Things have changed since SB XXXIX (1 Viewer)

[timschochet]

Phil Sheridan | Birds need swagger to beat Patriots

By Phil Sheridan

Inquirer Columnist

This may be hard for younger readers to believe, but not so long ago, the Eagles belonged on the same football field as the New England Patriots. And not because the Patriots weren't good yet, either - the Eagles were competitive with Bill Belichick's team in an actual Super Bowl less than three years ago.

For us old-timers, then, it was bittersweet to hear Andy Reid field questions about Sunday's game in Foxboro that seemed to suggest he'd be fortunate to have any survivors for the charter flight home. Last time these teams met in a game that counted, we were all in Jacksonville, Fla., and it wasn't crazy to think Reid's team had a shot.

Now you wonder if the carnage can be contained in one night of horror, or if it will carry over into December games the Eagles have an actual chance to win.

In the face of all this fatalism, Reid's perspective seemed startling.

"You've got to want to go in there," he said, meaning the lion's den/shark feeding-frenzy/meat grinder known formally as Gillette Stadium. "That's what it is for coaches and players. We've been on the other end of that, where we've been considered the best football team, and I know other teams have wanted to come play us and have that challenge. So it's a big challenge playing the New England Patriots, and you've got to want to do that."

Not only was Reid serious, he also had a point. The Patriots are, after all, merely men in pads and helmets. This string of 50-something-to-10 victories notwithstanding, they can be beaten. It may require a team of those football robots who jump up and down during commercial breaks on Fox, but it is technically possible for the Patriots to lose.

It is equally true that any team hoping to accomplish this feat will have to take the field with a large chip on its shoulder. It may be an imaginary chip - something like the magic feather that lets Dumbo the Elephant fly around - but it will have to be there. And it will have to be something the players create for themselves.

"I don't think there's much that a coach is going to convince you of," Reid said, "other than your want-to-play."

This coach is right. It just doesn't feel right now as if he has the kind of team capable of producing that crescendo of intensity for a big game against a tough opponent. This year's Eagles have been a disappointment all around, but nowhere more than in their on-field demeanor. This team simply doesn't play with the swagger or fire of previous Reid-coached teams.

The team that came out and stumbled around against the Dolphins will have no chance against the Patriots, and that was an Eagles win.

The team that came out and got itself bullied and buried by the New York Giants earlier this season will have less than no chance Sunday night. That team was embarrassed by the Giants. It would be traumatized for life by these Patriots.

To be competitive, the Eagles have to reverse what happened that night at Giants Stadium. They would have to take the field with a nasty edge in their demeanor, with a swagger and intensity that catches the Patriots off guard. If there is a bottle of attitude from the 2004 team in a closet somewhere in the NovaCare Complex, now would be the time to open it up and pass it around.

Nowhere would that nasty edge be more effective than in the defense, specifically the pass rush. To have a chance, the Eagles will have to do everything within the rules to beat up Sir Thomas Brady of the Undented Armor. The Patriots quarterback doesn't like to get hit and doesn't have many chances to get used to it. Playing soft and hoping they can cover all Brady's targets will get the Eagles nothing. They have to pull out every stop, try to get Brady off his game, and then keep on coming.

This is much more easily accomplished on a newspaper page than it is on a football field. It is also the Eagles' only chance to be the team that ruins New England's quest for the perfect season.

Can Reid and his staff generate that kind of swagger and intensity in this team over the next five days? Can this group of players generate it within themselves?

If these Eagles have that kind of fire, they've done a masterful job of hiding it so far this season. If it's in there somewhere, this would be an opportune time to show it. The Eagles have nothing to lose except a game no one thinks they can win, anyway.

 

[Crusaderfan]

As an Eagles fan, it hurts just to read this article. For years the Eagles organization used the Patriots as a measuring stick for their success rating. I can't imagine anyone in the Eagles front office wants to go there anymore. The Patriots have added the necessary pieces, Dillon when they felt they needed a better running game and now Moss, Stallworth and Welker when they decided they needed more fire power to beat the Colts. They had enough courage to dance with Moss even after seeing what happened with the Eagles and TO. Why - more than anything else - they want to win a Super Bowl.

The Eagles, OTOH, are in a downward spiral that I don't see stopping for years to come. They are paying for years of arrogance of believing their "system" was so great - only a few key positions really mattered. The rest of the positions you can just plug in functional pieces. Their drafts have been pretty crappy overall and their ventures into free agency have been pretty dismal as well. Imagine the bucks wasted on Kearse and Howard alone.

There is a controversy right now regarding just how much room under the cap the Eagles have right now. They are claiming less than 2 million but many other sources are reporting anywhere from 10-12 million. Doesn't really matter because McNabb is going to be the fall guy for this season. IMHO - the only organizations that currently have less offensive weapons are ATL and TENN.

Since the Eagles and Patriots met in the Superbowl, the Eagles WR1 has gone from TO>>Stallworth>Curtis. Thank god for Westbrook or this team wouldn't win more than 3 or 4 games with or without McNabb. The swagger on that Super Bowl team came from TO, Trotter and Dawkins. Owens and Trotter are gone and Dawkins has realized that he is about to face the same fate that happened to Trotter, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent - he will be kicked to the curb. That would take the swagger out of any of us.

Sad. The "Gold Standard" was fool's gold.

 

[timschochet]

As an Eagles fan, it hurts just to read this article. For years the Eagles organization used the Patriots as a measuring stick for their success rating. I can't imagine anyone in the Eagles front office wants to go there anymore. The Patriots have added the necessary pieces, Dillon when they felt they needed a better running game and now Moss, Stallworth and Welker when they decided they needed more fire power to beat the Colts. They had enough courage to dance with Moss even after seeing what happened with the Eagles and TO. Why - more than anything else - they want to win a Super Bowl.The Eagles, OTOH, are in a downward spiral that I don't see stopping for years to come. They are paying for years of arrogance of believing their "system" was so great - only a few key positions really mattered. The rest of the positions you can just plug in functional pieces. Their drafts have been pretty crappy overall and their ventures into free agency have been pretty dismal as well. Imagine the bucks wasted on Kearse and Howard alone. There is a controversy right now regarding just how much room under the cap the Eagles have right now. They are claiming less than 2 million but many other sources are reporting anywhere from 10-12 million. Doesn't really matter because McNabb is going to be the fall guy for this season. IMHO - the only organizations that currently have less offensive weapons are ATL and TENN. Since the Eagles and Patriots met in the Superbowl, the Eagles WR1 has gone from TO>>Stallworth>Curtis. Thank god for Westbrook or this team wouldn't win more than 3 or 4 games with or without McNabb. The swagger on that Super Bowl team came from TO, Trotter and Dawkins. Owens and Trotter are gone and Dawkins has realized that he is about to face the same fate that happened to Trotter, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent - he will be kicked to the curb. That would take the swagger out of any of us. Sad. The "Gold Standard" was fool's gold.

You're being pretty pessimistic, aren't you? I'm not an Eagles fan, but they were in the playoffs just last year. I think Reid is a pretty good coach, though he's certainly had some distractions this year...

 

[Lehigh98]

It may require a team of those football robots who jump up and down during commercial breaks on Fox, but it is technically possible for the Patriots to lose.

 

[LILB811]

As an Eagles fan, it hurts just to read this article. For years the Eagles organization used the Patriots as a measuring stick for their success rating. I can't imagine anyone in the Eagles front office wants to go there anymore. The Patriots have added the necessary pieces, Dillon when they felt they needed a better running game and now Moss, Stallworth and Welker when they decided they needed more fire power to beat the Colts. They had enough courage to dance with Moss even after seeing what happened with the Eagles and TO. Why - more than anything else - they want to win a Super Bowl.The Eagles, OTOH, are in a downward spiral that I don't see stopping for years to come. They are paying for years of arrogance of believing their "system" was so great - only a few key positions really mattered. The rest of the positions you can just plug in functional pieces. Their drafts have been pretty crappy overall and their ventures into free agency have been pretty dismal as well. Imagine the bucks wasted on Kearse and Howard alone. There is a controversy right now regarding just how much room under the cap the Eagles have right now. They are claiming less than 2 million but many other sources are reporting anywhere from 10-12 million. Doesn't really matter because McNabb is going to be the fall guy for this season. IMHO - the only organizations that currently have less offensive weapons are ATL and TENN. Since the Eagles and Patriots met in the Superbowl, the Eagles WR1 has gone from TO>>Stallworth>Curtis. Thank god for Westbrook or this team wouldn't win more than 3 or 4 games with or without McNabb. The swagger on that Super Bowl team came from TO, Trotter and Dawkins. Owens and Trotter are gone and Dawkins has realized that he is about to face the same fate that happened to Trotter, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent - he will be kicked to the curb. That would take the swagger out of any of us. Sad. The "Gold Standard" was fool's gold.

As an Eagles fan, it hurts to read your post. You're clearly on the side that believes the Eagles should've paid TO more money when he was already under contract, and it was OK to disrupt a locker room and divide a team midseason. So the team is going downhill because of a lack of swagger? Clearly that is the Patriots key to success right now. Brady is gonna be a fat whale from all of the humble pie he's been telling reporters Belichick has been stuffing down his throat. The Packers and Colts successes also are all about swagger I'm sure.I guess this fool's gold you mention is based on Super Bowl wins. But this "system" and arrogance which you believe was so awful and didn't work led the Eagles to probably be the most successful team in the NFC this century. There's a reason that there is parity in this league and there is constant turnover. On what appears to be the downside of a long string of successful years, you just throw everything that has been accomplished under the bus.I'm also sure you'd rather have the offensive mastery of the weapons of JAX, MIN, BAL, KC, CHI, BUF, MIA, SF, and OAK over some combination of Brown, Curtis, and LJ Smith? Sure you can make arguments, but to say that only TEN and ATL are worse is ridiculous.The pretty crappy draft argument is laughable. 13 of the 22 current starters are Eagles draft picks since 2002. Sure every team has guys that don't work out, but again considering what the team has done this century, I'd say that's pretty successful compared to many other teams in the league.You're a fan of the players, not the team. I'm sure you probably still wear your TO jersey on Sundays and yell at Reid and management and whoever else for not delivering you a championship like all 31 other NFL teams have gotten last year. The only relevant information that you've posted is that the Eagles haven't done a good job in free agency, which is true. If you really are an Eagles fan, support the organization and trust that the guys up front actually know what they're doing.

 

[Snotbubbles]

I don't know if there is that much wrong with the Eagles.

They definitely need to trim some of the fat off the roster of aging players.

If the Eagles simply get rid of Kearse and Howard (which appears to be almost a definite) in the offseason they should have somewhere around 35MM in cap space available. That could be enough to bring in a CB (maybe an Assante Samuel), a LB (maybe a Lance Briggs), and a good DE (maybe a Jared Allen or Terrell Suggs). Plus a nice mid round draft pick.

The Eagles could have a very dominating defense like the ones the Reid early years.

 

[suchislife]

As an Eagles fan, it hurts just to read this article. For years the Eagles organization used the Patriots as a measuring stick for their success rating. I can't imagine anyone in the Eagles front office wants to go there anymore. The Patriots have added the necessary pieces, Dillon when they felt they needed a better running game and now Moss, Stallworth and Welker when they decided they needed more fire power to beat the Colts. They had enough courage to dance with Moss even after seeing what happened with the Eagles and TO. Why - more than anything else - they want to win a Super Bowl.The Eagles, OTOH, are in a downward spiral that I don't see stopping for years to come. They are paying for years of arrogance of believing their "system" was so great - only a few key positions really mattered. The rest of the positions you can just plug in functional pieces. Their drafts have been pretty crappy overall and their ventures into free agency have been pretty dismal as well. Imagine the bucks wasted on Kearse and Howard alone. There is a controversy right now regarding just how much room under the cap the Eagles have right now. They are claiming less than 2 million but many other sources are reporting anywhere from 10-12 million. Doesn't really matter because McNabb is going to be the fall guy for this season. IMHO - the only organizations that currently have less offensive weapons are ATL and TENN. Since the Eagles and Patriots met in the Superbowl, the Eagles WR1 has gone from TO>>Stallworth>Curtis. Thank god for Westbrook or this team wouldn't win more than 3 or 4 games with or without McNabb. The swagger on that Super Bowl team came from TO, Trotter and Dawkins. Owens and Trotter are gone and Dawkins has realized that he is about to face the same fate that happened to Trotter, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent - he will be kicked to the curb. That would take the swagger out of any of us. Sad. The "Gold Standard" was fool's gold.

As an Eagles fan, it hurts to read your post. You're clearly on the side that believes the Eagles should've paid TO more money when he was already under contract, and it was OK to disrupt a locker room and divide a team midseason. So the team is going downhill because of a lack of swagger? Clearly that is the Patriots key to success right now. Brady is gonna be a fat whale from all of the humble pie he's been telling reporters Belichick has been stuffing down his throat. The Packers and Colts successes also are all about swagger I'm sure.I guess this fool's gold you mention is based on Super Bowl wins. But this "system" and arrogance which you believe was so awful and didn't work led the Eagles to probably be the most successful team in the NFC this century. There's a reason that there is parity in this league and there is constant turnover. On what appears to be the downside of a long string of successful years, you just throw everything that has been accomplished under the bus.I'm also sure you'd rather have the offensive mastery of the weapons of JAX, MIN, BAL, KC, CHI, BUF, MIA, SF, and OAK over some combination of Brown, Curtis, and LJ Smith? Sure you can make arguments, but to say that only TEN and ATL are worse is ridiculous.The pretty crappy draft argument is laughable. 13 of the 22 current starters are Eagles draft picks since 2002. Sure every team has guys that don't work out, but again considering what the team has done this century, I'd say that's pretty successful compared to many other teams in the league.You're a fan of the players, not the team. I'm sure you probably still wear your TO jersey on Sundays and yell at Reid and management and whoever else for not delivering you a championship like all 31 other NFL teams have gotten last year. The only relevant information that you've posted is that the Eagles haven't done a good job in free agency, which is true. If you really are an Eagles fan, support the organization and trust that the guys up front actually know what they're doing.

As a life-long Eagles fan, I share many of the sediments expressed by Crusaderfan. To say the Eagles system produced "probably the most successful team in the NFC this century" is exaggerating a bit, no? While I agree with you that the league is full of parity and constant turnover, the Eagles M.O. has been to be competitive now and in the future. This thinking has produced no SB's and is on the decline not due to parity, but mediocre drafting and poor free agent acquisitions. You state they're starting 13 draft picks of the 22 starters...how's that working out? I see a .500 team, at best. I love Shawn Andrews & Cole, but what other picks are playing at a pro-bowl level? Peterson & Bunkley are average. Do you like Considine? How are those LB's doing?The Eagles always draft for the future, but right now the future is bleak. The defense has a lot of holes to fill. Will Spikes be back next year? How about Kearse or Howard? I think safety is a big concern. And the D-Line still can't get pressure. The D is a long way from being championship caliber. On the offensive side, how much longer will Runyan play? They still need another playmaker other than Westbrook (who's in his prime and won't sniff a championship). Who's the TE next year?This is a team that has focused on staying competitive, yet hasn't made the financial push (or draft pick) to put them over the top. They were a great, competitive team during the down years of the NFC. They have been caught from behind and passed. All while trying to stay competitive in the future. The parity excuse only works if they were focusing on the 'now' and came up short.Oh, and I'm truly an American, but I question my president. Often.

 

[Crusaderfan]

As an Eagles fan, it hurts to read your post. You're clearly on the side that believes the Eagles should've paid TO more money when he was already under contract, and it was OK to disrupt a locker room and divide a team midseason. So the team is going downhill because of a lack of swagger? Clearly that is the Patriots key to success right now. Brady is gonna be a fat whale from all of the humble pie he's been telling reporters Belichick has been stuffing down his throat. The Packers and Colts successes also are all about swagger I'm sure.

I just realized why you might think I love TO - TO is my avatar because of some fantasy bet I made earlier this season. I don't know what the answer was to the Eagles- TO problem but I definitely feel that it could have been handled MUCH better by TO AND Reid AND McNabb. To see what he is doing for Dallas is disgusting. While I admit that I don't know what went on behind the scenes, I have seen that some people are able to make TO work for them. I just wish it had been us.

I guess this fool's gold you mention is based on Super Bowl wins. But this "system" and arrogance which you believe was so awful and didn't work led the Eagles to probably be the most successful team in the NFC this century. There's a reason that there is parity in this league and there is constant turnover. On what appears to be the downside of a long string of successful years, you just throw everything that has been accomplished under the bus.

My goal is a championship. One time, they really went for it by adding TO and Kearse and they got to the Super Bowl and actually could have won the game. Since then I haven't seen the commitment to return.

The pretty crappy draft argument is laughable. 13 of the 22 current starters are Eagles draft picks since 2002. Sure every team has guys that don't work out, but again considering what the team has done this century, I'd say that's pretty successful compared to many other teams in the league.

Soory - but this draft history does not impress me. 2002 - Best year. 1st four picks not only make the team but they are Westbrook plus 3/4th's of a very successful secondary - Sheppard, Lewis and Brown. Lewis has since left as a FA2003 - The only pick still on the team is LJ Smith - Will probably leave as a FA after this season.2004 - 10 players drafted. 1st pick Andrews is a Pro-bowl player The only others still on the team are JR Reed and Tapeh. You tell me their value.2005 - Patterson, R. Brown, Considine and Herremans, Cole and Young . Four are legit starters, Considine often resembles road kill when playing.2006 - IMHO - too early to judge these guys but Bunkley, Gocong and Gaither are significant on the defense.

You're a fan of the players, not the team. I'm sure you probably still wear your TO jersey on Sundays and yell at Reid and management and whoever else for not delivering you a championship like all 31 other NFL teams have gotten last year. The only relevant information that you've posted is that the Eagles haven't done a good job in free agency, which is true. If you really are an Eagles fan, support the organization and trust that the guys up front actually know what they're doing.

Actually I'm a fan of the team. I just have a problem with a group of people that run around acting like they are the class of the league when they still have 0 Super Bowls. Kinda reminds me of when I was a kid and some kid would show up at the park with a new helmet, shoulder pads, pants and cleats ready to play. Then you pick him on your team and find out he looked better than he played. I am a true Eagles fan but I like to think that I have enough knowledge of the game that I can make a few decisions for myself. I like to think that I can still be a loyal fan AND question some of the things going on with my team. To not do so - IMHO - would make me a fool.

 

[Snotbubbles]

As an Eagles fan, it hurts just to read this article. For years the Eagles organization used the Patriots as a measuring stick for their success rating. I can't imagine anyone in the Eagles front office wants to go there anymore. The Patriots have added the necessary pieces, Dillon when they felt they needed a better running game and now Moss, Stallworth and Welker when they decided they needed more fire power to beat the Colts. They had enough courage to dance with Moss even after seeing what happened with the Eagles and TO. Why - more than anything else - they want to win a Super Bowl.The Eagles, OTOH, are in a downward spiral that I don't see stopping for years to come. They are paying for years of arrogance of believing their "system" was so great - only a few key positions really mattered. The rest of the positions you can just plug in functional pieces. Their drafts have been pretty crappy overall and their ventures into free agency have been pretty dismal as well. Imagine the bucks wasted on Kearse and Howard alone. There is a controversy right now regarding just how much room under the cap the Eagles have right now. They are claiming less than 2 million but many other sources are reporting anywhere from 10-12 million. Doesn't really matter because McNabb is going to be the fall guy for this season. IMHO - the only organizations that currently have less offensive weapons are ATL and TENN. Since the Eagles and Patriots met in the Superbowl, the Eagles WR1 has gone from TO>>Stallworth>Curtis. Thank god for Westbrook or this team wouldn't win more than 3 or 4 games with or without McNabb. The swagger on that Super Bowl team came from TO, Trotter and Dawkins. Owens and Trotter are gone and Dawkins has realized that he is about to face the same fate that happened to Trotter, Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent - he will be kicked to the curb. That would take the swagger out of any of us. Sad. The "Gold Standard" was fool's gold.

As an Eagles fan, it hurts to read your post. You're clearly on the side that believes the Eagles should've paid TO more money when he was already under contract, and it was OK to disrupt a locker room and divide a team midseason. So the team is going downhill because of a lack of swagger? Clearly that is the Patriots key to success right now. Brady is gonna be a fat whale from all of the humble pie he's been telling reporters Belichick has been stuffing down his throat. The Packers and Colts successes also are all about swagger I'm sure.I guess this fool's gold you mention is based on Super Bowl wins. But this "system" and arrogance which you believe was so awful and didn't work led the Eagles to probably be the most successful team in the NFC this century. There's a reason that there is parity in this league and there is constant turnover. On what appears to be the downside of a long string of successful years, you just throw everything that has been accomplished under the bus.I'm also sure you'd rather have the offensive mastery of the weapons of JAX, MIN, BAL, KC, CHI, BUF, MIA, SF, and OAK over some combination of Brown, Curtis, and LJ Smith? Sure you can make arguments, but to say that only TEN and ATL are worse is ridiculous.The pretty crappy draft argument is laughable. 13 of the 22 current starters are Eagles draft picks since 2002. Sure every team has guys that don't work out, but again considering what the team has done this century, I'd say that's pretty successful compared to many other teams in the league.You're a fan of the players, not the team. I'm sure you probably still wear your TO jersey on Sundays and yell at Reid and management and whoever else for not delivering you a championship like all 31 other NFL teams have gotten last year. The only relevant information that you've posted is that the Eagles haven't done a good job in free agency, which is true. If you really are an Eagles fan, support the organization and trust that the guys up front actually know what they're doing.

As a life-long Eagles fan, I share many of the sediments expressed by Crusaderfan. To say the Eagles system produced "probably the most successful team in the NFC this century" is exaggerating a bit, no? While I agree with you that the league is full of parity and constant turnover, the Eagles M.O. has been to be competitive now and in the future. This thinking has produced no SB's and is on the decline not due to parity, but mediocre drafting and poor free agent acquisitions. You state they're starting 13 draft picks of the 22 starters...how's that working out? I see a .500 team, at best. I love Shawn Andrews & Cole, but what other picks are playing at a pro-bowl level? Peterson & Bunkley are average. Do you like Considine? How are those LB's doing?The Eagles always draft for the future, but right now the future is bleak. The defense has a lot of holes to fill. Will Spikes be back next year? How about Kearse or Howard? I think safety is a big concern. And the D-Line still can't get pressure. The D is a long way from being championship caliber. On the offensive side, how much longer will Runyan play? They still need another playmaker other than Westbrook (who's in his prime and won't sniff a championship). Who's the TE next year?This is a team that has focused on staying competitive, yet hasn't made the financial push (or draft pick) to put them over the top. They were a great, competitive team during the down years of the NFC. They have been caught from behind and passed. All while trying to stay competitive in the future. The parity excuse only works if they were focusing on the 'now' and came up short.Oh, and I'm truly an American, but I question my president. Often.

How about Westbrook, Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown.Omar Gaither isn't too bad either, he's playing his first year at MLB and Chris Gocong is doing a good job in his first year as well.I don't want to get into games this team could have won but either due to injury or just no viable options (punt returners who can field punts) they didn't. The teams record is 5-5, but they could very easily be 7-3.As I said before, once the release Kearse and Howard they will have close to 35MM in cap space next season.

 

[Jayrod]

I don't know if there is that much wrong with the Eagles.

They definitely need to trim some of the fat off the roster of aging players.

If the Eagles simply get rid of Kearse and Howard (which appears to be almost a definite) in the offseason they should have somewhere around 35MM in cap space available. That could be enough to bring in a CB (maybe an Assante Samuel), a LB (maybe a Lance Briggs), and a good DE (maybe a Jared Allen or Terrell Suggs). Plus a nice mid round draft pick.

The Eagles could have a very dominating defense like the ones the Reid early years.

Jared Allen isn't going anywhere outside of KC for quite a while.

 

[LILB811]

Maybe it's just my frustration as an Eagles fan also. I don't know the numbers but to me it seemed like still having that many draft picks on the roster and in the starting lineup indicates doing something right. I'm not sure how many teams still have as many of their own draft picks but it's probably not too many. Obviously I'm less than pleased with Considine, just like I'm sure most people are. Out of the front 7, Spikes is the only guy in more than his 3rd year. The potential seems to be there, but they're obviously not there yet. Quintin Mikell has also looked pretty solid when he has played.

The team obviously does need an impact receiver, and it has for many years. The Eagles, however, have not had a high pick to spend on a receiver, and other than Moss this year, there hasn't been too much talent that switched teams and became productive. Reggie Brown doesn't seem to be the answer at this point, and who knows what's gonna happen with McNabb.

I just don't know who else the team should have gone after to try and field a better team at this point. Maybe they should have resigned Stallworth. My first reaction is usually too strong, and I think that showed. I'm much more concerned about the special teams and the offense than the defense.