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Philadelphia Eagles
Overall: 86
Title track: 95
Ownership: 65
Coaching: 102
Players: 92
Fan relations: 80
Affordability: 87
Stadium experience: 94
Bang for the buck: 76
Change from last year: -13
When voting for the Ultimate Standings was completed in late August, the buzz surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles was near an all-time low. Jaded as a result of how things ended with Chip Kelly and uninspired by the QB pairing of Doug Pederson and Sam Bradford, fans were bracing for a boring year that was viewed as more of an obstacle between them and the start of the Carson Wentz era. That helps explain why the overall number fell 13 points, and why the Eagles failed to score well in just about every category. Since then? Well, Wentz has been thrust into the starting role, and a better-than-expected start to the year might have people rethinking these numbers.
What's good
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie saw an 11-point jump in the approval ratings, up to 65th, the Eagles' best showing. Lurie has been nothing if not active over the past year: He dramatically changed courses by firing Kelly not long after giving him full personnel control, then turned to the familiar by bringing in Andy Reid protégé Pederson as his successor. He wrote check after check -- $280 million in total, nearly double the next-highest team's total -- in guaranteed money for players this offseason. And he signed off on an aggressive plan to attack the quarterback position, which included trading up twice to snatch Wentz with the No. 2 overall pick in this April's draft. There is a real sense that Lurie, now 65 and Super Bowl-less since buying the team in 1994, is taking a more hands-on approach.
What's bad
A lack of identity likely factored into the players ranking dipping 32 spots from last year. Hopes were high entering last season after Kelly blew up the roster and brought in his own guys -- a group that included Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso. Howie Roseman, back in charge of personnel, worked to reverse just about every move Kelly made. Safe to say, there are a lot of unwearable player jerseys buried in closets across the Philadelphia area right now. That No. 11 Wentz jersey seems like a keeper, though, and chances are this rating will experience a spike by the time the 2017 Ultimate Standings are released.
What's new
Coaching took a major hit, plummeting 69 points from 33 to 102. That speaks to the optimism surrounding Kelly last year after a pair of 10-6 seasons, the level of disappointment across the region when that experiment crashed hard, and the skepticism with which the Pederson hire was met. Pederson has acquitted himself pretty well in the early going, however, and, after being duped by the Kelly hype, Eagles fans are almost ready to put themselves out there again. Almost. If nothing else, it can be said that having three QB experts on the staff (Pederson, offensive coordinator Frank Reich and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo) has been good for the development of Wentz.
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