There are some veteran leaders on the Eagles that are about at their wits’ end. The identity that used to come with an Andy Reid-led  team has been compromised, and hubris may have something to do with it.

“I just get so tired of the ‘talented’ talk. I don’t want what the outside world views as talent to infect our team,” said Jason Avant. “Talent and potential is dangerous because you’ll get complacent. We have to go out and show it. Right now we’re a 3-3 team. That’s who we are. It’s not that we’re a talented 3-3 team. It’s that we’re 3-3 and they have players on their team, whatever team we’re facing, that are just as good as we are. If we take that mindset that anybody can beat you, you’ll focus and concentrate harder and you’ll play better.”

As Andy Reid was exiting the auditorium following his day-after press conference, a reporter asked if he is committed to starting Michael Vick against the Falcons.

“Today, I am,” the head coach responded.

After a stomach-turning loss to the Lions, Reid said he will “tear things apart” and evaluate everything.

Will Vick be a part of that evaluation process?

“I am going to take a hard look at everything,”  he said.

Riley Cooper made his return, and Phillip Hunt has been nearly phased out. Here’s a breakdown of snap counts for the Eagles during their Week 6 loss against the Lions.

For the third straight game, the Eagles’ defense finished without a sack against the Detroit Lions.

According to the stat sheet, they finished with four quarterback hits. Trent Cole had one of them, but the veteran defensive end finished with zero tackles.

Asked by a reporter after the game why the line wasn’t able to generate more pressure, Cole seemed surprised by the question.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about man because you saw the game, and it was there,” Cole said. “I can’t believe you’re saying that. It was there. It was there. You know it was there.”

While many of the Eagles defenders said after the game that they’d have to look at the film to figure out what exactly went wrong, Nnamdi Asomugha was more forthcoming. He told Tim and some other reporters that a couple things changed.

One, the defense switched up how it covered Calvin Johnson. For much of the game, Asomugha was on Johnson with safety help. And he did an excellent job. But in the fourth, the Eagles used Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on Johnson and also played some zone.

The other point Asomugha made was that the Eagles blitzed more late in the game, and it cost them. But was that really the case?

Andy Reid, following the narrow loss to the Steelers a week ago, went on and on about the make-up of the 2012 Eagles.

“I like the grit of this football team. I like the toughness of this football team,” said Reid.  “They’re a competitive and tough bunch.”

That was the identity being cultivated through the better part of five games. Michael Vick engineered three game-winning drives; the defense successfully protected each lead. They stood toe-to-toe with the bully Ravens. Took down the Super Bowl champion Giants. A tough loss on the road to the Steelers? Given Pittsburgh’s level of desperation, acceptable.

The loss to the Lions puts everything into question. Detroit jabbed the Eagles in the nose, ripped the win from their loose grip, and pushed them to the ground for good measure.

The Eagles were without two of their key defenders down the stretch and it cost them.

The plan heading into Sunday’s game against the Lions was to switch up the looks on Calvin Johnson to keep him guessing. That tactic was used sparingly early on. By our count, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie lined up over Johnson just three times in the first half. Nnamdi Asomugha was in charge of Megatron the rest of the time.

Johnson ended the half with one catch for 28 yards.

“I was on him most of the game,” said Asomugha. “I think when we got to the fourth quarter there was a lot more trying to give him a different look, give him something else so that he doesn’t get comfortable with one guy. There were sometimes, especially in the fourth quarter, when Dominique would go to him.”

Michael Vick needed about five seconds to gather himself

He had just been asked the first question at his post-game press conference, but wasn’t sure how to explain what had just happened at Lincoln Financial Field: the Eagles blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and losing for the third time in four games.

“I pretty much don’t know what to say,” Vick said. “I mean, we put ourselves in position to win games and we don’t finish, so it’s hard to decipher what mistakes are being made and what’s going on. This is the ultimate team game, and I can’t pinpoint what’s going on in the moment. I have to go back and watch it and assess it myself, but I think the bottom line is we had our chances to win this game.”

A little more than an hour earlier, Vick was feeling good. With 5:18 left in the fourth quarter, the Eagles faced a 3rd-and-4 from their own 30. The Lions blitzed, and Vick saw Jeremy Maclin wide open in the middle of the field. He threw a strike, and Maclin galloped 70 yards to the end zone for the touchdown. The Eagles were up 23-13, and a 4-2 record going into the bye seemed all but a certainty.

Here are instant observations from today’s 26-23 Eagles’ loss against the Lions.

Eagles safety Nate Allen left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent right leg injury.

Allen was trying to cover Calvin Johnson on a shallow cross that went for 37 yards. He was slow to his feet and was forced to exit. Trainers were working on the upper thigh area.

Colt Anderson replaced Allen.

The following Eagles are inactive for today’s 1 p.m. game against the Lions: Trent Edwards, Damaris Johnson, Dion Lewis, Jamar Chaney, Steve Vallos, Nate Menkin and Vinny Curry.

Andy Reid is not used to this.

In his 13 seasons as the Eagles head coach, Reid’s offenses have finished in the top half of the league in scoring 10 times. Overall, they’ve averaged 23.8 points per game.

This year, however, has been a struggle. We’re five games in, and the Eagles are averaging 16 points per game, second-worst in the league, ahead of only the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But there’s reason to believe this group is close to breaking out.

Hey, don’t laugh. I’m being serious here.

Join Sheil and Tim as they chat live from the Linc during today’s Eagles-Lions game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying about Sunday’s Eagles-Lions matchup.