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RELAX, EAGLES FANS!!!
By Tony Romeo
phillypage2 columnist (9-2002)
Well, whether they go or not, I can't think of a better way, NOT to enjoy the ride, then what I have seen so far. People are so geeked up, they are not enjoying the season as they should. We all fill out are combination of 16, L's and W's at some point in the pre-season, then we sit there and watch it, waiting for the big chance to yell SUPERBOWL BINGO at the end of the season. Well, the NFL season is not Superbowl Bingo.
The NFL season should be enjoyed week to week, move by move, like Twister. Or more accurately like NAKED TWISTER. Sometimes what you see is great, sometimes what you see is horrendous, but the real winners are those that play. Who's on top, or who's on bottom, week to week, doesn't really matter. Sure it's great when they win, and it sucks when they lose, but they are going to go to the playoffs, and that is when the real game begins.
The state of affairs going into the bye week, are really irrelevant come playoffs. Living and dying weekly, with every win they are in the Superbowl, every loss they aren't, is ludicrous. Worry about the bowl once the playoffs start, and enjoy the wins as they come, and don't let the losses be anything more then they are, little hiccups along the way. It's silly really. Just enjoy the games, because we are in every one. HALF the teams in the NFL, good bad or different, LOSE every week, and most of them lose more then they win, and all but 8 will be home come playoff time. A recap: (1 to 10 scale)
Week 1
With a loss to the THEN mighty Titans, our off season confidence remained high, because we SHOULD have won, and it was a TOUGH road game.
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Actual Happiness Factor
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What Happiness Factor SHOULD have been
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4
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0
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We lost but showed glimpses that we could be dominant and many of us had this as an L. on our preseason Bingo cards
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We blew a game we were leading, and the Titans proved to be less then mighty later on. |
Week 2
This was one of those "circle the schedule" games. The Arch-Rival Skins, Trotter, Spurrier, this was our first TEST. So we came out, and shellacked the much-hyped defense, and punished the offense holding them to basically nothing.
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Actual Happiness Factor
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What Happiness Factor SHOULD have been
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2
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10
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By morning the next day, the story was how BAD the Skins were, Not how GOOD the Eagles were, we beat a far, far inferior team, or so the story went. No teams are THAT inferior, esp. this Skins team
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We kicked the crap out of a division rival on Monday Night Football. |
Week 3
Home Opener. Rabid fans, the cowboys last stand at the Vet, and we trounce them.
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Actual Happiness Factor
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What Happiness Factor SHOULD have been
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3
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10
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Again, more of the same, "BFD, we beat up on a much inferior team." There were even those that lamented the fall of the Cowboys
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We kicked the crap out of a division rival. |
Week 4
Expansion Texans. We double the score of an expansion team. To a lackluster home crowd I might add.
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Actual Happiness Factor
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What Happiness Factor SHOULD have been
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2
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10
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We SHOULD have won, and we didn't even cover said the masses.
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What Happiness factor SHOULD have been. 10 (We took care of a team, easily, that in Eagle History could have been a "let down" game, and a WIN IS A WIN. These aren't the 77 Seahawks, the notion of "expansion team" has come along way. |
Week 5
Tough AFC road game, at historically one of the tougher places to play in recent history. Eagles get out-schemed and outplayed, until the VERY end when they finally get it together and make it interesting. (And the fact that all you Mo-Mo's were STILL watching, and I KNOW you were, should be a wake up call to yourself that tells you still believe!!)
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Actual Happiness Factor
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What Happiness Factor SHOULD have been
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negative 10
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5
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The sky is falling, the Superbowl dream is on the verge of collapse, and Tampa is now a MUST win
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We just didn't show up, but we STILL almost pulled of a crazy one. But that is a tougher team then the team we lost to week one, and no one had too much of a problem with that. (PS, Tampa IS a must win, but not until January.) |
Point is, your Bingo cards are still gonna add up to 10-12 wins, and you are still going to watch your team in the playoffs, while 26 other cities will be home pulling pud. Railing, or Derailing the Superbowl Express, week to week, before the playoffs begin, isn't it a little silly? Just enjoy the ride...
Left foot, Blue
Right Hand, Green
BOTH thumbs, outta your ass, and start enjoying this team.....