“If Cox Feels Like This, Everybody Feels Like This”

Another week, another disappointing Eagles loss. The latest was perhaps the most egregious as Jonathan Gannon’s defense allowed Derek Carr to complete 31 of 34 passes for two touchdowns en route to a 33-22 victory. 

Former Eagles safety Quintin Mikell and former Eagles wide receiver Jason Avant discussed lack of passion the Eagles have shown lately and the dangerous overall direction in which the team is headed.

“At some point, you’ve got to set the tone for the season and I feel like that hasn’t been set at all,” Mikell said on the latest “Q&A” on Inside The Birds.

“It feels like there’s no direction, no fire. It just feels like the guys are going out there and just playing the game to get paid. It doesn’t feel like it means as much as it used to, and that’s really the saddest part.”

Avant agreed.

“Nothing is trending upwards,” he added. “Now you may take some individual players and say, ‘These players are trending in the right direction,’ but as an organization we’re not trending in the right direction and that’s sad. Even when you have a rebuild, there should be things that make you say, ‘Oh, I see the plan coming together.’ I don’t see the plan coming together right now.”

Fletcher Cox has no sacks through seven games

Mikell and Avant also shared their thoughts on Gannon’s scheme and post-game comments made by Fletcher Cox after last Sunday’s loss.

“The only thing I can come up with is that this is a case of a defensive coordinator being rigid,” Mikell said. “This is a defensive coordinator saying, ‘This is my system, and if you don’t like it, too bad.’ I have no other way to understand it. This is a perfect example of the scheme-vs.-players thing that we always talk about. It seems like right now, he’s not building the defense around what his players can do best.”

As for Cox’s comments, Avant said Cox’s criticisms probably aren’t isolated.

“Trust me, if Fletcher feels like this, everybody feels like this,” he said. “When have you guys known Fletcher to be disgruntled in the media? I haven’t seen it. I’m pretty sure he’s the only one [publicly criticizing] because he’s the hundred-million-dollar man that has the cojones to say something about it.”

Also discussed on the show: Jalen Hurts’ recent struggles with accuracy and pocket presence, lack of blitzing, and overall team talent.

“He’s shown some glimpses, he’s shown some good things,” Mikell said of Hurts. “But overall he’s gotta be more accurate, he’s gotta be better in the pocket, and he’s gotta understand  when the pressure is real and when it’s not. It’s almost like when there’s a blitz, he’s trying to stay in the pocket longer, but when there’s a guy coming off the edge, he takes off. His pocket presence just isn’t there yet.”

Check out the full show on the Inside The Birds Youtube channel.

– Tyler Strasser (@tylerstrasser7) is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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