December 09, 2020
Are power rankings completely dumb and meaningless? Yes. Yes, they are. However, personally speaking, whenever I see them, I click. And now that I've sucked you in with promises of many power rankings, you'll read it and like it.
Here's where people around the country have the Eagles ranked after Week 13 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
Person with most at stake: Head coach Doug Pederson
It's hard to believe that after delivering the city its first Super Bowl in 2017 and making the playoffs three years straight, Pederson's job could be in jeopardy, but that shows you just how brutal things have gotten in Philadelphia this year. Carson Wentz -- the team's franchise quarterback and Pederson's No. 1 responsibility -- is broken. The offense has turned stale and sloppy. And now there's a full-blown quarterback controversy. Pederson needs to string together some wins and get either Wentz or Jalen Hurts playing at a high level down the stretch to cool off his seat.
#JimmySays: Sadly, I believe Pederson will not survive the 2020 season.
Doug Pederson had no choice. Carson Wentz was laboring once again, and the Eagles were going nowhere in a flat performance against the Packers. So Pederson pulled the trigger on the move he never wanted to make -- replacing Wentz with rookie Jalen Hurts in the second half of an eventual 30-16 loss. On Tuesday, the coach confirmed what most suspected: Hurts will officially replace Wentz as starting quarterback on Sunday against the Saints. It marks the completion of a stunning fall from grace for Wentz, who entered his fifth pro season as the team's locked-and-loaded franchise cornerstone under center. Welcome to the great unknown in Philadelphia.
#JimmySays: I think the "known" is that the Eagles have a bad, old, and expensive roster that is going to take years to fix. Some sort of "great unknown" would be preferable.
It’s Jalen Hurts time! Doug Pederson traded a comfortable near future with Carson Wentz for an end-of-season spark with Hurts. Will it pay off?
#JimmySays: He "traded a comfortable near future with Carson Wentz?" I'm not certain exactly what that means. Does it mean that Doug would have been comfortable if he stuck with Wentz? Because obviously that's not right. The heat was on to make a move.
We've seen the future in Philadelphia, and it's named Jalen ... though not sure if that means rookie QB Jalen Hurts or rookie WR Jalen Reagor – though the duo did hook up on a 34-yard pass Sunday. Could be more of same in Week 14 with Hurts taking over for Carson Wentz.
#JimmySays: Come on, man. The observations that the Eagles drafted two Jalens ran their course on Day 2 of the draft in April.
Well, there won't be any shortage of things to talk about on the radio in Philly this week.
After yet another miserable performance, the Eagles made a switch at quarterback Sunday in Green Bay. And given how Jalen Hurts played in relief of Carson Worstz (Wentz, whatever), it's time for a full-blown quarterback controversy in the City of Brotherly Love.
Things are most assuredly going to get worse before they get better, especially if the Eagles do decide to start Hurts. At that point, they would be saddled with a massive distraction in the form of the NFL's most expensive backup quarterback.
Moving on from Wentz would result in a dead cap charge of almost $60 million in 2021 and nearly $25 million the following season.
#JimmySays: Ignore that last paragraph. That's wrong. The cap charge would be almost $60 million in 2021 if they released him, which obviously won't happen. There would be no additional cap hit of $25 million the following year. I have no idea where they're getting that from, but that's false.
If they trade him (an unlikely outcome, in my view), the cap hit would be almost $34 million.
I don’t know if the Jalen Hurts draft pick ruined Carson Wentz’s confidence and led to what we’ve seen this season. I do know it was an unnecessary pick that made no sense in the moment and has turned out as poorly as most believed it would. Still, the Eagles have to see what Hurts has, or the pick might be an utter waste.
#JimmySays: The most damning thing about the bad moves that Howie Roseman has made over the last few years is that they were easily identifiable at the time, with no hindsight needed, that ultimately turned out how many figured they would.
They just can't seem to win a game. That begs this question: Is this the end for Doug Pederson? It's Jalen Hurts time at quarterback.
#JimmySays: CBS bringing the unique observations, as always.
#JimmySays: I figured it might be fun to track how that changed each week over the course of the season. Obviously, the Eagles aren't winning the Super Bowl.
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