Not “Just The Giants”: Why That Eagles Win Was Impressive
Thanks to the Eagles collapse that began in early December of 2023 and the hangover that carried over into this early season, you can forgive fans who had lost faith. The great part about people losing faith in you is that the comeback to glory is even more rewarding. I’m not telling you that this Eagles team has figured it all out, but I most certainly see positives that make me believe that this team is turning the corner! Let’s review a few!
Jalen Hurts doesn’t turn the ball over for the second consecutive game
He gets nothing but grief when he fails to perform, so his critics need to bring the same energy when he flips the script. Can we just start the games in the second quarters the rest of the year? Jalen looked shaky and was making poor decisions early on, but then the play-calling and his performance took off. He had some smart decisions throwing the ball and just the threat of him running it caused the Giants defense to be off balance.
Saquon Barkley is delivering what you paid him to do
When I found out that the Eagles paid a running back top of market dollars it was in direct contradiction to what I prefer. The fact that it was Saquon Barkley made it easier to stomach. After watching yet another dominant effort in his Giants return I’m officially over my trepidation. He is a winner and more importantly sets a physical tone just like AJ Brown does in the passing game. The Eagles’ offensive line tries to be the leader, but this is now a star-laden offense.
AJ Brown continues to dominate
AJ Brown just shows up to work believing that he is going to impose his will on the opposition. Better yet, he makes Jalen Hurts believe in himself. The ultimate security blanket wears number 11 and Jalen has unbelievable chemistry with him. AJ is so steady and reliable. With him cooking the whole offensive playbook opens up. Devonta Smith needs more love going his way and I bet that gets corrected next weekend at the Bengals. Brown makes everyone else more dangerous.
The Fangio defense is on a serious roll
The Giants offense was only scoring sixteen points a game coming in and Daniel Jones scares nobody, but giving up three points on the road is a true headline. The sack brigade was in full effect and Fangio terrorized the Giants all afternoon long. Just remember how putrid the Eagles’ defense looked last season in January to close out the year at Met Life. Today was a young, fresh defense truly coming of age.
Nick Sirianni didn’t make himself the story
Nick Sirianni once again didn’t have his team prepared to start. They most certainly made the proper decisions to finish the Giants off. Nick and his staff had a tremendous day and his emotions were completely in check. Coming off of last week’s nonsense, I’ll take it.
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The All Time Roster Of Philadelphia Eagles We Don't Appreciate Enough
QB- Rodney Peete
Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
In the era between Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb there was a lot of bad QB play in Philly. Only one guy, Rodney Peete, stands out as doing anything special. Peete was by no means great, but compared to what the Eagles were dealing with outside of him, he was a Star. Peete went 9-3 with the eagles in 1995 after replacing Randall Cunningham, and even beat the Lions in the playoffs in a game where he put up over 450 total yards.
WR- Jeremy Maclin
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Playing with Desean Jackson took some of the shine away from Maclin. But 4,771 yards, 36 TDs, and 343 catches in 5 seasons is pretty damn good. And the one year he had a chance to be the WR1 with the Eagles he put up 1,381 yards. He showed up in the playoffs too, even if the team around him didn’t. In his 2 playoff games here he had 219 yards, a TD, and 9 First Downs. Maclin was very good for the Eagles.
WR- Irving Fryar
Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
Fryar’s time with the Eagles was short, and came at the end of his career. But he was great those first two years. 1,195 yards the first season, and then 1,316 the second, with 18 TDs between them. What makes it more impressive is who he had throwing to him. Mark Rypien, Rodney Peete, Bobby Hoying, Ty Detmer, and Koy Detmer. Peete is the only one of the bunch with any talent.
RB- Correll Buckhalter
(Photo by Greg Trott/Getty Images)
Buck lived in the shadow of Duce Staley and then B West. Which is a trend you will see a lot on this list. But Buck was as good of a backup RB as you could ask for. In 5 seasons, he averaged 4.5 yards a carry. He unfortunately missed a lot of time, 3 out of 4 years in the mid 2000s. But when he was healthy he was the perfect complement to B West. 2,155 yards and 21 TDs from a backup across 5 seasons is nothing to sneeze at.
FB- Leonard Weaver
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
FB barely exists in the NFL anymore. But I had to give some love to Leonard Weaver. I am the only person I know who still has a Leonard Weaver Jersey, or even had one to begin with. He only spent one year here, but in that year he was an All-Pro. He was very effective as a second back behind LeSean McCoy. Maybe he could have repeated it a second year if it wasn’t for a career ending injury in the first game of the following season.
TE- Chad Lewis
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
The Eagles have had a lot of great Tight Ends. Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, Keith Jackson. You can even throw Brent Celek in there who was maybe not as great as those 3 but was an exceptional Tight End for years. But Chad Lewis is one name that goes under the radar a bit. He was a Pro Bowler for 3 straight seasons at one point. Was he a Super Star? No. But he was a solid and reliable target for Donovan McNabb.
T- Halapoulivaati Vaitai
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Big V! Nick Foles gets all the credit for filling in as a backup and playing great in the Super Bowl, but Big V fits that bill too. Jason Peters was a Hall of Fame LT. And him going down to be replaced by a backup was a big issue at the time. Thankfully Big V filled his shoes near perfectly. Great enough to get himself a big deal elsewhere. And he is still playing well for the Lions after moving inside.
G- Evan Mathis
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Mathis was sneakily great during his time here. Almost every Offensive Guard is under appreciated, just because it’s a position that rarely ever gets any shine. But Mathis played at an All-Pro Level for his 4 seasons here. Playing in between Jason Kelce and Jason Peters helps a lot. But Mathis was great in his own right.
C- Jamaal Jackson
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Jackson was a mainstay at Center for the Eagles for several years before Jason Kelce came onto the scene. You can tell when an O-Lineman does their job well when you don’t hear much about them. And we did not hear from Jackson much at all during that time. He was no Jason Kelce, but few are. Still, he was reliable for a long period of time.
G- Todd Herremans
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Herremans also spent time at RT, but for most of his 10-year career with the Eagles, he played either Right or Left Guard. You don’t keep a job for 10 years not playing well. But like we said with Mathis, Guards just don’t get much love. Herremans does deserve lots of love though.
T- Barrett Brooks
Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr.
Picking an underrated Tackle for the Eagles is hard, because for so long they have had long term stability there. And we can’t exactly call Runyan, Peters, or Johnson underrated. Brooks fits the bill though. Was he a Hall of Famer like some of the others guys who have played Tackle here? No. But he was a solid reliable tackle.
DE- Clyde Simmons
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Playing on the same team as Reggie White can make it hard to get noticed as a pass rusher. And while Clyde was not as great as Reggie, few are, he is still a borderline Hall of Famer. Clyde is currently 3rd on the Eagles All-Time Sack list, behind Reggie White and Trent Cole. Brandon Graham has a chance to pass him with 4 more sacks, but no other active player is even close. He is 31st on the All-Time Sack list with 121.5. Ahead of JJ Watt and Aaron Donald.
DT- Mike Patterson
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Being A DT who is not a pass rusher tends to get you a bit overlooked. But every team needs a run stuffing DT. Patterson fit that role for 8 years with the Eagles. While he did not rack up a lot sacks, he still found ways to be disruptive, slow down the run, and help other guys pile up stats.
DT- Andy Harmon
Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport
Like Clyde, Harmon gets overshadowed by what Reggie White was doing. But 39.5 sacks in 4 seasons as a starter is fantastic. Especially for a Defensive tackle. That isn’t even taking into account how great he was against the run.
DE- Mike Mamula
. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
Yes I know. He was not a good draft pick. Mamula never lived up to his draft status, especially considering Warren Sapp went after him. But Mamula was still a decent player. 31.5 sacks in 5 seasons is not bad. People call him a bust because of where he was picked. But he was still a decent player and not worthy of the hate he gets. People put him among the worst busts in Eagles history. But there are waaaay worse busts. Look no further than Danny Watkins to see what a real bust looks like.
LB- TJ Edwards
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
I think we are all learning this year how underrated TJ Edwards is. He was no star, but the downgrade from him to what they have this year is clear. He was solid in coverage, a good tackler, and always seemed to be in the right place. Linebacker has been a big issue for them this year, but it never was with TJ Edwards on the field. I myself am guilty of overlooking his loss and saying it wouldn’t be a big deal.
LB- William Thomas
(Photo By: Ken White / Stringer)
There are only two linebackers in NFL history with 25 interceptions and 35 sacks. Ray Lewis, and William Thomas. Thomas never gets talked about here. But he played Linebacker for the Eagles for 9 years and put up great production for a LB in almost every one of them. There were so many great players on that early 90s defense that Thomas gets overlooked. But he was a genuinely great player.
CB- Sheldon Brown
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
We were spoiled with Secondary talent in the Jim Johnson era. Brian Dawkins at Safety, Lito Sheppard at corner. Sheldon Brown almost gets over looked. But in terms of being a shutdown corner, Brown may have been better than Lito. And of course who could forget the big hit he put on Reggie Bush.
CB- Eric Allen
(Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
Okay, Eagles fans don’t underrate Allen. But I put him here for one reason, because he is somehow not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is 21st all time in interceptions, more than Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey. Allen was a force, and part of one of the best defenses ever. He 100% deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. And until he is in there, he is underrated and eligible for this list.
CB- Bobby Taylor
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Like Sheldon Brown, Bobby Taylor gets overshadowed by who he played with. He also had Brian Dawkins at Safety, and then he had Troy Vincent across the field at the other CB spot. You could argue that 2002 CB tandem of Vincent and Taylor was better than Lito and Brown. Both are great. Taylor had 19 interceptions in 109 games for the Eagles.
S-Quintin Mikell
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Like with Clyde Simmons, Mikkel was overshadowed by Brian Dawkins. No one is going to notice the other Safety when one of the best of all time is lined up next to you. He spent two years playing alongside Dawkins before Joe Banner let one of the best players in franchise history leave for no reason. And he was as solid as they come in that role, and continued to play at a high level even after Dawkins was allowed to leave.
S- Rodney McLeod
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Malcolm Jenkins gets all the attention as the Safety on that Super Bowl team, But McLeod was very good as well. 11 interceptions, and 4 forced fumbles is solid production And outside of making those plays, he quietly was very reliable in coverage, holding opposing QBs to a QB Rating under 60 in multiple seasons during his time here.
