It's almost embarrassing to write, but at 4-8 the Eagles are still alive. If they sweep the final four games and Dallas goes 1-3 and the Giants go 2-2, the Eagles win the division. And if Chicago and Detroit and Atlanta continue to struggle, an 8-8 wild card team is possible.
And, and, and ...
Yeah, I know. Absurd. The Eagles have to think about winning one straight game before discussions of four straight are even worthwhile having. Still, there is life, and any locker room worth its salt would take that spark and create some fire within the 53-man roster.
That's what this is all about, isn't it? The locker room. The void in leadership in 2011, the lack of chemistry, the missing veteran presence to rally the troops in time of need. Head coach Andy Reid talks about it year after year, how the veterans bring along the kids and together the roster meshes into one neat, hungry team.
He hasn't said much about it this season, however. There was a reference on Friday, the day after the loss in Seattle, and not a lot of people paid attention. Reid said this: "The reality is that every year you have to come together as a football team, coaches and players all working together and pulling the rope in the tug of war in the same direction. So, I think we're all searching."
And they still, in the words of U2's Bono, haven't found what they are looking for. Will they find it in the final month of the season? Quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin practice Monday and hopefully will be on the field in Miami against the resurgent Dolphins. We have to hope the defense has the pride and work ethic to gather together and work out the problems.
We've been saying this for weeks, though. The players spoke of being "embarrassed" and "humiliated" after falling to Seattle. But they have expressed such disappointment before and haven't responded.
If they can't now, well, hey, this team is lost.
You look around the division and it just stinks. The Cowboys are in the driver's seat, but how good are they, really? They haven't scored many points lately and even in wins over Washington and Miami they needed some late-game good fortune. New York's defense is just wretched, and with injuries piled up all season, there is little hope for the Giants to improve much on that side of the football. They have to score 35 points to win games in the final four weeks.
Washington has continued to play hard and fight, but the Redskins are too challenged offensively to win regularly in this league.
If you want to look at the big picture, beyond 2011, take solace in the knowledge that the division is lousy, that there is age in New York and Dallas, and that the Eagles -- with a strong offseason -- should be right back in the mix in 2012.
I watched with great interest on Sunday the second half of the Broncos-Vikings game to get more of a sampling of quarterback Tim Tebow. Say what you want about his mechanics and his chances for long-term success, but Tebow is a leader, he doesn't turn the football over and he wins games. Denver believes in Tebow. That much is clear.
The Eagles need something, or someone, to believe in. What is the rallying cry for the final four games? Is there going to be one? After 12 games of suffering, of being perplexed at 4 wins and 8 losses, do the Eagles show up on Monday finally, finally understanding that they are down to their last chance and that have to win four straight games to even have a chance?
It could be foolhardy thinking on my part. I keep wishing for something that hasn't been there all year. The Eagles are what they are right now, a 4-8 team slogging along from one week to the next.
Despite it all, there is hope. Thank goodness for mediocrity in the NFC. Sunday in Miami means something, even just a little bit, so the Eagles need to bring some urgency and intensity or they are going to get blown out by a Dolphins team that continues to play hard and impress with its tenacity.
Do the Eagles have any heart at all? Do they have any leadership and sense of purpose?
Twelve games haven't offered any convincing, positive answers. The final four, the last gasp, provide the locker room its chance to make December one to turn into a sliver of blue sky.
