It was the same word, but it had vastly different meanings.
Vince Young and Tom Brady, the two quarterbacks in Sundays Eagles-Patriots game, were asked to assess their performances. Both said OK.
It said everything about why Brady is Brady, headed back to the playoffs and possibly a fifth Super Bowl, and why the 2011 Eagles are a dysfunctional bottom-feeder at 4-7.
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Brady was, in fact, very good on Sunday. He completed 24 of 34 pass attempts for 361 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating was 134.6. Thats a lot better than "OK."
Still, Brady understood there is a higher standard than the one on the stat sheet. There is a bottom line that wont be tallied until February when the confetti is falling in Indianapolis and someone is holding aloft the Lombardi Trophy.
Brady has been there and done that so he knows Super Bowls are won by doing things a certain way. That means a slow start like the one the Patriots had on Sunday wont do. It means falling behind 10-0 is unacceptable. It means that missing an open Wes Welker on even one third down pass cannot happen.
Brady doesnt just play to win, he plays to win it all and because he knows what it takes to win it all, he can look at a game like Sunday and term it "OK," nothing more. It was one win, one more step towards the real goal, and who really cares about the stats?
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With Young, it was a different message. In the postgame interview, Young said he felt OK about his performance. If you just look at the box scorehe threw for 400 yards, a career highit might support that. But it is the difference between fantasy football and the real thing.
Yeah, 400 yards is great in fantasy. And that touchdown pass to Jason Avant with 32 seconds left? That was worth points for some fantasy team. It might have even been the difference between winning and losing for some fantasy owner. Good for him. But in this game, it didnt mean diddly. It was as empty as the Linc when the touchdown was scored.
Young didnt seem to grasp that. A big chunk of those yards were garbage yards piled up long after the game was decided. What about the 0-for-6 on third downs when it was still a game? What about the three possessions in the first half where Young ran a grand total of seven playsincluding a badly-underthrown interceptionand held the ball for 2:22 while the Pats were cranking up their offense? Thats where the game was decided.
Could you imagine if the situations were reversed and Brady walked into a press conference after losing by 18 points at home and was asked about his performance? Rest assured, he would not say it was OK. He would say it was a loss and therefore unacceptable. And he would be right.
Young shrugged off an embarrassing loss that effectively ended the Eagles season and left the distinct impression it was no big deal. He got his yards and padded his stats as he prepares to go back on the open market after this season and, well, thats good enough.
It may seem like Im making too much out of what was perhaps an off-handed comment. Of course, it was another off-handed comment by the same Vince Youngcalling the Eagles a Dream Teamthat is now pasted on their backside like a Kick Me sign
But, unwitting or not, I think Young summed up much of whats wrong with this team. It is all about the individual and not about the team. The Eagles have become the Redskins of Daniel Snyder. They have the same characteristics and the same faults. The Eagles put together a roster but not a team. They have talent but no leadership. They have names but no identityand were 13 weeks into the season.
The coaches have been unable to keep the team focused. They played well against Dallas then played pitifully in losses to Chicago and Arizona. They played well against the New York Giants and melted down against the Patriots. The game plan was mystifying and the play-calling was hapless. Sometimes you get the feeling the Eagles coaches are working with crayons while everyone else is painting with oils.
This season is coming apart in ever-larger pieces. DeSean Jackson and his future is an issue that grows larger each week. Michael Vick is having a mistake-plagued season and now he is injured again. Juan Castillo looks more bewildered than he did when the season began. The offensive coordinator and defensive line coach have to be separated like a couple of loud mouths in the upper deck. Now the fans are chanting for the head of Andy Reid.
Seeing Jeff Lurie in the owners box on Sunday, you had to wonder what he was thinking. The stadium was almost empty, any hope for the season was lost and Bill Belichick was showing pity for the Eagles by running out the fourth quarter with his backup quarterback. The game Lurie probably looked forward to the most, the game against his hometown team, the Patriots, had turned into a nightmare.
The Eagles have lost eight of their last nine games at home. They have lost to good teams (the Packers and Patriots), lousy teams (the Cardinals and Vikings) and teams in-between (the Bears and Giants). The most loyal fan base in football finally said Enough and on Sunday, it walked away and left Jeff Lurie alone.
Sorry, Vince, but thats not OK.
E-mail Ray Didinger at viewfromthehall@comcast.net