If you’re the Eagles defense, you’re probably frustrated. You’re playing another fantastic game against a top opponent while the offense isn’t holding up their end of the bargain.

So you get a big turnover and decide to celebrate via choreographed routine, running to the far end zone to pose in front of a nonexistent camera.

It rubbed people the wrong way at the time for two reasons:

  1. the Eagles were losing by 14 points in the fourth quarter
  2. the defense didn’t actually force the turnover, Seattle just botched a handoff

Hence the grumbling and “read the room” type of comments from myself and others.

Jim Schwartz was fine with it though, saying this during his midweek press conference:

Schwartz, in part:

I’m old school when it comes to celebrations or music at practice. I probably got the biggest ‘get off my lawn’ sign in the whole neighborhood. I grew up in Baltimore, you know? Swag was Johnny Unitas with black high tops and a crew cut. That’s the way I grew up. But I think you gotta also set that scene; we had just taken the field after the 4th or 5th turnover, ten minutes left in the game, I think that’s right around the scene, right there. If we give up a score there, the game is pretty much over, because it turns into a three-score game inside eight or nine minutes and that’s a tough situation to be in. So we had a job to do, go out on the field and get a stop. And not only get a stop, but get the ball back in that situation. We actually caused two fumbles in a row and were able to get those and give our offense a chance. It didn’t work out for us, but we ask our guys to go out on the field and play with some passion and excitement. I don’t know what the rulebook is when it comes to stuff like that, but I would certainly, for an old-school guy like me, I didn’t have a problem with that.

I’d much rather have that headline be written about us, or that criticism be out there about us, than the defense took the field dejected. I liked the resiliency our guys have shown in those situations.

It’s true. They could have just mailed it in, knowing that the offense was contributing nothing to the cause, but the energy level was there throughout the game. Seemed corny at the time, but if the celebrations keep them locked in and playing at a high level, then go for it.