Vince Youngs first, and still only, contribution to the Eagles has backfired.
When the man the Eagles signed to be Michael Vicks backup uttered the quote heard around the world, when he referred to the Eagles as a Dream Team, an astronomically high level of expectations had been set for a team with too many new and too many young faces in key spots in too short a time.
Young hasn't been able to back up his words. A hamstring injury has prevented him from filling in while Vick has been hurt. Young has tried to downplay the remark, to no avail. So now, as the Eagles try to dig out of a 1-3 hole, Michael Vick wants to bury the Dream Team label for good.
"I think the Dream Teamthat word is dead now," Vick said Wednesday before practice. "You cant talk Dream Team anymore. Maybe it put pressure on some players, maybe it didnt. But I think just the fact that people turned it around and was talking about it creates a sense of pressure."
Against the Niners, Vick threw for a career-high 416 yards and rushed for 75 more. In a loss. Hes the first player to throw for at least 400 and rush for at least 75 and in a losing effort.
The performance epitomized the season. The Eagles have shown flashes of the team that everyone thought they could be. But each of their projected weaknessoffensive line, linebacker, safety, kickerhave been actual weaknesses so far and have directly contributed to the losses.
The worst part about the 1-3 record? Pardon the clich, but the Eagles haven't been beaten; they've beaten themselves.
NFL
"I think thats over with now," he said, "and I think that were one of the teams that scratch and kick from the bottom now and figure out how were going to get ourselves back to a position of being one of the best teams in the league."
E-mail Andy Schwartz at aschwartz@comcastsportsnet.com.