1991 Philadelphia Eagles season

Background

Statistics site Football Outsiders ranks the 1991 Eagles, coordinated by Bud Carson, as the greatest defensive team in its ranking's history. According to Football Outsiders: The 1991 Eagles completely lap the field in terms of defensive DVOA. Only the 2002 Bucs had a better pass defense, and only the 2000 Ravens had a better run defense, and the Eagles were much more balanced than either of those teams.

It's crazy to imagine how few points the Eagles might have given up if they were playing with a halfway-decent offense instead of losing Randall Cunningham to a torn ACL in the first game of the season. The Eagles were lucky to have the lovable and fiercely competitive Jim McMahon for 11 starts, plus Jeff Kemp for two and Brad Goebel for two. McMahon was pretty terrific ... but the other two quarterbacks were awful, especially Goebel who had no touchdowns with six interceptions. And the running game was dreadful, with 3.1 yards per carry as a team.

Still, the Eagles were fifth in the league in points allowed, and first in yards allowed by nearly 400 yards – and the team that was second in yards allowed is also on that top-ten defenses list, the 1991 New Orleans Saints. The Eagles allowed 3.9 yards per play, where no other team allowed fewer than 4.5. As bad as their running game was, their run defense was even better, allowing 3.0 yards per carry. Three-fourths of the starting defensive line was All-Pro (Reggie White, Jerome Brown, and Clyde Simmons). Linebacker Seth Joyner and cornerback Eric Allen made the Pro Bowl as well.

Overview

A "real" fresh start

On January 8, team owner Norman Braman opted not to renew the contract of Buddy Ryan, the Eagles' head coach since 1986. On the same day, Braman promoted then-offensive coordinator Rich Kotite, making him the eighteenth head coach in the club's history. The team opened with a 3–1 mark, its best start since 1981, despite having lost Cunningham for the year due to a knee injury that was sustained in Green Bay thanks during an opening day-hit by Bryce Paup. After taking over and leading the Eagles to a solid start, backup QB Jim McMahon was also injured in Game 5 during a shutout loss to the Redskins.

A winless October

With McMahon sidelined, the Birds offense stalled completely during a stretch of eleven straight quarters without scoring a touchdown that culminated in a four-game skid. By mid-season, Philadelphia had used five different quarterbacks, including rookie Brad Goebel, former Jets backup Pat Ryan and former Niners third-stringer Jeff Kemp in eight games and saw its record sink to 3–5. Bleeding Green Nation ranked it as one of the worst Eagles backup QB seasons in the team's history, illustrating how the defense would have supported better quarterback play to several victories.

A relatively healthy McMahon returns

Week ten saw McMahon return to the lineup for a Monday night, 30–7 victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants at Veterans Stadium; however, the following week at Municipal Stadium proved to be a tighter-scoring game. The Eagles won 32–30 as Philadelphia spotted Cleveland a 23–0 lead early in the second quarter, before staging a comeback behind a battered McMahon (passing for 341 yards and three touchdowns). Before the game, McMahon's elbow was so swollen, his roommate Ron Heller had to tie his ponytail for him, and then told his lineman he wouldn't be able to play. But Birds trainer Otho Davis used a concoction he calls "Grandma's Goop" on the elbow, enabling McMahon to play.

These wins resurrected the season, and the Birds continued to surge into contention for a playoff berth with a six-game winning streak (the club's longest since the start of '81). This upped the team's record to 9–5.

The signature win of the run was a 13–6 Monday night victory against the Oilers in Houston on December 2, later dubbed the "House of Pain" game for the Eagles' defense-punishing Warren Moon and his teammates.

Heart of a champion

The season-ending rib injury to McMahon in week fifteen (a 19–14 win against the Giants) made way for a devastating loss at home to Dallas in week sixteen, ending Philadelphia's playoff hopes; however, the season was saved by a 10–6 record, allowing the Eagles to join the 49ers as the only NFL clubs to post ten or more wins in each of the last four seasons. Both teams missed the postseason in 1991, despite winning ten games.

A defense that rewrote the record books

Philadelphia's defense finished the season ranked first in the NFL in fewest passing yards, rushing yards, and total yards allowed. As such, the Eagles became only the fifth club in NFL history and the first since 1975 to accomplish this rare triple.

Five members of that defensive unit represented the Eagles in the Pro Bowl – DEs Reggie White and Clyde Simmons, DT Jerome Brown, and LB Seth Joyner were selected as starters while CB Eric 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.

In addition, the Eagles' defense led the NFL in sacks and fumble recoveries and tied for the league lead in takeaways. The Eagles' forty-eight defensive takeaways in 1991 tied for the highest number of defensive takeaways in the NFL during the 1990s.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1991 NFL draft

The 1991 NFL draft was held on April 21 and 22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Manhattan, New York. The Eagles with a 10–6 record in 1990 had the nineteenth or twentieth picks in each round. They also held the number eight pick of the first round, choosing Antone Davis, an offensive tackle from the University of Tennessee. The team's first round pick at number nineteen was traded away earlier and acquired by the Green Bay Packers. Over the course of the twelve-round draft, Philadelphia made twelve selections.

Other notable events

Following the previous season, head coach Buddy Ryan was fired and replaced by their offensive coordinator Rich Kotite, a position Kotite would hold for the next four seasons.

Personnel

Staff / Coaches

• Owner – Norman Braman

• President/Chief Operating Officer – Harry Gamble

• Director of player personnel – Joe Woolley

• Head coach – Rich Kotite

• Quarterbacks – Zeke Bratkowski

• Running backs – Dick Wood

• Receivers – Lew Carpenter

• Offensive line – Dan Neal

• Offensive line – Bill Walsh

• Defensive coordinator/Secondary – Bud Carson

• Defensive line – Dale Haupt

• Linebackers – Jim Vechiarella

• Defensive assistant – Peter Giunta

• Special teams – Dave Atkins

• Special teams assistant – Peter Giunta

• Strength and conditioning – Jim Williams

Roster

47 active, 10 inactive, 3 practice squad

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: at Green Bay Packers

Second quarter

• Eagles – Roger Ruzek 37-yard field goal – Eagles 3–0
• Eagles – Keith Byars 32-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick) – Eagles 10–0
• Eagles – Roger Ruzek 40-yard field goal – Eagles 13–0 Third quarter
• Packers – Chris Jacke 21-yard field goal – Eagles 13–3 Fourth quarter
• Eagles – Fred Barnett 75-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick) – Eagles 20–3 Eagles
• Jim McMahon 17/25, 257 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
• Thomas Sanders 23 Rush, 52 Yds
• Keith Byars 8 Rec, 111 Yds, TD Packers
• Don Majkowski 16/42, 201 Yds, 3 INT
• Darrell Thompson 6 Rush, 16 Yds
• Sterling Sharpe 6 Rec, 70 Yds

Week 3

Week 14

;Eagles

• Jim McMahon 12/20, 84 Yds, INT
• James Joseph 12 Rush, 56 Yds
• Roy Green 3 Rec, 44 Yds ;Oilers
• Warren Moon 24/46, 262 Yds
• Allen Pinkett 6 Rush, 10 Yds
• Ernest Givens 6 Rec, 89 Yds

The Eagles defense shut down the Oilers' run-and-shoot attack with four sacks, six forced fumbles (five lost) and 21 yards rushing on 11 attempts. Jerome Brown said after the game, "They brought the house, we brought the pain."

Standings

Awards and honors

NFL Comeback Player of the Year – Jim McMahon QB

UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year – Reggie White DE

References

References

1. [http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2012/1991-dvoa-ratings-and-commentary Football Outsiders: 1991 DVOA Ratings and Commentary]
2. Stolnis, John. (2019-08-20). "These are the best (and worst) backup QB seasons in Eagles history".
3. Stolnis, John. (2020-05-13). "What if... Randall Cunningham never got hurt in 1991?".
4. [http://pfref.com/tiny/yC65D Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1990 to 1999, in the regular season, sorted by descending Takeaways], tied with the [[1991 New Orleans Saints season. 1991 New Orleans Saints]].
5. "1991 Philadelphia Eagles draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
6. "1991 Philadelphia Eagles Media Guide".
7. "1991 Philadelphia Eagles (NFL)". Pro Football Archives.
8. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199109150dal.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]. Retrieved 2014-Apr-06.
9. "Eagles Top 15 Monday night games." Philly.com. 2011 Nov 3.