I have a bone to pick with a certain segment of the Eagles fanbase. More and more, I’m seeing these types of takes online from Eagles “fans”:
I hope the Eagles miss the playoffs, they deserve to lose. We’re not going anywhere anyway, get the better draft pick for next year
— Brett Short (@Nvrcomeup_Short) December 10, 2019
As an Eagles fan, I hope to miss the playoffs
— Provisionary (@spitfire_18) December 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/bombaybanta/status/1204219037540134913
I also saw a few of these on my Facebook feed as well.
Look, the birds have looked pretty damn bad. I won’t disagree with that. But this is the NFL. If you have a capable quarterback and/or solid defense, you have at least a snowball’s chance in hell of making a run to the big game. You need to go on a 4 game winning streak to hoist the Lombardi Trophy (clearly the Eagles aren’t getting a bye). Obviously easier said than done, but we’ve seen some less than spectacular teams go deep in the playoffs and even win Super Bowls. Don’t tell me those 2 Giants teams that won in 2007 and 2011 were great. They made plays when they had to, and there’s no reason this Eagles team can’t either. Call me a delusional fanboy. I don’t give a shit.
Also, even if the Eagles get in and lose in the divisional round, Carson and other young players on this team will get much needed playoff experience. It seems hard to believe, but it bears repeating: Carson Wentz has never played a snap of playoff football! Our $130+ million franchise quarterback would benefit greatly from a playoff game. Getting the 20th pick instead of the 15th or whatever is more than worth it. The draft is a crap shoot anyway. If you really think that moving up from 20 to 15 makes it much more likely that you get a great player, you haven’t been paying attention.
Something tells me that the people spouting this nonsense will change their tone should the Eagles make the playoffs. This just sounds like one of those self-loathing kinds of things that we sports fans do at times. Especially those of us who root for Philly teams. We’ve been conditioned to expect to be let down. It took years of disappointment until we finally were able to rejoice in 2017, and that same cynicism that was always there hasn’t left. That said, it takes a shitty fan to root for their own team to miss the playoffs because they could get a slightly higher draft pick. Those fans are far more embarrassing than some drunk guys who threw snowballs at Santa Claus in the 1960s.
Also, who wants to see Dallas win the division? True, I love a Cowboys playoff meltdown as much as the next Eagles fan, but I still don’t want to lose a damn thing to that team and their insufferable fans. I’d rather my team get boat raced by Seattle or Minnesota than make tee times. Come on people, you don’t want these guys to enjoy the playoffs at our expense.
I propose the following to Eagles fans. If you know anyone like this, don’t let them enjoy it if and when the Eagles do the unthinkable and win a playoff game. Can’t have it both ways. Fly Eagles Fly. See you in the playoffs.