving corps and at running back will cause the Eagles to come back to the pack. Not enough to yield the NFC East, where the rest of the teams are in the kind of Schiavo coma that calls for Republicans everywhere to mobilize. The Eagles will win 11 and some other NFC team will lose in the Super Bowl this season.

Take one step back.