No repercussions for Eagles’ tank … So far there is no confirmation from the NFL – and there very well may never be one – but the Associated Press is reporting that Philadelphia won’t be penalized for apparently tanking in their season finale earlier this month. The Eagles’ did just about everything but actually throw in the towel in the 4th quarter of their week 17 home loss to Washington which if the Eagles had won would have knocked the Nonames out of the playoffs and would have sent the NY Giants to the post-season to represent the NFC East. There had been speculation that the league, which claims to put a lot of stock in competitive ethics, might come down hard on the Eagles who dropped to the 6th pick in the draft from the 9th, particularly with just about everyone, including several Philadelphia players, strongly criticizing the move. Its tough for us to be totally unbiased as a long-time Giants’ fan. However, we can honestly say we don’t recall ever seeing an NFL team literally throw a game simply for the sake of losing. Sure teams have occasionally not fielded their strongest team, but there has always been a legitimate football reason. Either the team wanted to rest players for the playoffs or get a look at some younger players for the future. As a result, we thought the NFL needed to say something even if it was just penalizing the Eagles three spots in the draft back to the 9th pick. Or bump them to the back of the non-playoff teams or even the end of the first round, but hey at least the league hammered that kid who wore red and green shoes Christmas Day. Now that’s something that just can’t be tolerated!
