The Philadelphia Eagles as well as the Slimy Years

Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles have, recently, suffered through many disappointments and heartaches as they watch their team struggle to find its distance to the elite echelon of professional football. The Eagles, first founded in 1933 when Bert Bell was permitted to subscribe to the nation's Football League, have - at times - seemed poised to surge past their competitors within the National Football Conference and win that Super Bowl trophy which has for such a long time eluded them. Their only two appearances up to now - in 1980 and 2004 - both led to losses. In fact, their finest years, some would argue, came during the era of Head Coach Earle "Greasy" Neale.The Eagles and the DraftBefore Neale arrived to teach they, the Eagles had struggled mightily. Wins were scarce, and it was difficult for the new team to recruit the talent it needed to build a foundation for future success. By 1935, Bell had come up with an idea he thought could provide his team with a vehicle for improvement - but that they sold towards the NFL being an opportunity to spread the talent of the NFL across a greater number of teams. It was probably the first real attempt for achieving parity. The concept, which was to have teams draft players from college in accordance with those teams' performance within the last season, was adopted and still remains a vital area of the sport today. Unfortunately, the Eagles wasted their first selection by choosing a running back who never wanted to play professional football.Neale builds a teamThe implementation of the college draft might have profound implications for the Philadelphia Eagles, however, using the arrival of Greasy Neale. From 1941, the Eagles made personnel choices that were far wiser compared to those made in the 1930s. It would ultimately be the quality of those players and the innovative coaching style of Neale that would develop a team that would end up being dominant throughout a good area of the 1940s. It took only 3 years for Neale's Eagles to increase to second devote their division. Three years after that, they'd won their initial title within the division. His players, including such Eagles greats as Tommy Thompson and Steve van Buren, were instrumental in elevating the team from perennial league lapdog to championship contender. In fact, the finish from the decade saw the Eagles play in three straight NFL title games - two of that they won. Those Championships, in 1948 and 1949, were a higher water mark for the Eagles franchise, making the Eagles the only team in NFL history to win consecutive shutout titles, as neither the Cardinals nor the Rams could score from the vaunted Eagles defense.Defense and LegacyNeale's defense was, obviously, legendary. The what are known as "Eagle Defense" was copied and implemented by other teams within the NFL for many years, and eventually evolved into what's now known as the 4-3 - a defense that many teams still use even today. For his use the Eagles and the many contributions to the sport, Neale was honored with induction in to the Hall of Fame in 1969.

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