Bleeding Green Nation
There’s little reason to believe these Eagles will rest on their laurels.
The memories of 2023 still haunt us. Same with 2018, to a lesser degree. Let’s pretend 2005 never happened..
The Eagles have been to four Super Bowls over the last 20 years, three in the last seven. They won two titles. The seasons that followed in those four years did not result in a repeat trip to the Big Game, and in three of the four instances, the team suffered serious letdowns.
Folks, the Super Bowl Hangover is a real thing. It generally comes harder for the team that loses, which is why this is a fantastic year to pick an AFC team other than the Chiefs to go all the way, but teams that win it all must be careful not to fall victim to the dreaded hangover, too.
Offensive lineman Lane Johnson is one who is all too aware of what can happen to a team after they reach the Super Bowl. This will be his third time entering a season as either the defending world champs or the defending NFC champions. On the WIP Morning Show Wednesday, he explained why it is so hard to match the previous season’s energy.
“Super Bowl teams lose so many guys in free agency, so you know, some of that nucleus is broken up a little bit. What I do remember is that we started off not very good in 2018 and finished pretty good. We had a chance to go to the NFC Championship Game. In 2023, we started off hot and then did a dumpster dive in the end.
But through both of those, what I remember most is just being distracted. Trying to achieve, you know, hit a home run every game, trying to be a hero every game instead of just playing the game.”
There’s no doubt the Eagles suffered the loss of some key free agents, most notably on defense. The departures of Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, as well as Brandon Graham to retirement, affected the depth of the line. The CJ Gardner-Johnson trade hurts the secondary’s play-making ability, and although Darius Slay is on the downside of his career, his departure means a cadre of youngsters will be counted on to hold down the fort.
The good news is the replacements seem capable of doing it. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith appear to be on the verge of becoming impact pass rushers. Moro Ojomo flashed at the end of the season and in the playoffs. First round pick Jihaad Campbell’s surprise appearance during the first day of training camp was most welcome, giving the team another pass rusher from the linebacker position. Kelee Ringo joins an already star-studded cornerback duo in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Even better news is the offense returns almost fully intact. The only departure of note was Mekhi Becton, who will be replaced by either former third-round pick Tyler Steen or reclamation...
