1991 Philadelphia Eagles season

The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in missing the postseason, despite having a 10–6 record and finishing with the top-ranked defense in the NFL. During Week 1, quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season with a knee injury.

OverviewEdit

A "Real" Fresh StartEdit

On January 8, team owner Braman, NormanNorman Braman opted not to renew the contract of Ryan, BuddyBuddy Ryan, the Eagles' head coach since 1986. On the same day, Braman promoted then-offensive coordinator Kotite, RichRich Kotite, making him the 18th head coach in club history. They opened with a 3–1 mark, their best start since 1981, despite having lost QB Randall Cunningham for the year due to a knee injury suffered at Green Bay on opening day. After coming on to lead the Eagles to their solid start, backup QB McMahon, JimJim McMahon was also injured in game 5.

A Winless OctoberEdit

With McMahon sidelined, the Birds suffered through a four-game skid. By midseason, Philadelphia had used an astounding five different quarterbacks (This list also including rookie Goebel, BradBrad Goebel, & veterans Ryan, PatPat Ryan, & Kemp, JeffJeff Kemp) in eight games and seen its record sink to 3–5.

A Relatively Healthy McMahon ReturnsEdit

Week 10 saw McMahon return to the line-up, and the Eagles surged into contention for a playoff spot with a six-game winning streak (the club's longest since the start of '81) that upped their record to 9–5.

Heart Of A ChampionEdit

A season ending rib injury to (already the teams backup QB) McMahon in week 15 (a 19–14 win against the Giants) made way for a devastating loss at home to Dallas in week 16, ending Philadelphia's playoff hopes. However, the season was highlighted by a 10–6 record, allowing the Eagles to join the 49ers as the only NFL clubs to post 10-or-more wins in each of the last four seasons.

A Defense That Rewrote the Record BooksEdit

The defense finished the season ranked #1 in the NFL in terms of fewest yards allowed overall, vs. the run, and vs. the pass. As such, the Birds became only the fifth club in NFL history and the first since 1975 to accomplish this rare triple. In addition, the Eagles' defense led the NFL in sacks and fumble recoveries and tied for the league lead in takeaways. Five members of that defensive unit represented the Eagles in the Pro Bowl – DEs White, ReggieReggie White and Simmons, ClydeClyde Simmons, DT Brown, JeromeJerome Brown, and LB Joyner, SethSeth Joyner were selected as starters while CB Allen, EricEric Allen also made the NFC squad. The selection of White, Simmons, and Brown marked only the sixth time in NFL history that three defensive linemen from one team were elected to the Pro Bowl.

OffseasonEdit

NFL DraftEdit

The 1991 NFL Draft draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York. On that day, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail from the University of Notre Dame, who was projected as the number one overall pick,[1] signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Los Angeles Raiders made him the 100th pick of the draft in the 4th round.

The Eagles with a 10 – 6 record in 1990 had the 19th or 20th pick in each round. The Eagles also that a pick at number 8 in the 1st round and they chose Antone Davis a Tackle out of Tennessee. The Eagles 1st round pick at number 19 was traded away earlier and acquired by the Green Bay Packers. They made 12 picks in the 12 rounds of the 1991 draft.

The overall number 1 pick was made by the Dallas Cowboys and they chose Russell Maryland a Defensive Tackle out of the Miami (FL)

Player SelectionsEdit

PersonnelEdit

StaffEdit

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Regular seasonEdit

ScheduleEdit

StandingsEdit

Awards and honorsEdit

NFL Comeback Player of the Year – Jim McMahon QB

UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year – Reggie White DE

ReferencesEdit

• Eagles on Pro Football Reference
• Eagles on jt-sw.com
• Eagles on Eagles.net