Maybe Philly sports fans are truly cursed
This was going to be our year — right up until about 6:15 Sunday evening.
Maybe we really are cursed. Philly sports fans, that is. This was going to be our year. This was the season we have been waiting for all along. It is why we sat through the Joe Kuharich, Jerry Williams, Ed Khayat and Marion Campbell years (ask your parents, kids). It’s why we endured the reign of Ray Rhodes and the frustration of Chip Kelly.
What do these household names all have in common? Hill, Concannon, Reaves, Boryla, Liske, Snead, O’Brien, Brister, Goebel, Hoying and Kolb. They all took snaps as quarterbacks in the NFL. For the Eagles.
Not this year. This was going to be our year. Right up until about 6:45 Sunday night.
Then the curse that follows Philly fans – in particular Eagles fans – made an unexpected visit.
Gang Green saw the one thing all of us secretly dreaded, the sight of Carson Wentz limping up the tunnel at the ancient L.A. Coliseum, reviving all those visions of Christmas past for Eagles fans.
Sports - at least the version we are familiar with here in the sports-crazed Philly region - is a cruel mistress.
And nowhere is that more in view than among the diehard legions of the green and white.
They are a different breed, these Eagles fans. Just ask the folks out in L.A. Twice this season they saw their Left Coast home turf literally taken over by traveling Eagles faithful. When the Birds played the Chargers a few weeks back, their retrofitted pro soccer stadium was likely more than half populated with Eagles fans.
Then just this past Sunday, “Iggles” zealots swarmed into the sprawling L.A. Coliseum as the Eagles faced off with the Rams. It got so bad that Fox Sports actually put out a casting call for Rams fans to counter the legions of Birds backers who crowded the set for the pre-game show.
Of course, this year the fullthroated roar of “E-A-G-L-E-S” was even more raucous than normal. This was our year. Doug Pederson’s charges raced out to a 10-2 record, tied for the best mark in the NFL.
And they did it despite injuries to several stars.
They lost All-Pro left offensive tackle Jayson Peters, the man tasked with protecting Carson Wentz’s blind side.
They lost all-purpose running back Darren Sproles for the season.
They lost star middle linebacker Jordan Hicks to a blown Achilles.
Special teams stud Chris Maragos was placed on the shelf.
But they persevered, adopting the policy of their head coach, “next man up.”
There is only one injury they could not fathom, and likely would be unable to survive.
That would be if anything should happen to Wentz, the superstar-in-the-making second-year QB who was showcased on national TV Sunday against another star QB, the one taken before him as the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Then late in the third quarter, the unthinkable happened.
That was Wentz limping up the tunnel into the locker room.
Suddenly, this was Nick Foles’ team again. Next man up? How about next season. Can the Eagles win with Nick Foles as quarterback? They’ve done it before, with a much less talented team.
The Eagles clearly are still a playoff team, they locked that up with that thrilling win over the Rams - maybe the game of the year in the NFL.
But all of that is now overshadowed by the loss of Wentz.
It was left to Pederson to deliver the news at his Monday press briefing.
Torn ACL in his left knee. Gone for the season.
Maybe it’s our fate, forever saddled with ill will for once deigning to boo Santa Claus. Once again there is coal in Eagles’ fans stockings.
It is now up to Nick Foles and Doug Pederson to give Philadelphia perhaps the ultimate Christmas gift.
The season of joy suddenly has a dark pall hanging over it.
Playoffs? Absolutely. A firstround bye? Possible. Super Bowl? Don’t bet on it.
Carson Wentz doesn’t play here anymore. At least not any more this season.
Just another day in Philly sports.