In the first Top Gun movie Charlotte Blackwood, call-sign “Charlie”, played by actress Kelly McGillis, during a study session breaking down tape of her students’ latest hop says to Maverick, played by actor Tom Cruise, “The MIG has you in his sight. What were you thinking?” For which Maverick, replies “You don’t have time to think up there. If you think, you’re dead.”
Thirty Six years later in the sequel, Maverick, Mav makes the implication that reacting trumps thinking, his pervasive message of his elite flight training crash course to his students as he prepares them for a death defying mission.
The difference is that when you are being fired upon by enemy bogies and only have a fraction of a second to respond to a heat seeking missile bearing down on you as you’re buzzing mountain tops and rolling your aircraft to avoid enemy gun fire, its probably a better course of action to go with your instincts rather than trying to problem-solve with your intellect.
The key word being “intellect”, a word not often associated with Eagles’ fans on a Monday morning during the football season or otherwise at times. The latest wave of irresponsible responses, worthy of fandom exile, came in the wake of the big news leading to the upcoming regular season finale. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni announced on Thursday that he will rest most of his starters, including Saquon Barkley, for their meaningless upcoming game versus the Giants on Sunday.
Barkley will get some much needed rest for the playoffs in Week 18, which will leave him 101 yards short of becoming the NFL’s single-season rushing yards champion and save the Giants from even more humiliation for letting the bell cow running back hit free agency nine months ago and free to sign with the Eagles. Barkley did surpass the 2,000-yard mark after running for 167 yards on Sunday against the Cowboys, becoming the ninth player to do so.
Philadelphia is known for two things. It’s the birthplace of democracy and it’s the birthplace of massive overreaction.
The sports talk radio airwaves in “the city of brotherly shove” have been buzzing the last three days with some of the most over the top, over reactionary, ludicrous and irresponsible vitriol aimed at a coach that has gone 47-20 since the Nick Sirianni era began, that has included a trip to the Super Bowl and possibly another coming as the Birds are sitting pretty and pretty healthy with a 13-3 record and number 2 seed in the NFC all locked up.
I wrote an article yesterday on why resting Saquon Barkley against the Giants is not only the prudent thing to do its the intelligent (there’s that word again) thing to do. If you are still confused about rest versus record or right versus wrong here it is.
Trust me the sooner you get I know what I’m talking about, and I’m on your side, the sooner your world gets better.
I heard callers use words like “selfish”, “mean spirited”, and “fireable offense” as they aimed the sharpest knives within reach to verbally toss at coach Sirianni. Birds’ General Manager Howie Roseman and Owner Jeffrey Lurie ended up as collateral damage as none of the organization’s top people survived the incident without some battle scars.
Here’s a small sample of what X had to offer after the news of Barkley resting this Sunday broke.
@PhillySportsGoBoom I will never forgive the Eagles for what they did to Saquon’s Legacy this week. As the main factor on offense which lead us to this success, he deserved a chance to break this record. When i’m 65 years old I’ll still he talking about this s–t. “He was 100 yds away kids, damn”
@WEAPONXMEDIA The Philadelphia eagles are a Joke of an organization for what they’re doing to Saquon! Pathetic! Not letting him Break the record is one of the worst moments I’ve ever experienced as a Eagles fan! #saquonbarkley #philadelphiaeagles
@kelownaolde @Eagles How could you not play Barkley? Slap in face to @saquon and fans. Sucker punch to his gut. The @Giants and fans bashed him. Come on It’s Bulls–t. Barkley deserves to make history and the team takes it away. Start him and see how it starts. With his skill he could have had the record by the half then sit him. To take this opportunity away is wrong imo. Reward him for the season he has had
@iamrahstradamus If the only thing that matters are championships, all leagues should just play Olympic style tournaments with knockout rounds and have that be the season. No need for a regular season. It doesn’t matter to anyone anymore. That’s where we are now.
Can’t make it up.
Barkley is listed as DOUBTFUL so will most likely rest for the playoffs in Week 18, which will leave him 101 yards short of the NFL’s single-season rushing yards record. But, he did surpass the 2,000-yard mark and his legacy is now embedded in the annals of NFL history. I do find it a little curious that Barkley is listed as DOUBTFUL rather than OUT, which technically means there is a 25% chance that he does play on Sunday. I guess the Eagles just want to keep the option open should they change their mind.
Barkley admitted on Thursday, January 2, that there is a part of him that wants to break the record, but he says there is a bigger goal in mind.
“He (Sirianni) asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for it. On Sunday, I probably didn’t care too much for it,” Barkley said. “When I slept on it, was like, it’s an opportunity to implant my name in football history. I may never get another opportunity like that again.
“So I’m down. But at the end of the day, I don’t care for putting the team at risk.
Barkley is right. He may not get another opportunity to break the record again. There isn’t a precedent for it. None of the other eight guys in the 2000 yard club ever did it again. Each had generational seasons in their respective historical years. But then again he might. He’s Saquon Barkley and around these parts #26 bears an uncanny resemblance to the guy in the blue tights with the red cape. Do you ever remember Superman not emerging victorious in anything he ever set out to do?
Stay tuned.
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Eagles’ Fans Taking a Top Gun Approach to News That Saquon Barkley Won’t Go For the Rushing Record