NFLVideoWeird But True

Riley Cooper Hiding In The Endzone Will Probably Be The Highlight Of The Eagles’ Season (Video)

The Eagles are falling apart. Although Philadelphia is by no means eliminated from playoff contention (they’re 3-5, and weirder things have happened in the NFL than a 3-5 team making the playoffs) they just don’t do certain things playoff teams do. Like pass protect.

Still! Andy Reid’s band of athletically gifted and fundamentally unsound misfits are really fun to watch, something we were reminded of on this kick return during last night’s 28-13 loss to the Saints. The Wilford Brimley of NFL head coaches called a fantastic trick play while down 15 in the third quarter, one that required receiver Riley Cooper to just sort of… play dead in the end zone.

Seriously: what the hell is this?

And, more importantly: why is it so genius?

Admit it: had this forward pass not been a forward pass, had the play stood, had the Eagles rallied, had they won, and had they only been a game behind the Giants for the NFC East lead this morning, Riley Cooper’s hide-and-seek play would go down as one of the all-time great special teams plays. But that’s, like, five “hads,” and instead the Eagles will continue their slow (but entertaining!) implosion.

If this season is indeed Reid’s last as Philadelphia’s head coach, it’s fitting. This is an Andy Reid team, in pretty much every sense.

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