By KO Kelly
Last week, the former coach of the NY Giants - Ben McAdoo - offered up his prognostications on how the NFC East will play out this season. He has a great deal of faith in his old team; primarily because he doubts the abilities of the other three teams. Here’s what he had to say about our beloved Birds:
“I think Philly, how much success has Philly had? I think they are going to have a hard time handling success.”
Take a second Eagles’ fans to cool off after this incendiary take. While the messenger may not be the most qualified person to talk about success given his recent track record with it - there is still some merit in his message.
First, though, let’s go back 15 years to when Jeffrey Lurie made his infamous statement about the Eagles being the “Gold Standard” of franchises in the NFL. While the Eagles likely were the “Gold Standard” in some areas at the time (i.e. new stadium, front office operations/analytics, green & community initiatives, etc); in the one category that truly matters in the “Gold Standard” conversation - Super Bowl titles - Lurie had nothing to showcase.
Fans and commentators across the country aptly mocked his statement by pointing out the Eagles were not even the “Gold Standard” in their own state, let alone the entire NFL. Eagles fans, still recovering from their heart-wrenching loss to the NFC-title-snatching Buccaneers in January of the same year, were skeptical of Lurie’s comment and to paraphrase Rod Tidwell demanded Lurie “Show us the Trophy!”
Somewhat ironically, the taunts and jeers related to the “Gold Standard” only grew louder, even as the Eagles went on to three NFC title games over the next six seasons, because each season ended the same way: no parade down Broad Street.
They had more success as a group than any other Eagles team in decades but fell short of the ultimate goal in no small part because of egotism from a few prima donnas. They were fun to watch but they did not have the same team chemistry as the 2017 squad. They didn’t know how to handle success and the burden of bringing home the Lombardi Trophy was too much to bear. So yes, McAdoo’s comments have merit - for the Eagles of the early 2000s.
The 2018 squad, though, they are different. Decades of coming up short-handed may still be there but they are not trying to live up to being the “Gold Standard” of the NFL anymore. They are too busy working on creating a “New Norm” of playing winning football in February, which they have a good shot at accomplishing because of something called the “Winner Effect”.
Namely, when an individual wins in a contest the brain releases testosterone and dopamine, which in addition to making the individual feel good in present, “changes their brains structure and chemical makeup” over time. Therefore, when an individual overcomes one set of obstacles they become both psychologically and biologically more prepared to face the next challenge. Simply put, winning begets winning.
Does this sound familiar? It should - it explains how all of the 2017 setbacks added up to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory. Every time a key player went down and the rest of the team stepped up, their brains were re-wired for success. They entered the playoffs battle-tested and ready for their next challenge. Outsiders may have doubted them but they had the “Winner Effect” literally coursing through their veins.
In his follow-up to McAdoo’s comments Coach Pederson stated, “It’s my job to make sure they don’t get complacent and we stay hungry and there is an edge.” The injured players returning to the field plus the free agents will prevent complacency from settling in; Jason Kelce will bring the hunger; and the edge will come from the championship experience they gained last year.
While there will be plenty of stories about a Super Bowl hangover or Coach Pederson being exposed or Carson’s performance potentially slipping - this team knows how to win and more importantly knows they are winners. These Birds aren’t the “Gold Standard”, they’re the “New Norm”.
No comments:
Post a Comment