Prior to the season, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach and former Brett Favre backup quarterback Doug Pederson made a bold statement. He said his Eagles were better than the Packers of the mid-90s.
You know, the teams that went to two Super Bowls, won one and had guys like Favre, Reggie White, LeRoy Butler, Robert Brooks, Keith Jackson, Sean Jones, etc., etc.
Nonsense, right?
Well, here the Eagles are in the NFC Championship game. They, with the world being right, will beat the suckbag Minnesota Vikings, and go to the Super Bowl.
Pederson was asked about those particular Packers-related comments and he didn’t back off.
“I did have a feeling back then when I made that statement that we could be, we had the potential to be a good football team because of the way we’ve practiced and the talent that we brought to the roster and the progression of Carson in his second year.
“And then defensively, the front, the way they performed, and the back end, I saw a lot of the same similarities. So you just have that gut feeling when I made that statement.”
And we’ll see if Pederson is right. Or close to right.
We’re still not buying that his Eagles are better or have more talent than those Packers’ teams. Those teams had some generational talents. Favre, White and Butler, in particular.
I don’t see anything on Pederson’s Eagles like that, with the exception of possibly Carson Wentz, who isn’t playing anymore.
But maybe I just haven’t watched enough Eagles’ football.
Just beat the goddam Stinkings and then we can talk.
The Packers went 11-5 in ’95 and ’98 sandwiching two 13-3 seasons in ’96 and ’97. This year the Eagles are 13-3 and #1 seed in the NFC.
Clearly Pederson is in the correct neighborhood. Really can’t be settled and, even when it can, it will still be a matter of perspective and opinion. It is one season up against 4 in a way. No one knows what mischance and injury will occur.
The author points out some great Packers players. Problem is we are comparing overall teams. You could, theoretically, have a team with 6 pro bowlers be a lesser team than to one with no pro bowlers. Time increases fondness and melts away some of the bad. Do you remember the game a WR got 154 yards or the one he got 32?
If you want to compare players, though, the Packers from that time had a total of two Hall of Famers. Two. Wentz could end up there. Will if he continues as is WITHOUT improvement! Jason Peters will make the Hall of Fame… in about 7 years. Fletcher Cox? Good chance. Lane Johnson? Good chance… if he stays away form the PEDs and, somehow, they had little to do with his success.
The Eagles greatest talent and excellence is a bit hidden as they have 5 pro bowl level offensive linemen. Those 5, Cox, Wentz, Ajayi, Graham, Jeffrey…. These are some great players. Brooks is no where close to as good as Jeffrey. Jackson was no where near as good as Ertz.
Tomorrow’s game will not settle this question or claim or observation by Pederson. If they win it is still just one season. If they lose keep in mind the mid-90s Packers never faced a team as good as the 2017 Vikings. Also, the Eagles have more severe injury issues than is the NFL norm. Wentz and Peters out. That would be like the mid-90s Packers making the playoffs without any Favre or Reggie White due to injuries to them.