PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Philadelphia Eagles are 11 – 5, clinched a playoff spot, and still have a chance at winning the NFC East.
But you wouldn’t know it because around town, all people are talking about is how bad the Birds are.
Plus, you know it’s real bad when the psychologists start speaking up.
Over the years, Dr. Joel Fish has worked with all four professional sports teams in town. He’s also a lifelong Philadelphia fan who feels the highs and lows just like all of us.
There’s no doubt this is a losing streak at the wrong time. On paper, there’s no way the Eagles should look this bad. So what gives?
“The Eagles were finding a way to win when they were 10 – 1, especially in the fourth quarter and the end of the games. Now you can see them being more tentative at the end of games, making uncharacteristic mistakes,” Dr. Fish said. “That’s typically symbolic of a team that emotionally right now is in a slump and having a bit of a self confidence issue.”
All Philadelphia fans seem to have an opinion on how they should fix it, so here’s what Dr. Fish said.
“Momentum in football is a funny thing. It can be one play, it can be one moment. So sometimes devising this elaborate plan isn’t necessarily going to be what fixes it. It’s just being prepared to be able to respond to a key moment in the game,” Dr. Fish said.
Then, there’s the fans.
“They’re not good at football right now,” one fan told CBS News Philadelphia.
Crawford: “So what is it about Philadelphia fans that make us so negative?”
Dr. Fish: “Well, first of all, we’re so passionate.”
Dr. Fish said in this city, sports are part of our civic identity. Fans take every win and every loss personally.
“The more you let yourself dream, this could be another team that wins a super bowl, the crash emotionally is larger when things don’t go your way,” Dr. Fish said. “That’s where we are in the cycle right now because we’ve allowed ourselves to dream this could be a Super Bowl team. Now the losing streak this loss is creating that emotional crash for people. That’s part of being a Philadelphia fan.”
An obsession Philadelphia fans embrace for better or worse.