Did the Eagles quit on Doug Pederson?

I don’t think they ever really got started, but we’ve listened to some recent sound bites from veterans that suggest that the Eagles aren’t exactly operating like a well-oiled machine both on and off the field. Jason Kelce has been in headlines talking about chemistry and accountability. 

Yesterday Malcolm Jenkins threw another word into the mix – demeanor. He didn’t like what he saw on Sunday from the team.

From Jeff McLane at the Inquirer:

“It was just embarrassing, quite frankly,” Jenkins said about the loss. “I didn’t feel as a team we had a lot of fight. I’d rather get thrown out of a game than just lay down and take it. … The demeanor of the team really bothered me. And then just the frustration of having guys you work hard with and spend time with getting injured, it was just a rough day overall. But at this point in time, we need to figure out some things about ourselves.”

“When a team jumps on you like the Saints did and things get rolling, you find out a lot about yourself,” Jenkins said. “You’re going to get blown out regardless. You’re either going to get blown out swinging or you’re going to get blown out laying down. And I think you had a little bit of both.”

Jenkins went on to explain that he himself is not exempt from criticism while adding:

“…if you don’t know what you’re doing or you’re not giving us everything you got, especially with our backs on the wall, that’s just something that as leaders of the team, we need to nip in the bud.”

I don’t know about you, but Jenkins looked like he was one of the few guys that really truly gave a shit on Sunday. I’m not sure if that has something to with him being a former Saint or a veteran player. Maybe it’s both at the same time, but when the game was out of reach, he was the only guy who seemed to have any fight left in him. The denouement was Jenkins flipping off Sean Payton at the game’s end.

Today Doug Pederson was asked about Jenkins’ “demeanor” quote, and said this:

“I think it, quite frankly, you know I talk about ownership quite a bit, and I think some of his comments are directed towards him. You know? He’ll own that. I think it kind of sends a message a little bit to everybody. We’re all held to a higher standard. It starts with me, and I lean on the leadership of this football team quite a bit and ask that if they see something, to respond. Listen, I don’t think he’s addressing one particular person, I think it’s a whole. It’s a group. We all need to step our game up.”

More or less.

While we’re at it, and this apropos of nothing, but what’s the deal with people trying to boil the Eagles’ problems down to one single thing? Is it some sports radio behavior that bleeds into social media? What’s with the arguing about Carson Wentz and Nick Foles? I had some guy on here yesterday playing the race card with Donovan McNabb and saying that I’ve been too soft on Wentz. Really?

The reality is that they’ve had a combination of problems this season. The injury situation is horrendous. Wentz has struggled at times. The defense is giving up cheap plays. There’s not much of a run game. There’s clearly a Super Bowl hangover.

It’s all of those things. It’s demeanor and attitude and accountability mixed in with everything I just mentioned and baked into a Thanksgiving pie that looks and tastes like crap.