They don't run the ball enough.
They aren't consistent on offense.
The game plans aren't imaginative enough.
The defense bends too much, even if it doesn't break.
"If we can get criticized for winning," Eagles coach Andy Reid said yesterday, "that's pretty good. I don't mind as long as the W's are there."
The most important W of the season stands for Washington, the Eagles' opponent Sunday. It's the kind of significant late-season game that only contending teams get a chance to play, one rife with challenges, intrigue, and serious consequences for both the winner and the loser.
"I love games like this," Reid said.
It was a few minutes after his formal news conference. Reid was reminded of something he had said two years ago, when he took over the Eagles: The games that mean the most are the ones you invest yourself in, the ones when you lay your abilities as a coach or player on the line.
"I'm curious to see how we respond," Reid said. "That's what it's all about."
In his third season, Reid has shown a distinct knack for getting the Eagles into these games. With an 8-4 record and possession of first place in the NFC East, the Eagles are among the top 10 teams in the NFL at the season's three-quarter mark. They are now playing games that will determine position in the postseason.
Sunday's game at FedEx Field is a prime example. The stakes are high. The Eagles could be in position to clinch the division title with a victory (if Arizona beats or ties the Giants Saturday). At the least, a victory will keep the Eagles in control of the division.
"The one thing this week," Reid said, "the players are going to know it's a big game. It's very obvious that it's a team that got after us pretty good the last time they played us, it's an NFC East team, and there are things riding on it. I don't have to say a word about that. They already know that."
The timing, more so even than the high stakes, makes the game a classic test for the Eagles.
Three weeks ago, the Redskins embarrassed the Eagles, 13-3, at Veterans Stadium. It was the worst game of the season for quarterback Donovan McNabb and the rest of the offense. For Reid, as the offensive architect and play-caller, it was the worst game of the season, too.
"We didn't play very well," Reid said. "It was the whole group. There were guys who had opportunities to make plays in that game and they didn't do it. They need to do a better job there, and I need to do a better job of putting them in position to do that."
