.& Sats. UE aC The dream team all but a dream By David Hollinshead he self-proclaimed “dream team” that is the 2011/2012 Philadelphia Eagles is a fraud. The Eagles seem to bathe themselves in controversy in more recent years, but that would all be overlooked if they won a championship.title or two © in the past few years. With everyone expecting that this was going to be their year, the high-powered Eagles tripped coming out of the gates, and by week six may have already ended their season at 1-4. You may wonder, “with a team playing so bad, how could they be a dream team?” Let’s go through the steps. A couple years ago, after quarterback Michael Vick was released from prison for his role in a dog fighting ring, the Eagles under heavy controversy gave the once-superstar a second chance in the NFL just for his upside. The Eagles appeared to already be set at the quarterback position, with long time veteran Donovan McNabb and his apparent heir Kevin Kolb. Circumstances forced Vick into a starting role and never looked back. The Eagles shopped both other quarterbacks away, believing they found the face of their franchise. Vick plays an unconventional style of quarterback. While teams may be content with a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning who stand in the pocket and chuck passes, Vick is a dual threat with a rocket arm and is faster than most players in the league and can get it done running the ball. To add to their firepower, the Eagles signed former Miami Dolphins star running back Ronnie Brown to compliment their other star running back LeSean McCoy. But wait, there’s more! The Eagles signed the talented wide receiver Steve Smith from division rival, the New 22 York Giants. The Eagles were already set at receiver with two young stars Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson and a decent tight end in Bret Celek. The Eagles also have a decent offensive line, including Canadian rookie Danny Watkins. On paper, the Eagles offence looked like one that could be so versatile and unpredictable that defences would be hard-pressed to stop them. Instead, this offence has made mistake after mistake and ends up turning the ball over more often than not. On defence, the Eagles signed two stars to go with their already solid front four with defensive tackle Mike Patterson and defensive end Trent Cole: former Tennessee Titans defensive end Jason Babin and former Green Bay Packer defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. The Eagles also signed arguably the best cornerback in the league with Nnamdi Asomugha, and acquired up- and-comer cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, while having pro- bowler Asante Samuel already on the roster. During the shortened training camp this year, several Eagles players were proclaiming themselves the “dream team,” and felt unstoppable, ready to bring coach Andy Reid his first Super Bowl. Reid took the team to one Super Bowl in his tenure, and lost to the New England Patriots. Reid would be considered a Hall of Fame-candidate coach with great regular season success, but without a ring, it makes his case that much harder. Since posting such mediocre numbers, Vick has already come out and dismissed the “dream team” phenomenon and insists that no one refer to the title anymore: After all these signings, he could also be out of a job if the Eagles don’t start performing. With all of these high- priced transactions, it has left the Eagles with several holes on their roster and unable to afford luxuries such as proven special teams. The Eagles defence has arguably one of the worst © linebacker corps in the league, after cutting solid players to make room for unneeded stars. They had to let long time kicker David Akers go, and are now going with two rookies for their kicking/punting duties. Alex Henery and Chas Henry (you can’t make this stuff up) have already shown that their inexperience is costly. Henery has a field goal percentage of a meagre 75 per cent, while Henry has been decent with a 41.5 yard average per punt. His average doesn’t show off how solid he’s been after a poor showing against Buffalo where he only averaged 36 yards a punt. With all this star power, the Eagles have been left with scraps when it comes to depth. When it seemed as though Vick was going to miss a week, backup Vince Young would’ve taken over, and with his history of being a first round bust and the dramatics surrounding him in Tennessee, it doesn’t look bright. The Eagles offensive tackles injuries have also resulted in Vick being pressured and throwing passes he doesn’t want to. It also forced Watkins into action, where he’s looked solid. Injuries to the defensive line have also plagued the Eagles. Their two top strong safeties are also injured, leaving them little help on an already pedestrian back end. It'll be a huge week in week six against the division rival Washington Redskins. If the Eagles don’t win, their post season hopes are realistically over, and coaching moves may be the next overhaul that the organization will have to address.