Season-in-review team reports — NFC
East
As published in print Feb. 6, 2002
2001 record: 11-5 |
| Overview |
| Many NFL observers believed the Eagles would be back in the playoffs, but
few predicted they would be a legitimate Super Bowl threat. Well, the Eagles fell just one
game short of playing for the NFL title, losing to the Rams in the NFC championship game.
While the players are still hurting from what they believe is a lost chance to reach the
Super Bowl, they do know it was a truly successful season. Philadelphia won the NFC East
title for the first time since 1988 and reached the conference championship for the first
time since ’80. The Eagles have undergone a fairly remarkable turnaround in recent
seasons. Three years ago, the Eagles were 3-13 and then went 5-11 in Andy Reid’s
first year as head coach. They have now won 11 games two seasons in a row. With almost all
of their starters signed through next season and beyond, the Eagles believe they will be
poised to challenge for a Super Bowl berth for years to come. |
| Turning point |
| The first game against the Giants went a long way toward proving the
Eagles were a real contender. It was a Monday-night contest in New Jersey, and the Eagles
had lost nine straight to the Giants. But on this night, the Eagles went on to win 10-9,
which pushed them into first place in the division. They never relinquished their lead in
the NFC East. |
| Offensive MVP |
| The Eagles were going to go as far as QB Donovan McNabb could take them
— and he took them pretty far. The bigger the game, the better he played. Early in
the season, McNabb tried to hang in the pocket more than he had in the past. But by the
end of the year, he was back to his old self, making things happen and buying time with
his feet. |
| Defensive MVP |
| Who are we to second-guess the Eagles’ players? They voted MLB
Jeremiah Trotter the team’s defensive MVP, so we will go along with them. He is the
heart of the defense. Other players look to him for motivation. He calls the defensive
signals and finished as the team’s leader in tackles for the third straight season. |
| Biggest surprise |
| C Bubba Miller was lost for the season with a fractured right ankle in
the final preseason game. That meant that little-known Hank Fraley — a second-year
player who had never appeared in an NFL game — would have to take over the starting
job. He got off to a rough start when his first QB exchange of the season was fumbled, but
Fraley got much better as the year progressed. |
| Biggest disappointment |
| It’s been said that the best hands on the team belong to WR Na
Brown. He was given a shot at proving it on the field as the No. 3 wideout, but he
couldn’t get the job done. He eventually was passed on the depth chart by rookie
Freddie Mitchell. |
| Rookie recap |
| Mitchell, the team’s first-round pick, caught 21 passes for 283
yards and one touchdown. He certainly doesn’t lack confidence, but he needs to be
more productive next season. LB Quinton Caver was projected as a starting outside
linebacker but was beaten out by veteran Mike Caldwell. DE Derrick Burgess (third round)
showed decent pass-rushing skills and finished with six sacks. RB Correll Buckhalter
(fourth round) good off to a good start, rushing for 233 yards in two games while starting
for the injured Duce Staley. Buckhalter disappeared for a stretch in midseason but became
more involved at the end and finished with 586 rushing yards. TE Tony Stewart (fifth
round) had one good game but otherwise was a nonfactor. QB A.J. Feely (fifth round) was
third on the depth chart all year, except for Week 17 — when he led the Eagles to a
win over the Buccaneers in a meaningless game. |
| Free-agent/trade review |
| WR James Thrash was the team’s leading receiver. He was productive
from the start, picking up Reid’s offense very quickly. DE N.D. Kalu had a sprained
ankle early on and lost playing time to Burgess. Kalu was more of a special-teams
contributor. |
| Team leaders |
Rushing — Duce Staley, 604 yards on 166 carries, 3.6 avg., 2 TDs.
Passing — Donovan McNabb, 285-493 attempts for 3,233 yards, 25 TDs, 12 interceptions,
84.3 rating.
Receiving — James Thrash, 63 receptions for 833 yards, 13.2 avg., 8 TDs.
Scoring — David Akers, 115 points on 37 PATs and 26 FGs.
Kickoff returns — Brian Mitchell, 41 for 1,025 yards, 25.0 avg., 1 TD.
Punt returns — Brian Mitchell, 39 for 467 yards, 12.0 avg., 0 TDs.
Punting — Sean Landeta, 97 for 43.5 avg., 36.4 net, 10 TB, 26 inside 20, 0 blk., 64L.
Interceptions — Troy Vincent, 3 for 0 yards, 0.0 avg., 0 TDs.
Sacks — Hugh Douglas, 9½. |
| Results |
Pointspread Shown Refers to Philadelphia.
| Date |
Opponent |
Spread |
Score |
| Sept. 9 |
St. Louis |
(+3) |
17-20* |
| Sept. 23 |
At Seattle |
(-2.5) |
27-3 |
| Sept. 30 |
Dallas |
(-14) |
40-18 |
| Oct. 7 |
Arizona |
(-14) |
20-21 |
| Oct. 14 |
BYE |
|
|
| Oct. 22 |
At New York Giants |
(+3) |
10-9 |
| Oct. 28 |
Oakland |
(-1.5) |
10-20 |
| Nov. 4 |
At Arizona |
(-6.5) |
21-7 |
| Nov. 11 |
Minnesota |
(-4) |
48-17 |
| Nov. 18 |
At Dallas |
(-8) |
36-3 |
| Nov. 25 |
Washington |
(-7) |
3-13 |
| Nov. 29 |
At Kansas City |
(-3) |
23-10 |
| Dec. 9 |
San Diego |
(-7) |
24-14 |
| Dec. 16 |
At Washington |
(-2.5) |
20-6 |
| Dec. 22 |
At San Francisco |
(+3) |
3-13 |
| Dec. 30 |
New York Giants |
(-5) |
24-21 |
| Jan. 6 |
At Tampa Bay |
(+3.5) |
17-13 |
| Postseason |
|
|
|
| Jan. 12 |
Tampa Bay |
(-3.5) |
31-9 |
| Jan. 19 |
At Chicago |
(+3) |
33-19 |
| Jan. 27 |
At St. Louis |
(+10) |
24-29 |
* Overtime |
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