Philadelphia Eagles

Nobody's panicking: Eagles team leaders address the media

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the NFL season taking its’ toll and bodies dropping left and right, the Eagles will need to rely on their leaders.

No team makes it through an entire NFL season without some adversity, and for the Philadelphia Eagles that’s especially true. There have been growing pains as a young team tries to find its’ way. They’ve fought their way to the lead in games, and they’ve blown those leads almost just as quickly. There have been bad play calls, mistakes that have kept drives alive and, of course, injuries. Through all of that the team remains encouraged.

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The Eagles finish the 2016 season with six very winnable games. It’s been a rough campaign this season, but that can be said about almost every team in the NFL (minus the New England Patriots who seem to be cruising). As the depth chart is adjusted, seemingly every week for the Eagles, it’s become painfully clear that if this team makes a run that places them into the playoffs, they’ll have to do so with a lot of young players who have been asked to contribute immediately.

The best case scenario is a playoff berth, and, again, that’s not too far out of the realm of possibility. The other teams in the NFC have been beating up on each other, and even though the Eagles have five losses in-conference, there really aren’t many teams that look too much better. Each Dallas Cowboys victory now helps the Eagles (they’ll need to lose their New Year’s Day game of course), and if Philadelphia can avenge some of their earlier losses to the Cowboys, Washington Redskins and New York Giants, the season could end on a high note. The worst case scenario is young guys will play, gain valuable experience and this team goes into 2017 ready. They’ll lean on the veteran leaders as we play this one out.

Here’s defensive tackle Fletcher Cox as he addressed the media recently:

Wide receiver Jordan Matthews has been a security blanket for rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, and now with new Eagles and younger guys being asked to step in, he’s now become sort of an elder statesman.

He addressed the media as well:

Four of the next six games are at home. The remaining road games are against struggling Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals teams. The Eagles are confident. Safety Malcolm Jenkins, since arriving has become a fan favorite. His temperament sums up the attitude of this team as a whole.

Take a look:

The Eagles have the right guys in place. Now, they have to stop beating what’s been their worst enemy: themselves. They have the right attitudes to make sure that’s exactly what happens.

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