Players-only-meeting time in Philly.
A down-on-its-luck 1-4 Eagles team gathered Wednesday behind closed doors to talk about saving a season that's drifted miles away from the hype and acclaim that once surrounded their star-studded roster.
Wideout Jason Avant -- not a household name -- called the meeting, and middle linebacker Jamar Chaneytold the Philadelphia Daily News it restored some focus.
"Everybody was calm," Chaney said. "You don't want to get heated right now; it ain't no time to panic. We know what we're capable of doing, and we're not going to panic. We've had a few bad games, four bad games, but at the end of the day, we don't think those four teams are better than us. They won the games ... we just have to go out there and do a better job of playing the whole game, on offense and defense.
"... When it's all said and done, we don't think no team can beat us, but we've been doing a good job of beating ourselves lately, and we've got to stop doing that."
Avant was clear: the meeting wasn't to knock Andy Reid: "... We definitely support our coach on every side. This is a Philadelphia Eagles thing. The players have to come up and do their part."
ESPN points out that no 1-5 team has made the playoffs since the revised playoff format was adopted in 1990, but the Eagles have bigger issues than qualifying for a playoff run.
This team's legitimate, dazzling talent at some skill positions can't hide the fundamental issues Philly has protecting Michael Vick. On defense, they're allowing an alarming 26.4 points per game -- this with a defensive backfield many felt would turn offenses into Pop Warner units.
