Hope at the bottom of the NFC East division apparently goes beyond Washington. Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid didn’t mince words Wednesday in describing the outlook for his team, which is 3-6 and on a five-game losing streak.
“That’s the way the National Football League is — you’re in it, and so you keep playing and you play hard and you keep working hard,” Reid said during a teleconference. “That’s how you go about business.”
The Eagles are reeling ahead of this Sunday’s game against the Redskins in Landover, Md. Both teams are 3-6, a record that only four teams in league history have overcome to make the potseason.
Because of the Philadelphia’s run of poor results, speculation about Reid’s job security is a hot topic. Before the season, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said he needed to see “substantial improvement” from last year’s disappointing 8-8 finish. That obviously has not been the case.
Reid, however, is not capitulating. His team, which has not won a playoff game since 2008, will keep fighting, he said.
“Listen, this year’s not over,” Reid said. “We’ve had some things go the other way where we lost games, and that’s all part of this league. You just keep battling. We’re playing in the National Football League. There’s only 32 of each one of us that has an opportunity to do this — I’m talking about players, coaches, reporters, everybody. It’s a privilege to play and coach in this league. You don’t put yourself in that position where you’re down like that. You have an opportunity. That’s how you look at it.”
At least, that’s how Eagles defensive end Trent Cole does.
“Any given Sunday, anything can happen,” he said. “I’ve played eight years in the league. I’ve seen some of the craziest things happen. Like I said, we’re not going to give up. This is Eagles football, and we’ll fight until the end.”
• Rich Campbell can be reached at rcampbell@washingtontimes.com.
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