I don't think I'm alone in saying that mathematical elimination from the playoffs in Week 13 is something that any fan foresaw after the end of last year. Well, here we are. Officially on the outside looking in for the first time under the Bowles/McCagnan regime and it feels every bit as disgusting as it did when Rex Ryan ran the circus. As easy as it is to tear into the management for how this season went, I do not think the majority of the blame is theirs to shoulder.
Think back to the 2014 off-season. Rex was gone, we had just landed one of the more promising coaching prospects the league had to offer. McCagnan had a solid track record in Houston. He then made one of the bigger splashes in free agency in recent memory. The fan base was ecstatic to bring back defensive stars Revis and Cromartie, in addition to outright stealing Brandon Marshall for peanuts.
While these players were all dominant last season, their regression, especially Revis, has significantly hurt the defense that was ranked 6th in the NFL at the end of last season. Defensively, as evidenced against the Colts last Monday, the aging Revis cannot keep up with young, fast talent. He is no longer a shutdown corner, and his contract looks even uglier.
The offense, while still featuring a young and talented receiving corps is maligned by one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL. Ryan Fitzpatrick pulled the wool over our eyes for a season like he has everywhere else in his career. We knew at the conclusion of last year that he was not the guy to get us to the playoffs, and now this year we know it should be illegal for him to throw a football. Bowles has made a wise decision in letting Petty play the remainder of the season. Fitz must go. The aging contracts must be reworked. This team needs to get young and developed.
For every stopgap veteran that was signed, McCagnan has still been signing and drafting youth with high upsides. Quincy Enunwa, Bilal Powell, Leonard Williams and Darron Lee have consistently been playing hard football despite the state of the team. With a top 5 picked guaranteed, there is a lot of flexibility on what to spend it on. So while it is all doom and gloom for the time being, there is hope for the future. The 76ers mantra of "trusting the process" has paid off in the long run, and I am confident in Bowles to be our tank commander.
