What They’re Saying About the Eagles

Here’s the weekly roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles.

SI.com’s Don Banks assesses the state of the Eagles:

Vick and the Eagles may indeed think they’re trying their hardest, but there’s currently a canyon-sized gap between their effort and their execution. So now what does the out-of-answers Reid have to do to get his swooning team’s attention? Canning Castillo did no good, and probably hurt. For all we know, a quarterback move from Vick to Foles might amount to more of the same.

This much is clear: The urgency in Eagles-land grew exponentially on Sunday. The more Reid tries to fix, the more things seem to be coming apart. Change didn’t solve anything. In Philadelphia, the defeats and the desperation keep mounting.

More change is on the horizon in Philadelphia, writes Jeff Darlington of NFL.com:

But based on the howling of a fan base that had no earthly business staying until the end of this game, a growing stench continues to resonate above Lincoln Financial Field. And it can be defined by the sound of the boos that filled the night Sunday.

Yes, in some form, in some way, change is coming.

It’s only a matter of what. It’s only a matter of when.

The Eagles dropped to 18th in ESPN.com’s power rankings. From Dan Graziano:

The poll’s second-biggest faller of the week, behind only the Saints, is the Eagles after their third loss in a row. They looked flat and uninspired at home against the Falcons in a game they really needed, and I am at the point where I no longer believe their potential is as vast as I believed it to be before the season began. I had the Eagles ranked third in the preseason poll, ninth for much of the year, 11th last week and this week I dropped them to No. 19. Clayton’s still got them up at 13, and maybe he’s right. But I can’t keep clinging to what I think they should be when what I see is garbage.

Adam Schein of NFL.com thinks it’s time to go to Nick Foles:

It’s Nick Foles time. Right now.

Michael Vick’s news conference following the Eagles’ non-competitive loss to the Atlanta Falcons was telling. He knows his days as the starting quarterback are numbered. While it isn’t all Vick’s fault that the Eagles are losing, he has been horrible this year — highly irresponsible when it comes to protecting the football. At 3-4, the Eagles are spiraling out of control. They should play the rookie quarterback (Foles) and give the ball to running back LeSean McCoy 25 times per game.

Andy Reid has been incredible as the head coach in Philly, but he will be fired at the end of the season if this keeps up. Reid removed defensive coordinator Juan Castillo. Now he needs to remove Vick.

John Clayton of ESPN.com says we got a look at who the pretenders were in Week 8:

Then there are the Eagles. The Dream Team is dreaming to think it solved its problems by simply firing the defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo. Eagles coach Andy Reid had been 13-0 coming off the bye week until Sunday’s 30-17 loss to Atlanta. The defense was lifeless and uncompetitive. “‘This is pathetic,” Eagles play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese said of the defense. You have to start wondering if Reid is losing this team.

Brian Billick of FoxSports.com has the Eagles 21st:

The Eagles lost their first-ever game after a bye week under Andy Reid on Sunday, but their troubles are much greater than that. The buzz was that they will make a QB change, but early reports still have Vick in the lineup.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Eagles 15th:

They changed defensive coordinators, and it didn’t matter. Is a change at quarterback coming soon?

Vince Verhei of Football Outsiders says a QB change won’t fix the Eagles:

Forget about fixing problems, this team can’t even diagnose them properly. That’s why a quarterback change won’t fix anything, and neither will the dismissal of assistant coaches. There’s only one man overseeing everything in Philadelphia, and after 14 mostly successful seasons it appears he has lost his touch. If Michael Vick is going to lose his job, then Andy Reid deserves to lose his too.

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com has the Eagles 20th in his power rankings:

Clearly, the poor start was all Juan Castillo’s fault.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the Eagles 21st.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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