Encouraged by win, Eagles head into bye
PHILADELPHIA - October 17, 2011
The Eagles (2-4) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 20-13
victory at Washington on Sunday in a game they had to win. The
defending NFC East champions are suddenly back in the mix in a
jumbled division that lacks a powerhouse team.
Coach Andy Reid rewarded his players and coaches with a week
off. That's typical for him during the bye and it's paid off
throughout his tenure. The Eagles are 12-0 after a bye under Reid.
"I want them to get away, and you can't help it," Reid said
Monday. "You're in the season and there are games going on around
you. You're not going to forget about that, and I'm not even sure
you can do that in the offseason. I want them to get away and take
a deep breath, and get their bodies and minds back where they're
able to relax. Then, get them back here and get them to work again.
I think the bye comes at a good time.
"It's close enough to the middle of the season where I think
it's a good thing."
A loss to the Redskins, who came in at 3-1 and off a bye,
would've all but finished Philadelphia's season. No team has opened
a season 1-5 and reached the playoffs since Cincinnati did it in
1970. The Bengals started 1-6 that year before winning their last
seven games.
Michael Vick made sure the Eagles wouldn't have to try to climb
out of a similar, seemingly insurmountable hole. Vick led a
turnover-prone offense to 20 first-half points, and the defense had
its best all-around effort in holding off the Redskins. The Eagles
blew fourth-quarter leads in three of their four losses.
"It was just one win," Vick said. "I think if we get the next
one, we'll get that confidence. But we definitely feel good about
where we are right now. Obviously, there's a lot of work to be
done. We're committed to getting that done. I'm excited for the
guys. I'm proud of the defense, offense, special teams, my
offensive line guys, the receivers made great plays when they
needed to. I felt like I made the plays that I needed to make minus
a couple."
This season hasn't gone the way the Eagles expected. They
entered with a Super Bowl-or-bust mentality. Instead, they're
sitting in last place with November approaching. The consolation is
the fact they're only two games behind the New York Giants, and
have a favorable schedule coming up.
The Eagles play their next three games at home, starting with a
Sunday night matchup against Dallas (2-3) on Oct. 30. They host
Chicago and Arizona before playing their next road game at the
Giants on Nov. 20. Considering the trips to Washington and New York
are by train, the Eagles will go seven weeks without a plane ride
for a game. Many players will be flying somewhere during their week
off, however.
Wherever they go, they'll be a little happier after a
tension-filled week in which fans were calling for Reid to be fired
and players were left to defend their coach.
"I still think we can win this division," center Jason Kelce
said. "I don't think the division is out of reach by any stretch
of the imagination. We have been getting better each and every week
and more consistent each and every week and striving to be
consistent."