On today's episode of NFL Live, ESPN's Josina Anderson says she spoke to an Eagles source and asked him if the Super Bowl hangover theory is legit and is why the Eagles are having a poor season. The source said no to that theory and named a few different reasons he believes the team isn't as good as last year's team.
One of the reasons the source says the Eagles are having a bad season is that he feels the team is over-targeting Zach Ertz. He feels it is disrupting the rhythm with other players in the offense and that is why the rest of the offense struggles when they do see targets.
The other reasons mentioned all can be legitimate concerns, but blaming Carson Wentz's chemistry with Zach Ertz seems like a stretch. Ertz is on pace to break the all-time NFL record for receptions by a tight end in a season. Here is a quick glance of the tight ends with the most receptions in a single season and how those seasons turned out for their respective teams:
110- Jason Witten (2012)
-The Cowboys had an 8-8 record and did not reach the playoffs
102- Tony Gonzalez (2004)
-The Chiefs had a 7-9 record and did not reach the playoffs
100 - Dallas Clark (2009)
- The Colts had a 14-2 record and won the AFC championship, but lost to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV
99-Tony Gonzalez (2007)
-The Chiefs had a 4-12 record and did not reach the playoffs
99-Jimmy Graham (2011)
-The Saints had a 12-4 record and won one playoff game before losing in the NFC Divisional Round
That data shows us that there isn't really a trend that shows that a tight end having a focus in the offense is a bad trend for the rest of the team. Offensive Coordinator Mike Groh said last week that he is having a hard time integrating the team's newest weapon Golden Tate, so the offense's troubles this season could come down to Groh and Pederson's inabilities to get the rest of the offense prepared, while Ertz is the only player who is doing his job well enough and Wentz therefore only trusts him.
The only way the offense will put this team in a position to win is to keep focusing on Ertz, and the other offensive players need to step up when their name is called.
