Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) audibles at the line of scrimmage against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Kevin McGuire on

Remember that time people were talking about the Philadelphia Eagles as a strong and surprising NFC contender. That was a grand old time, back in September of 2016. Things were much simpler back then. My what a difference two months has made.

The Philadelphia Eagles got out to a 2-0 start with wins against the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. Things seemed pretty good after a 2-0 start, but it was fair to question how legitimate the Eagles were after just two games against not-so-heavy competition. The thought that the Eagles may have known what they were doing in hiring Doug Pederson was

It was so easy to get sucked in by what the Eagles were doing. They did have the look and feel of a competent playoff team despite a number of flaws that were about to be exposed in a big way. Regardless of the small sample size, the Eagles were being labeled as playoff contenders. We were no better, just for the record, with Chase Ruttig writing for The Comeback the Eagles were a playoff contender with Carson Wentz. And it wasn’t just Chase. I may have gotten a little swept up in the early-season fun by suggesting the Eagles proved me wrong about drafting Carson Wentz after I suggested time and time again this was not a year the Eagles should have moved up to draft a quarterback (I always felt staying at No. 8 and drafting Ezekiel Elliott would have been a fine move.)

Things got off to a fun start for the Wentz Wagon in Philly, but it was not until after a home win against the Pittsburgh Steelers that the optimism felt validated. And from there, Wentzlemania really started to run wild (myself included).

https://twitter.com/sportsonearth/status/780444350576627713

https://twitter.com/jasonrmcintyre/status/780428195019436032

A playoff contender in the NFC East? Sure, at the time, why not? The thrill of seeing young quarterbacks deliver early on was everywhere, including in Dallas and even in New England. Fast-forward a couple of months and now early thoughts and observations like this look a tad silly.

https://twitter.com/tonybrunoshow/status/780177486965383168

The Cowboys are 11-1 and the Eagles are 0-3 in the NFC East, with Washington on deck this coming weekend.

Remember that preseason trade the Eagles and Vikings made? It’s funny how things work out sometime. There was a time this season the biggest question was whether the Eagles or Vikings were the best team in the NFC.

General manager Howie Roseman looked like a bonafide stud in the first week of the season, but as the season has gone on the warts of the roster really started to take over. Roseman should be held accountable for some of that, right?

The future may still be bright for the Eagles moving forward, and Wentz may turn out to be a solid franchise quarterback, but it is painfully obvious in Philadelphia the Eagles need to provide a quality supporting cast around him. This is still very much a rebuilding season for the Birds, and help should be on the way with good quality scouting and drafting as well as free agency moves. It was far too early to project Super Bowl glory in late September, but it is also premature to suggest a soiled 2016 season is reason enough to suggest the Eagles need to go back to the drawing board as a franchise.

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.

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