Eagles fans spent much of Sunday salving our wounds in the wake of their excruciating last-second loss to the New Orleans Saints Saturday night.
Shayne Graham's field goal was a kick in the gut, dousing the region's case of playoff fever and leaving fans to ponder what next year will bring.
Not so fast.
I concur with all those who are singing the praises of first-year head coach Chip Kelly. He took a morose franchise that won all of four games in the final year of the Andy Reid regime and turned them into a 10-win squad that went on the road and won what amounted to a playoff game against the Cowboys to snare the NFC East crown and a spot in the playoffs.
Now everyone is expecting even bigger and better things next year.
That may be, but it does not change the fact that the Eagles blew a golden opportunity. The fact is they were a home favorite, playing a team and quarterback that is notorious for being a bad road team. The Saints are almost unbeatable in the Superdome, but struggle when on the road. Drew Brees likely will one day have his bust on display in the Hall of Fame, but he often turns into a bust outside in cold weather. He didn't play all that well Saturday night. In fact he wasn't the difference. The Saints' little-regarded running game was. They simply beat the Eagles on the line of scrimmage, in particular late in the game, as they drove toward the winning field goal.
The path was there for the Eagles to beat the Saints and possibly go deep into the playoffs. With a decidedly weak NFC this year, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that the Birds could have been busing up the Jersey Turnpike for a date in this year's frozen Super Bowl up at the Meadowlands.
Now, they are once again on the outside looking in. And a look ahead at next season carries no guarantees. Winning the NFC East does not do them any favors. Their schedule is much tougher. Repeating as NFC East champs won't be easy.
Need proof that success doesn't necessarily translate to the next year? Try talking to RGIII and the Redskins. They were a playoff team last year. How did that work out.
Chip Kelly and the Eagles had a great year. I'll be the first to say it.
But I'll also be first in line to say they blew a golden opportunity Saturday night.
Our lead sports columnist, Jack McCaffery, is thinking the same way. Here's his column today.
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