The Eagles 2022 “To Do List” needs to be realistic
by John Kincade
A few days before 2022 Eagles Training Camp begins there are many items on the To Do List. Though a few of the decisions that Nick Sirianni has made in his tenure confuse me, I’m impressed by his ability to relate and adjust. One adjustment that I was hoping he would make is not going into this season with his team unprepared to play crisp, error free football. Last year through 7 games the Eagles were on pace to be the most penalized team in the history of the NFL. Everyone is free to have their own theories but I’m a believer that not practicing enough in the off-season and playing together in pre-season games caused them to be sloppy and unprepared. He’s decided to double down on this approach and we will see if this pays off for them this time around.
Since the Eagles won their Super Bowl, there has been a disturbing trend. They are (2-6) vs Dallas. They have a point differential of -83 in those 8 contests. That seriously needs to change. It was cute last year to see Nick Sirianni embrace the rivalry and ingratiate himself to the fan base. Losing 2 games by a combined 45 points? That wasn’t cute. Winning is cute but winning vs Dallas is flat out beautiful. If you want to be the best, you beat the best. The Cowboys have knocked the Eagles around. It’s pretty much the consensus that Dallas is the only true competitor for the divisions top spot.
One talking point that I object to is that we need to see Jalen Hurts defeat a good quarterback this season. I’ve never seen one quarterback beat another quarterback. The Eagles defense goes up against the opposing quarterback. It’s up to Jonathan Gannon to defeat a good quarterback this season with a new stocked defense and a far better scheme. I’ve got high expectations for the Eagles defense to burst onto the scene this year, but remember that against a weaker schedule last year they were still 12th in scoring defense. A huge jump is needed for credibility.
This Eagles season is one of really high positivity, the vibe created has been jump started by an amazing off season of acquisitions. In just year 2 of an administration we still need to embrace the idea of growth being a good thing. I’m all about seeing this team take another step forward. Realistic expectations need to dominate the To Do List. Beat Dallas, win the division and then take it from there!
