Good Things Come in 3s

Paul Domowitch’s article today gives me the hook I need to elaborate on something I’ve wanted to write about since the Dallas disaster. Domowitch decides to be contrarian today and defends the Eagles’ much-maligned WRs.

 

“But the popular talk-show notion that the problem with the 3-5 Eagles right now is that they don't have good enough wide receivers, well, that one I'm not buying…. Would it be great to have Randy Moss or Chad Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald or Plaxico Burress or that guy down in Dallas? Absolutely. But there are only about a dozen legitimate No. 1 receivers in the league.

 

The reason the Eagles have plummeted from third to 11th in the league in passing and from sixth to 18th in scoring is not because of Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis…. And the difference between last year's other starting wideout, Donté Stallworth, and his replacement this year, Curtis, is, well, there isn't really a difference.

 

"It's a wash," said a personnel man for an NFC North team.”

 

All very true. But it also overlooks some very important points. Yes, there is no appreciable difference in WR production from last year to this year. But why is last year considered some gold standard? And there’s 40 speed and “football” speed (i.e., quickness and burst). And it sure looks like the football speed difference between Kevin Curtis and Donte Stallworth is much greater than the 0.1 second difference in their 40s.

 

Finally, there may only be about a “dozen legitimate No. ! receivers in the league.” But as a supposed super bowl contending team, the question becomes why the Eagles haven’t moved heaven and earth to acquire one of these players. Yes, the TO thing was a nightmare, but you would think having seen what a #1 WR can do for your offense and QB the Eagles would have been more aggressive in replacing TO with another #1. Instead, they were content to borrow Stallworth (the Saints former #2 WR) and then replace him with Curtis (the Rams former #3 WR). The Eagles are going backwards on the depth chart when it comes to acquiring other teams wideouts!

 

To be fair, the coaching, game plan and play calling have not helped. I counted only two passes in last week’s Dallas game that were thrown longer than 15 yards – one to Brown on the one sideline and one to Curtis late in the game on the other sideline (Curtis got hurt on the play)…both incomplete. I don’t count Brown’s 1^st quarter 45 yard catch. I don’t recall exactly how far that pass traveled in the air, perhaps 15 yards, but not much farther if at all. But most of the yardage gained on that play was Brown’s run after the catch.

 

Now, whether deep passes aren’t being thrown because a) they’re not being called b) McNabb isn’t throwing the ones that are called or c) the WR just aren’t very good is all interrelated and becomes a chicken or egg dilemma that only Eagle insiders can answer.

 

But it was the Dallas game that reminded me of the truism in the modern NFL. Indeed, it was the Cowboys teams of the 90s that highlighted the need for 3 playmakers on offense to really be effective. They had Aikman, Smith, and Irvin. Known as the “triplets.” That team brought the concept to the fore but other championship teams in recent history have relied on the same scheme. The Niners had a revolving cast of playmakers at QB, RB, and WR. First Montana then Young at QB, Roger Craig and Ricky Watters at RB, and Jerry Rice the constant at WR.

 

Oddly, the idea was perhaps best distilled to its essence by the hyper-intensive, ultra inarticulate Ray Rhodes, who became notorious for repeatedly uttering the immortal phrase, “I need players to make plays,” at press conferences after his most recent loss in his last 3-13 season.

 

Indeed. The bottom line is you need 3 playmakers on offense to be a championship team. They don’t all have to be superstars, but they all have to be upper echelon players with the potential to be game breakers when presented the opportunity. It has been a hallmark of the Andy Reid tenure that they have traditionally only had 2 playmakers on offense: McNabb and Westbrook. And the results speak for themselves – falling just short. When they added the third, #81, they went 13-3 and played in the super bowl. Right now they still have only two playmakers, and one is playing on one leg. All due respect to Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis, but they are not that 3^rd playmaker. If the Eagles have any super bowl aspirations they’re going to need to add that 3^rd piece to the offense in the offseason.