Aikman Rips Philly for Playoff Effort; Are Coach Siranni's Eagles Quitters?
"Quitter'' is a nasty word, and respected ESPN voice Troy Aikman - who is the furthest thing from a "shock jock'' and customarily keeps a very even keel on his "takes - didn't use it, exactly.
But if you watched the Philadelphia Eagles' late-season collapse, all of it bottomed out in an ugly Monday night blowout at Tampa Bay, 32-9, in an NFC playoff game?
"Quitter'' is a word that popped into your mind.
"It's a defeated team, and they were when they came in,'' Aikman said in his characterization of the Eagles, who were once 10-1 but ended by having dropped six of their last seven games.
Aikman, on the call Monday night for ESPN, did not hold back on the Eagles during and after a loss that sends into question the job security of coach Nick Sirianni and much, much more.
"They said all the right things, but you could tell they weren't feeling it... You cannot go into next season status quo,'' Aikman said.
Aikman even pinpointed one play that he suggested illustrates how little the Eagles seemed to care ...
"I don't know what that is,'' he said on a big Tampa play in which Philly offered little resistance, "but we've seen enough of it all year long ... It continues ... on both sides of the ball, to just show the problems that Philadelphia has had and why they had the collapse that they had to end this season."
What kinds of changes will the Eagles make in the offseason?
To Aikman, it is clear: The Eagles need more people who are - even when the chips are down - willing to give effort. ... something he did not see in Tampa.
And again, if you watched the game, it's something you didn't see, either.
