The Eagles own a modest two-game winning streak. They are once again a "hot" team as the experts chatter about the state of the league. The headlines and the TV mentions are glowing in the aftermath of the blowout win over Dallas.
And if the Eagles believe the hype, they're sunk.
There is no question, sizing up the Eagles through seven games, that they have the physical attributes to win a lot of games, reach the playoffs and go deep into the postseason. The talent is clearly there.
It requires, however, more than that to win in this league. The mental makeup and the approach to the game is critical, and has been instrumental in this team's rocky ride in 2011.
Coming out of training camp, the Eagles were a ballyhooed team. They were the Dream Team in the eyes of the media, and the level of tension around the NovaCare Complex was, from this perspective, unbearable at times. It wasn't fun. It was a chore for the football team to constantly answer questions about great expectations. The coaches, perhaps realizing that the team wasn't quite as mentally sharp, or mentally urgent, or something along those lines, were hard on the players.
And so the Eagles went out and played very good football in spurts, got out to some leads and then lost their focus. Maybe they thought they were so good there *was no *way the Falcons would erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, or that the Giants would come from behind after the Eagles took a lead in the third quarter at home, or that San Francisco would roar back from 20 points down or that Buffalo would actually be good enough to beat a team that had enough talent to beat any team, at any stadium.
And all of a sudden the Eagles were 1-4 and in danger of having their season go down the tubes before it began.
Facing an October "elimination" game, the Eagles did just enough to beat Washington at FedEx Field. It wasn't pretty, but it was enough to bring some life to the team.
Then came the bye week, and head coach Andy Reid sent his team away. "Get away from football," he told his players. So they did, for an entire week.
Clearly, the down time helped. The Eagles returned to the NovaCare Complex refreshed, re-focused and re-dedicated to making something of this season. In these hours after the win against Dallas everything has changed once again.
How will the Eagles handle all of the expectations once again?
They need to remember, first and foremost, to have fun. Keep the mood light, but intense. The Eagles are a sub-.500 team at 3-4. All they have really accomplished with two wins is to get back into the season, to inch into the playoff picture and to raise the profile of a team that was threatening to submerge very quickly. Media members who visited on a weekly basis from national outlets did so out of morbid curiosity. They wanted to see the NFL's version of the Titanic sink after building up the team with unprecedented preseason hype.
With two wins over NFC East rivals, the Eagles have again sparked the positive national chatter. The world is on board with the Eagles once again and the hype is going to continue to climb and build and bring with it more pressure, more tension and huge expectations.
The challenge here, then, is to remain a team that has great urgency and resolve. The Eagles have a long, long way to go to get to where they want to be once the regular season ends. They remain two games behind the Giants in the division. The margin of error remains slim.
At the same time, the Eagles can't allow the hype to swallow them whole. Nor can they believe that they are a great football team. Oh, the Eagles played a great football game on Sunday to beat Dallas, but they are far from a great football team. Great teams are measured by a Lombardi Trophy and the Eagles don't have one in the trophy case at last check.
There are lot of reason to be excited about this team. The level of confidence is really high inside the locker room. A sense of camaraderie is being built. A player like Nnamdi Asomugha is playing his game now after that uncomfortable period of time that happens for every player new to a locker room, when he isn't sure of his place among his peers on and off the field.
We know a few things about the Eagles based on seven games. One, they have a jet-set fleet of skill-position players on offense that combine to make this group as electrifying as any in the league. Two, Michael Vick has improved greatly against the blitz from where he was a year ago. Three, the offensive line is good now, with a chance to be outstanding later. Four, we know the Eagles are as balanced as they have ever been, with a running game that leads the NFL.
Defensively, we know the Eagles can cover any group of wide receivers with this terrific set of cornerbacks. And we know the Eagles can rush the quarterback, any quarterback.
The Eagles are healthy. They are motivated. They are focused.
Chicago comes to town on Monday night fresh from its bye week. The Bears beat the Eagles last season, a painful loss to absorb. Chicago's two-deep zone defense gave the Eagles fits, as did running back Matt Forte, a superior all-purpose player. Chicago's special teams are historically second to none in the league.
It's going to be a great test in front of an expectant national television audience. How will the Eagles handle the spotlight?
