Eagles fans aren’t alone in their extreme frustration with their favorite team.
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie skipped last Sunday’s game in Cleveland, and “his absence . . . was widely believed by many at the NoveCare Complex to primarily be an extension of his feelings.”
Officially, Lurie didn’t attend the game because he was being “overly cautious” in light of the ongoing pandemic, since he planned to visit his mother on Thanksgiving. Unofficially, per McLane, Lurie had simply had enough.
McLane also reports that Lurie has “left various workouts early out of disgust.” Per McLane, sources close to the team were “shocked” that Lurie actually skipped a game.
It’s one thing for Lurie to be frustrated. It’s another thing for Lurie to do something about it. He fired coach Andy Reid and coach Chip Kelly after both failed to get to the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The current coach, Doug Pederson, has a three-year postseason streak, dating back to 2017. And 2017 ended, as too many Eagles fans now forget, in the only Super Bowl win in franchise history.
The problem continues to be the quarterback, and specifically his dramatic regression in 2020. One of the main reasons the Eagles are sticking with Carson Wentz is that they’re stuck with Carson Wentz, at least through 2021. He has more than $25 million due next year, fully guaranteed. No one in their right mind will trade for that contract, especially with the salary cap expected to fall to $175 million, due to the pandemic.
Thus, regardless of what happens over the balance of the season, the best (only) play may be to get through 2020, load the cannon in the offseason (as best they can), and try again in 2021, with pretty much everyone on the hot seat.
The Eagles host the Seahawks on Monday night. It remains to be seen whether Lurie will attend, or leave early.