Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl win greater than future results

The Philadelphia Eagles have a Lombardi Trophy and fans have every reason to believe they will be good in 2018. Any future success is a cherry on top.

The Philadelphia Eagles are on top of the mountain. Watching the memorable 2017 season was a roller-coaster, to say the least. I mean, the deck kept getting stacked against the Eagles winning games every week with each injury that stirred some concern in our stomachs and thoughts, especially Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Think about Jake Elliott’s game-winner against the New York Giants. How about the previous play from Carson Wentz to Alshon Jeffery to set up that kick? Fast forward to the surprising blowout over the Denver Broncos where Philly hung 51 points on their opponents. Then there was getting the update about the MVP-caliber quarterback going down for the year. Thoughts swirling of how the playoffs would unfold with a backup quarterback. Then that goal-line stand against the Atlanta Falcons at the Linc. Dominating the Minnesota Vikings the following week in the NFC Championship Game. It was numerous ups and downs in terms of emotion.

How did you feel during those two weeks of down time before the Big Game? Super Bowl Sunday came and we saw the “Philly Special” heading into halftime. Zach Ertz ran a slant route and dove into the end zone after a difficult pass from Nick Foles. A timely Brandon Graham sack where Derek Barnett recovered the ball. The last play, the Hail Mary that fell incomplete. It was all like a dream, only that it wasn’t — it was reality.

Before the 2018 regular season kicks off in a few weeks, understand this much: any future winning should be considered a cherry on top. Eagles fans just witnessed their favorite team win their only championship in franchise history. The possibility that it may never happen again is something to appreciate and you really can’t ask for more than that.

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We all know reality, unless you’ve been paying attention to who the Eagles just outscored and dethroned to bring home their first Lombardi Trophy. The New England Patriots have proven to be the exception, the excellence of execution if you will, no matter how much we may feel about the Eagles becoming the next franchise to sustain long-term success. The Pats figured out a way to become the class of the NFL, top to bottom, whether or not they have as much fun doing what they do Monday through Saturday during the season.

Fans all want more. The franchise and the media all have jobs to do. Just like everyday work, they go through the daily whirlwind. If/when the Eagles are in first place after Thanksgiving, fans are all going to be thinking repeat with every reason to expect that outcome. How could they not? The team persevered without a handful of their best players. So if the team continues, there’s every reason to keep believing.

That also means that, if the Eagles struggle or miss the playoffs, fans will continue to express how some slot cornerback needs to move outside or if it’s finally time to figure out the future at left tackle. At this point, the franchise has earned the benefit of the doubt.

Early in the season, it’s common for offenses to be ahead of defenses. Couple that with the fact that Wentz and Jeffery are recovering from injuries, worst-case scenario, fans will be struggling to be patient if they start .500 or below in the first half of the season. Put it this way: if fans were asked to sacrifice the post-Super Bowl season for a healthy decade of No. 11, they absolutely would, because this team would be in the playoff hunt year in and year out.

How are the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers without their star quarterbacks when they’ve gotten injured?

It doesn’t really matter that I think this is an 11-12 win team that repeats as NFC East champs, and that will clinch another first-round bye in the postseason. What matters is that the Eagles are the best team in football until proven otherwise, and they’ll be tough to eliminate from the playoff picture.

Appreciate what you have, Eagles fans — they brought a title home. Not all fans of the Eagles, Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Cavaliers have witnessed a championship season in their lifetime. Then there’s there teams without one at all. Be excited that you get to root for the defending champions and Week 1 is nearly here.

This could be the next great team for years to come, or that shiny new trophy could be the only one brought back to Philly. Not every team wins it all, let alone goes back-to-back. But as Terrell Owens likes to say, “Get your popcorn ready!”