Another Sunday, another lost

Well, I'm sure I'm not the only Eagles fan that was disappointed by the Birds' performance yesterday. Another loss that they could have turned into a W.

Who's fault is it?

Well, Akers missed a field goal. Three points. The Eagles lost by six so it isn't just having a poor kicker. And, yes, Akers is a poor kicker. He has missed nine straight from 45+ yards and in the last three seasons, among active kickers, he is the 2nd least accurate. Yet Reid has complete faith in him.

McNabb is best when he scrambles. Yet for some reason, he does not seem willing to run the ball at all this season despite being healthy (finally). He needs to keep the opposing defenses guessing and using his legs is the best option. He can be a huge playmaker by running and this team needs him to.

Westbrook. The main playmaker. The problem with him is twofold: 1. the Eagles rely on him too much and as a result 2. he gets banged up and hurt all the time. From his ankle sprain to two fractured ribs, we need someone else to step it up.

 LJ Smith certainly isn't the one to step it up. He's a tight end that can't catch the ball, drops way too many balls, and can't block anyone. We need an actual tight end much more than we need a number one wr.

I have been rather pleased with how well Jackson has been playing. Although he has made some rookie mistakes (dropping the ball in celebration before scoring the touchdown), he made a huge special teams play yesterday to give the Eagles a 14 point lead. But then he only had one more catch the rest of the game. He had only been targeted twice. Why?

Horrific playcalling cost us the game. Just like against the Bears. When you are playing from behind, you can't rely solely on the dink and dunk offense. You have to throw the ball further than the chains, you can't expect your players to get enough yards after the catch to get the job done. Not every third down. And they took no shots down the field.

In short, the Eagles have some glaring needs before they could hope to consistently win games. They need a tight end that can block and catch, they need a kicker that can be automatic, they need McNabb to be willing to run if needed, they need a large 3rd down back to compliment Westbrook, they need someone else to call the plays on office, and they need Andy Reid to be fired. He's been here nearly a decade and he can't win the big games. Makes you wonder how weak the conference was for his team to go to three straight conference championship games. Because while the rest of the NFC, especially the NFC East have much improved, the Eagles have stagnated and fallen. I'm still a fan and always will be but sometimes, watching the Eagles isn't that fun.