Tuesday, March 4, 2008

The Eagles 'receive' the truth

Democrats are not the only ones involved in a showdown of sorts these days.

There’s an interesting one being played out in the pages of our sports section as well.

Here’s one man’s theory as to why the Eagles have been so active in the free agency market.

They’re worried. The Birds used to own this market. They dominated the Back Page of the tabs. It’s all anyone gabbed about on talk radio. Yes, even when they were complaining. There was football season, and everything else.

Times have changed.

The Eagles perch on top of Philly sports is being seriously threatened by the Phillies. People are talking about baseball. Hell, they’re talking about spring training pitching matchup.

Jeff Lurie’s gold standard, which has failed to deliver a Super Bowl championship, is now in jeopardy of falling behind the Phils in the hearts of Philly sports fans.

Not only here, but in the NFL itself. The Eagles, once considered one of the league’s elite teams, have fallen precipitously. Once a lock to win the NFC East and go deep into the playoffs, the Eagles now are an afterthought, a “maybe” for the playoffs, even in years when 8-8 might do the trick. They’ve seen the hated Cowboys pass them by in the division, and watched helplessly as the Giants delivered another Vince Lombardi trophy to the Big Apple.

But to convey just how much things have changed, the Eagles delivered the final straw yesterday in their offer to free agent wide receiver Randy Moss. You can read Bob Grotz’s account here.

For years Andy Reid and the Eagles have told us that wide receiver isn’t all that important, that they were right all along about dumping Terrell Owens, and how their current crop of wide receivers was more than enough to run this West Coast offense.

Never mind.

The Eagles yesterday offered the Patriots’ bad boy wideout $36 million over four years. And he turned them down to stick with Bill Belichick’s cheaters.

But the cat’s out of the bag for the Birds. They have as much as admitted that the fans were right all along, that they need a game-breaking wide receiver.

In other words, they’re worried.

Hey, at least they’re taking action to reverse the trend.

Maybe both teams – the Eagles and Phillies – will be having parades next year.

Sorry, spring fever got the best of me.

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