It was loud. It was electric. Carson Wentz stepped back to pass before getting rushed by a few Steeler defenders. He scrambled and evaded them before finding Darren Sproles, who snatched the ball and glided through the field all the way to the end zone. At that moment the atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field was a rare and beautiful kind only seen on few occasions. It was an amazing play against one of the most talented teams in all of football and convinced just about every Eagles fan that they had a rookie quarterback who was a legit superstar and a team that looked like they could beat anyone.

But then, shortly after, reality kicked in.

The Eagles 3-0 start was derailed by an early bye-week, and a close road loss to the Detroit Lions caused by a Ryan Matthews fumble and long throw by Wentz intercepted at the end. That would be the beginning of a down-slide for the Eagles as poor play, bizarre news stories, and unnecessary drama about players who aren’t worth the fans attention, consumed the team. They would lose nine of their next eleven games following the 3-0 start before finishing the season with two meaningless wins to repeat last year’s team record of 7-9. It was all too good to be true.

I don’t need to go into detail the bitter and painful losses whether it were the many close games or bad blowouts, but what happened was that the same Eagle fans ecstatic about starting 3-0 once again found themselves in under calvinistic clouds of self-doubt. They had to justify and explain to themselves how it made sense that the team can start 3-0 and fall apart by saying that the Browns and the Bears (their first two opponents) stink and the Steelers didn’t have Le’Veon Bell and aren’t as good on the road.

So yes, as an Eagles fan it is easy to be cynical and self-loathing of a team that has been humiliated by the national media constantly and fails to rise to the occasion under intense pressure. But for once, could we all just sit down and step outside of the circle of pity and think positively? Even with the disappointment of this season’s results, 2016 was not the end-all-be-all for the team, but the beginning of their climb to the peak of the mountain. A peak where they not have pitched their flag on since December 26, 1960 when Chuck Bednarik tackled Jim Taylor to clinch the 1960 NFL Championship against the Green Bay Packers at Franklin Field. Handing the only playoff loss to then-Packers head coach Vince Lombardi, the same person whose name is engraved on the trophy that is the most coveted and desired object in the city of Philadelphia.

The Eagles celebrate after winning the 1960 NFL title, the team's last championship.

Lets start by thinking about where this team was last year: head coach Chip Kelly was fired after his off-season moves and acquisitions as the general manager were a total disaster. The team had zero talent on offense, little talent on defense, and no quarterback who represented the future of the franchise. It seemed like it would take years to recover from Kelly's mistakes, but then an unlikely hero came in. Howie Roseman was their former general manger who stepped aside for Kelly to take over and was put back in his old position. While fans have been critical of him in the past, he made bold off-season moves that also made sense for team: trading assets Chip Kelly acquired who weren’t valuable to the Eagles, but could be to another team. And using those assets to move up in the NFL draft from spot number 13 to 8 to 2. That number two pick would be for a franchise quarterback in Carson Wentz from North Dakota State. The Eagles went from ridiculous mess to a team with some glimmers of hope for the future. It was not the season itself, but the past off-season where the Eagles succeeded.

Three Men and a Rookie: (Left to Right: General Manager Howie Roseman, Carson Wentz, Owner Jeffrey Lurie, Head Coach Doug Pederson)

Without further ado, below addresses the state of each position on the team and what they need to improve to be better in the upcoming seasons.

Quarterback:

When Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater tore his ACL with only two weeks until the start of the season, the Eagles saw this as an opportunity. They traded their starting veteran quarterback from last year in Sam Bradford to Minnesota and acquired a first round pick which they lost in the Carson Wentz deal, opening the door for Wentz to become the starter only eight days before the season opener. In 2016 Wentz became the first Eagles quarterback to start all 16 games since Donovan McNabb in 2008, and he set a single season franchise record in completions. For a rookie, Wentz was really impressive despite a mid-season decline following his red hot start. And considering how little talent he has to work with, the fact that he won seven games is impressive enough. If there’s one position the Eagles have locked down for the future, it’s quarterback.

Comparing Wentz's and Cowboys rookie QB Dak Prescott's weapons

Wide Receiver:

It’s no question that the Eagles have one of if not the worst wide receiver core in the NFL. To make my case clear: Jordan Matthews is the best receiver on the team, but on a good team he would be the third best receiver. Matthews is best suited as a slot receiver and while drops have been an issue, it’s an area he’s improved on this year. Fellow receiver Nelson Agholor is without question a bust of first round draft pick from two years ago as his skills and confidence have gone so low that you almost have to feel sorry for the guy. It’s likely he’ll stick around for one or two more seasons before getting cut. Dorial Green-Beckham, who was acquired from Tennessee in the preseason, was also a major disappointment. Josh Huff hardly contributed outside of special teams before being released with the gun at the airport incident, and Bryce Treggs and Paul Turner had hardly anything to do. The Eagles need to draft and acquire better receivers for the future, and I would be in favor of resigning Desean Jackson despite his age and controversial history because of his abilities and making the receivers better as a whole. But then again, I feel that if Antonio Brown and Julio Jones were to wear Eagles uniforms on the field, they would somehow suck too.

Harold Carmichael, the great Eagles receiver of the 1970s and 1980s, who's number 17 is being tainted by Agholor.

Running Backs:

The Eagles have several solid running backs, but none of them are a clear cut number one who can get twenty to thirty carries per game. Their two best backs are both veterans: Ryan Matthews, who has been solid but injury prone, and Darren Sproles, who’s better suited as a punt returner and part time ball carrier. Younger players like Wendal Smallwood, Kejon Barner, Terrell Watson, and Byron Marshall, will certainly be getting more carries in the future, but it’s uncertain if any one of them will rise to become a clear cut number one halfback.

Offensive Line:

Lane Johnson’s ten game suspension was one of the bigger blows this team suffered this year. He played like an all-pro early in the season before the suspension was enacted and his absence might have cost the team two or three wins. Johnson and the Eagles must be extremely cautious with what he takes in this and future off seasons because he is a major piece of this team’s future, and another bust will be the end for him. On the bright side, Jason Peters bounced back from a bad 2015 and at age 34 had his ninth career Pro Bowl season (he still has to work on his bad habit of jumping offside however.) Ron Brooks was also solid but he missed too many games due to anxiety and illnesses, which he hopefully has fixed.

Tight Ends:

There were three tight ends in use this season: Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, and Trey Burton. The main focus on the tight end position is on Zach Ertz because in his third season there are still puzzling questions to his impact on the team. Everyone hopes he’ll become a “Gronk Lite” tight end for the Eagles but he tends to disappear at times and hardly gains yards after the catch. The best play he made all year was a 57 yard touchdown in Seattle that was called back due to an illegal formation by Nelson Agholor. A blatant missed block in the game against the Bengals displays how frustrating his play style is. It was towards the end of the season when Ertz was more involved and dominated in the season finale against the Cowboys, but it shows the pattern he makes as inconsistent until towards the very end of the season. Hopefully next year the Eagles will figure out making how to turn into the pro bowler we all hope he can be.

Zach Ertz blocking versus the Bengals

Defensive Front:

With new defensive coordinator Jim Schwatz and a change to a 4-3 defense, the Eagles were expected to have a great defensive front this season. However, the front struggled at times and was not as reliable as everyone expected. Fletcher Cox was the defensive player of the month for September but went on a slump in October and November, mainly due to being constantly double teamed. He bounced back in December and is still the team’s best overall player but should work on a few techniques considering the massive contract he received in the off-season. Brandon Graham meanwhile had a fantastic season that should lead to a Pro Bowl berth where he recorded 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Graham will no longer be seen as the player the Eagles picked over Seahawks Safety Earl Thomas in the 2010 draft. The rest of the front including players like Vinny Curry, Conor Barwin, and Bennie Logan, all need to improve if they're going to remain with the Eagles in the future.

Fletch likes to be on camera.

Linebackers:

Jordan Hicks led the team in interceptions with five this season and played all sixteen games after his injured fill rookie season. He’s one of the few players who we can undoubtedly say can be a big piece to a championship puzzle. The other linebackers however have struggled and been inconsistent.

Secondary:

Since Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown left, the Eagles cornerbacks have been a dumpster fire, and this year was no different. The NFL can put together a spectacular highlight reel of Eagles corners getting burned by superstar wide receivers in the NFC East. Rookie corner Jalen Mills will probably be the only one worth keeping in the next few seasons as the rest of them have been disastrous. In this year’s draft, they must draft a cornerback with their first round pick. Period. The safeties on the other hand, were much better, with Malcom Jenkins stepping up and playing 933 of the 934 defensive snaps this year. His intense play and efforts in keeping the secondary together makes him worthy of being the team’s MVP. Fellow safety Rodney McCloud was also decent in his first year in Philadelphia and will likely stick around.

Special Teams:

If there was one good thing from the Chip Kelly regime, it was the consistent production of the special teams, and this year they continued their success. Kicker Caleb Sturgis proved his worth as a solid kicker which they’ve been looking for since David Akers left. Returners Darren Sproles and Wendal Smallwood have served well when they get the chance. And long snapper Jon Dorenbos became the most famous long snapper in the NFL with his magic card tricks and his injury in the Washington game is evidence as to why we shouldn’t take them for granted.

Coaching:

Doug Pederson was hired as the new head coach of the Eagles in 2016 without having any prior head coaching experience. One of the major factors of his hiring was being the offensive coordinator of the Kansa City Chiefs under longtime Eagles head coach Andy Reid. In theory, his hiring is an attempt to recreate the Reid era with the difference being a world championship being delivered. As a first year head coach, Pederson struggled and made questionable decisions such as going for it on 4th and short on the road multiple times and his use of running backs. Considering how he has little talent on offense to help him win, he should be brought back for the next season or two as grows into the job.

With a 7-9 record and last place finish in the NFC East, was the season a short term success? No, because it showed how just how much further this team needs to go to where we want them to be. Was it a success in the long term? Yes, because it served as experience for a rookie quarterback and rookie head coach who both look to improve next season and hopefully many seasons to come.

So basically the Eagles are asking us to be patient, which is like telling a kid waiting in line to go to the bathroom for three hours to wait another thirty minutes. It’s inconvenient and frustrating, but it’s the only way to get it done, and so we can stop looking at shit like this one day:

So with these departing words: Hang in there, lets all go to the draft in Philly this, and B-Dawk for Hall of Fame 2017!