Getting Up For The Letdown

As Turkey Day has come and gone, the push to the NFL playoffs has officially begun, and the Eagles are in a position few expected them to be in at the start of the season. They currently lead the division after a hard-fought victory over the New York Football Giants, and at 7-3, are just a game back of top-seeded Atlanta in the NFC. Football fever is in full force in Philadelphia, with Michael Vick leading what is arguably the most exciting young group of players us Birds fans have ever seen.

You would expect me to be just giddy about how the Eagles are doing right now - and I am excited - but a significant part of me is also very hesitant and skeptical. I've seen this routine too many times before, the Eagles cruising along, getting all of our hopes up, only to leave us shaking our heads and muttering and questioning why we still put ourselves through the torture of being Eagles fans come January. I am reminded of a lyric from a song of a classic EA Sports soundtrack (Madden '07) by the band Cartel, in which they warn us all that we're "just getting up for the letdown." If you want to enjoy this pop-punk masterpiece, feel free to indulge:



It's a well-known fact (at least between myself and R. Scott) that EA soundtracks hold many pieces of invaluable wisdom, and I'm worried that such is the case here. You can't help but get excited about this Eagles team, which is almost a lock to at least make the playoffs, and which has the national media (as usual) jumping all over their bandwagon. Who could forget 2002, when the Eagles were seemingly a lock to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, playing at home in the NFC title game against Tampa in the good old sub-40 degree weather, only to leave the Vet with the lasting memory of Ronde Barber racing down the sidelines? Or 2003, when little-known Ricky Manning Jr. picked off Donovan McNabb three times in a game where the Eagles offense mysteriously declined to show up? How about 2004, when the Eagles finally broke the NFC championship game curse, only to waddle down the field on a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, wasting a ridiculous amount of time and killing any hope of a comeback against the Patriots?

Let's not forget 2008, when after a turbulent middle of the season that saw Donovan McNabb get benched, the team blazed through the rest of the season. Even after a disappointing loss to Washington in Week 16, they destroyed Dallas in the season finale and then upset the G-Men in the divisional playoffs, only to be bested by the underdog Cardinals in the title game. Then there was last season, when a six-game winning streak was abruptly interrupted by two back-to-back embarrassing losses to the hated Cowboys to end the season. It's just the way things go as an Eagles fan.

So, no matter how good things get down the stretch here for the Eagles, I will always have these haunting memories in the back of my head, reminding me that there's always another one waiting around the corner. Like most fans, I hope for the best and expect the worst, while trying to enjoy the ride along the way. I look forward to seeing what Vick and the Eagles do in another big matchup this weekend against a tough Bears team in what could be another huge statement game, cementing the team as a top contender in the NFL. But, as Cartel warns us, I always remind myself that I'm probably just getting up for the letdown.