Now before anyone jumps the gun (I have family reading), I'm not talking about every Eagles fan. I'm speaking of the vast majority, or at least the vast majority of whom I come into contact. Scenario: The Eagles are playing the Buccaneers (first team that popped into my head). If you ask a Bucs fan how the game is going to go, you may hear something like this: "I feel like we [the Bucs] can win this game because our defense has been playing well the past few weeks, and Jeff Garcia has really emerged as a leader on the field. Plus, the Eagles are banged up and they haven't been playing well lately. If they're going to have a chance of winning, the offense needs to really come alive and I just don't see that happening."
Anyone who knows anything about football, or logic, will say that the above response is a good answer to the question. It was very intelligent, and offered two viewpoints [why the Bucs would win and how the Eagles could win].
Ask a typical Eagles fan that very same question, however, and you'll probably hear a different response: "I think the Eagles are going to win this game because we're just better than anyone else out there. Donovan McNabb is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and is a future Hall of Famer. And we have Brian Westbrook, he's real good. Plus, DeSean Jackson is the most underrated receiver in the league. So is Kevin Curtis. We have two of the best receivers in the league, and no one recognizes them. They're so good. They're both so fast. And our defense has been stopping everyone. The Bucs won't be able to stop us. We used to have Garcia, we know all of his plays and how he runs an offense. We'll get to him. There's no way we can lose. We're going to the Super Bowl."
You may think I'm making that up, but everything in there (with the exception of the team) was taken from actual conversations I've had with Eagles fans. I understand they love their team and of course I'd expect them to show support, but that's just stupid. Incredibly stupid. See, it's not the passion that makes people dislike Eagles fans, it's the ignorance and stubbornness proven by statements like these. That, and throwing snowballs at Santa. Oh, and cheering when Michael Irvin broke his leg. (I know he's an arch-rival, but a crowd should never cheer when someone gets hurt. It's despicable.)
Now, being a fan of the Baltimore Ravens and going to school in the Lehigh Valley, I get a lot of heat for disliking the Eagles. I still have trouble understanding why this is, since the two teams rarely play each other during the regular season. And the last time they did play each other, the Ravens won easily by a score of 38-7. And yes, it was as big of a blowout as the score indicates. That game wasn't even close. Look up the numbers if you think I'm just being biased (http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=29690&displayPage=tab_gamecenter&season=2008&week=REG12).
Even after that game, I was still getting heat somehow. I still don't know how it was justified, or rationalized, but I kept hearing the same comments: "Oh, how about those Ravens? What happened out there? Wow, rookie QB/Head Coach combo can't handle the pressure." I could give more examples, but that's enough of the stupid. I still can't understand how it made sense to criticize my team when they had a better record than, and destroyed the Eagles in their game. And to add in another fun twist, the Eagles tied. They tied the Cincinnati Bengals. The same Cincinnati Bengals that finished the 2008 season with a wonderful record of 4-11-1. How any fan of any team could criticize another after that embarrassment is beyond logic and rational thought. And that's still not the most ridiculous comment I've received this year.
Fast forward to last weekend's Conference Championships. By some stroke of luck and good fortune, the Ravens advanced to meet the Steelers in the AFC; and by some act of God, the Eagles advanced to face the Cardinals in the NFC. Long story short, both the Eagles (in a mostly one-sided game) and Ravens (in one of the best games all year) lost their respective games. I figured that would be the end of it since there was no real leverage. Turns out I was wrong.
In this week that has followed the games, I can't tell you how many Eagles fans have ripped on me for not only being a Ravens fan, but for rooting against the Eagles (because, you know, the two things are a hundred percent related to each other, I swear). I got at least four texts saying something to the effect of: "See what happens when you root for the Cardinals?" Each time I questioned this comment, I got a different response. Two said he/she was just taking a shot to ease the pain, which is fine. At least it's a reason. And one said something I'd rather not repeat (by "rather not repeat" I mean I forget what it said). But there were a few that still boggle my mind.
Apparently, through some twist of fate, it was because of me that the Ravens lost. Somehow, by being a fan, I caused the Steelers victory, and it was my fault the Ravens "got their asses handed to them." I didn't know I could do that from a remote location, but you're welcome, Steelers. And apparently to some people out there, that game was one of the most boring games they'd ever seen. If you happened to see the game, and can legitimately call yourself a football fan, you would know that it was anything but boring. It was a classic defensive battle that came down to one big play late in the game. How anyone who actually knows football can say otherwise is beyond me. It's been almost seven days and I'm still astounded. But that's not all.
To some (this is where the Eagles come in), the Ravens "had the game wrapped up, but still lost." Again, if you actually watched the game, you would know that the Ravens never even had a lead in the game. And I'd hardly call being down by two with the ball at their own 20 yard line with five minutes left to play, "having the game wrapped up." And, while he made the key play in the game, even Steelers fans admit that Troy Polamalu did not "have that rookie's number." How any of these comments make any sense at all to anyone, I may never know.
As promised, here's how the Eagles...tie in I suppose. Around the time I tried to make sense of the statement about having the game wrapped up, I received two texts that were quite similar. Pretty much what they said was that the Eagles weren't even expected to make it as far as they did, so they were expected to lose. This was just unreal. First, the fact that the Eagles are professional choke artists still has absolutely nothing to do with the Baltimore Ravens. And second, Baltimore wasn't expected to win. Putting my loyalty to the team aside, the AFC Championship Game was one of the hardest picks to make. There was no way anyone knew who would win that game, especially a few ignorant Eagles fans who think that the Patriots cheated in Super Bowl XXXIX and that Donovan McNabb is one of the top quarterbacks in the league today. Yeah, I'm not sure how they knew either. Trey Wingo should start sending out resumes.
So as I sit and try to make sense of all this, and you think about what a jerk I am, you may be wondering what my point is. Basically, here's what I'm trying to get out there. If you're an Eagles fan like those I've described, and you're wondering why people think you're an idiot, there's a very logical explanation: you most likely are (at least when it comes to football). And if you're wondering what you can do about it, here's a simple solution: expand your NFL knowledge. Start watching teams other than your own. Do some homework next season on your opponents. That way, when someone asks you about a game, the two of you can have a nice, intelligent discussion about football and he or she won't want to throw you in front of a bus. It's not hard to broaden your horizons, and it will make so many lives a lot easier.
I'm not asking you to do it for me, I'm asking you to do it for yourselves. Get to know what you're going to be discussing and get rid of the harsh (but accurate) stereotypes about Eagles fans. Trust me, it will only lead to good things. Feel free to thank me anytime.
Pat
The Trio
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