Eagles Wake-Up Call: Babin’s Parting Shots


Jason Babin said he had to peel off the long-sleeve shirt when he hit the field Thursday. The Florida rays were shining strong on those promising Jaguars, who put on an absolute  clinic on what it is to hold a practice.

“The tempo, the urgency, the way the guys went from drill to drill, how they practiced, the way they communicated, how they ran. It was the way practice is supposed to be,” said Babin, a quick smile coming to his face. “It was refreshing.”

The 32-year-old Babin, sent packing by the 3-8 Eagles only to be picked up by the 2-9 Jags, was putting a happy spin on his recent release and subsequent waiver claim by the second-worst team in football.  All while making the Eagles — tied for third-worst in the NFL, thank you very much — sound like the less desirable team to play for.

“It’s definitely good because as you know, things are kind of stagnant there, and they can ultimately get worse before they get better,” said Babin. “So being a part of something that is about to blossom is definitely an exciting feeling.”

Babin even had a positive interpretation of the way he was talked about on his way out of town.

“Well if you don’t know Philly, that’s kind of a sign of endearment. It’s kind of the way they love,” said Babin. “It’s like a backhanded compliment. The non-Philly person would look at it as mean or cruel but it’s a little bit of a sign of endearment.”

So when they say you’re surly and have a bad attitude, that’s their way of complimenting you?

“That’s a little bit of their style I guess.”

Speaking of style…

 

I know people will take that as him not liking the Philly media. But I kind of take it as a sign of endearment.

WHAT YOU MISSED

In the  latest Twitter Mailbag, I talk about the kind of coach the Eagles are looking for, and tackle whether the team will make any more significant cuts before the year is out.

Fletcher Cox is a question mark for Sunday, while Evan Mathis is in line to start at center.

Sheil explains why an offseason makeover is likely in store for the secondary.

Kapadia put that secondary under the All-22 microscope, while I analyze Babin’s last game as an Eagle.

Here’s what the national media are saying about the Eagles.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Dan Graziano gave his thoughts on the end  the Andy Reid era and how these last few weeks should be handled by the fans:

To imagine that he wouldn’t have loved to deliver that championship, to ignore the tireless, grueling, sometimes desperate work he did to try to make it happen, is to shun any kind of realistic perspective. There is a significant segment of the Eagles’ fan population that, even through its present anger, appreciates and always will appreciate what Reid gave to the team and the city. Some of those folks even understand that you can’t will a Super Bowl title — that there’s too much chance and circumstance involved, that worse coaches than Reid have won championships, just as better coaches than Reid have failed to do so. The best you can do is build an organization that finds itself in position to take a run at it every year and hope that it eventually works out. Reid surely did, and many Eagles fans understand that. Those are the voices Reid deserves to hear on his way out the door.

Tony Romo talks about all the breakdowns in the Eagles’ secondary:

“When you look at it, it’s communication that they have had, through motion and different things. We’re going to try and do some of that with the motions and try and get that stuff, but at the same time I don’t know if that’s going to continue, so you can’t rely on that from them. You know, they have good players, they cover well, they have just had a few mistakes here and there that have cost them.”

John Lynch ripped into the Eagles’ defense while on Mike & Mike Thursday:

“Obviously the coach is the one that’s going to take the fall, but I’ve seen a lot of things that disgust me when you turn on the film in terms of players, cornerbacks and what not, not wanting to stick their face in there, not hustling to the football, and when you have that on a team that’s a cancer. You can’t get past that.”

COMING UP

One more practice for the Eagles before heading to Dallas. The Cowboys are a 10-point favorite.

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