A Two-Fan Roundtable On The Philadelphia Eagles

I’ll admit it. Though I’ve been around the Philly sports scene for just over a couple of years now, when it came to writing up a post that encapsulated the tremendous moment of “moving on” that the Eagles franchise and its fans find themselves in, I felt pretty unqualified. Luckily, I knew a couple of guys who’ve been following the Eagles for much longer, and who have much more nuanced feelings on the Eagles transition from McNabb to Kolb. They were more than willing to humor me with an interview. Here’s what they told me.

(A short disclaimer: I did write this a couple of days ago, so I’m hoping you guys will let the fact that I’m only posting it now slide. Also, many thanks to my brother-in-law Carl and my friend Caleb for answering my questions. And no, I did not alliterate their names on purpose.)

What have the last 10 years of Eagles football been like for you?

CALEB: The last 10 years have been like a flirtatious woman. It’s been a tease where they [the Eagles] have brought you to the brink and have never brought you home. Especially with McNabb—a guy that is, or was full of potential, he always gave you a higher expectation than he did product. It was a recipe for disappointment.

CARL: I would say as an Eagles fan, they’ve been probably the best ten years I can remember in recent times, but I don’t remember the Ron Jaworksi Super Bowl from before. It’s been a lot of fun to be a fan of the Eagles [during that span], but at the same time kind of empty. They could never get it done. (laughs) But it’s not like we’re Cleveland Browns fans.

There was a lot of what some people would call success in the last decade. Does it matter to you that the team did make five NFC Championship game appearances, as well as one Super Bowl appearance?

CALEB: I’d definitely throw away all the championships for a Super Bowl ring. In retrospect, it was exciting, but you always felt after the second or third time that you were involved in something that would eventually let you down. The last championship [2008 against the Arizona Cardinals], I didn’t even involve myself because I was sure they wouldn’t do it. And they didn’t. For me, it’s just the theme of having high expectations with an eventual bad product which led to disappointment

CARL: I would trade 10 years of making the playoffs for one shot at a Super Bowl. No one remembers who makes the playoffs. They remember who wins the championship.

Despite the frustration that you’re describing, there are plenty of teams who are envious of the “success” that the Eagles organization has had. Some might even call Philly and its fans spoiled for talking about their disappointment considering how their seasons have gone. What do you think of that reputation?

CALEB:  In a sense, I think Philly fans have become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We have become so downcast that we have given too much pressure or negativity to our players, McNabb being the greatest example. I think the negativity that has resulted from years of losing has created its own self-fulfilling prophecy. If we had a more positive attitude, it might actually have helped him [McNabb] to become a better player.

CARL: I think that’s pretty fair looking at it from their perspective. It’s not like we’ve been completely suffering. But the reason you’re a fan, you want the championship. When you get there a couple of times, it’s unfulfilling. You say, “Enough of that. Let’s get over the hump here.” It’s not embarrassing because your team made it to the championship game, but at the same time, before the season started, you knew that it was going to end in the playoffs. In the back of my mind, I knew that when the playoffs started, they weren’t going to the Super Bowl.

Turning to the future, what does Kolb represent for you as an Eagles fan?

CALEB: There’s not much of an opinion to be formed yet. I think he’s going to be more focused leader. McNabb would always say he was there to have fun, and I think that Kolb is much more down to business. I think he’ll be a better football leader. But I don’t think he has McNabb’s talent.

CARL: I think he’s probably a better leader. I guess what makes me excited is that he’s not Donovan McNabb, but that also makes me worried. With McNabb, you knew you had a good shot of getting to the playoffs. At least I know it’s not going to end in the playoffs. I mean, it may, but at least at this point we don’t know that for sure.

*****

I should clarify that last question by reiterating that I originally wrote this post before Kolb went down with a concussion against the Packers, so that explains these two fans’ decidedly placid discussion of Kolb’s future.

Anyway, to toss my own thoughts into the mix, I can empathize with the frustration. As a Redskins fan, I certainly know what it feels like to watch the high hopes for a successful season fall apart before your very eyes time and time again (although I was usually let down in the moderate temperatures of mid-October instead of the bitter chill of late January). I also think that Kolb will have a great future with the Eagles, concussion notwithstanding. Players have come back from concussions before, and I think that, considering Kolb’s fiery and competitive nature, he’ll return with an even bigger chip on his shoulder. His drive to prove himself will only grow stronger, and—even though they might need to wait a couple of seasons—I think that Eagles fans can turn the page from McNabb to Kolb with a sense of optimism.