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| 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Norman Braman |
| General manager | Harry Gamble |
| Head coach | Rich Kotite |
| Offensive coordinator | Rich Kotite |
| Defensive coordinator | Bud Carson |
| Home stadium | Veterans Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 3rdNFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The1991Philadelphia Eaglesseason was the franchise's fifty-ninth season in theNational Football League.
Despite having a 10–6 record and finishing with the top-ranked defense in the NFL, the Eagles failed to make the playoffs. During Week 1, quarterbackRandall Cunningham was lost for the season with a knee injury. After the season,Rod Harris retired.
Statistics siteFootball Outsiders ranks the 1991 Eagles, coordinated byBud Carson, as the greatest defensive team in its ranking's history.[1] According toFootball Outsiders:
The 1991 Eagles completely lap the field in terms of defensive DVOA. Only the2002 Bucs had a better pass defense, and only the2000 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 losingRandall Cunningham to a torn ACL in the first game of the season. The Eagles were lucky to have the lovable and fiercely competitiveJim McMahon for 11 starts, plusJeff Kemp for two andBrad 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, the1991 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, andClyde Simmons). LinebackerSeth Joyner and cornerbackEric Allen made thePro Bowl as well.
On January 8, team ownerNorman Braman opted not to renew the contract ofBuddy Ryan, the Eagles' head coach since 1986. On the same day, Braman promoted then-offensive coordinatorRich 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 byBryce Paup. After taking over and leading the Eagles to a solid start, backup QBJim McMahon was also injured in Game 5 during a shutout loss to the Redskins.
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 rookieBrad Goebel, former Jets backupPat Ryan and former Niners third-stringerJeff 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.[2][3]
Week ten saw McMahon return to the lineup for a Monday night, 30–7 victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants atVeterans Stadium; however, the following week atMunicipal Stadium proved to be a tighter-scoring game. The Eagles won 32–30 as Philadelphia spottedCleveland 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 theOilers inHouston on December 2, later dubbed the "House of Pain" game for the Eagles' defense-punishing Warren Moon and his teammates.
"In '91, I broke five ribs off my sternum in New York and bruised my heart. I could've punctured it, but it just bruised." -Jim McMahon, 2014
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.
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 since1975 to accomplish this rare triple.
Five members of that defensive unit represented the Eagles in the Pro Bowl – DEsReggie White andClyde Simmons, DTJerome Brown, and LBSeth Joyner were selected as starters while CBEric 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.[4]
The 1991 NFL draft was held on April 21 and 22, 1991 at theMarriott Marquis hotel inManhattan, 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, choosingAntone Davis, anoffensive tackle from theUniversity of Tennessee. The team's first round pick at number nineteen was traded away earlier and acquired by theGreen Bay Packers. Over the course of the twelve-round draft, Philadelphia made twelve selections.
| 1991 Philadelphia Eagles draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Antone Davis | Offensive tackle | Tennessee | Pick acquired fromSan Diego Chargers |
| 2 | 48 | Jesse Campbell | Defensive back | North Carolina State | |
| 3 | 75 | Rob Selby | Guard | Auburn | |
| 4 | 104 | William Thomas * | Linebacker | Texas A&M | |
| 5 | 131 | Craig Erickson | Quarterback | Miami (FL) | |
| 6 | 156 | Andy Harmon | Defensive tackle | Kent State | Pick acquired fromSeattle Seahawks |
| 7 | 187 | James Joseph | Running back | Auburn | |
| 8 | 216 | Scott Kowalkowski | Linebacker | Notre Dame | |
| 9 | 242 | Chuck Weatherspoon | Running back | Houston | |
| 10 | 271 | Eric Harmon | Guard | Clemson | |
| 11 | 298 | Mike Flores | Defensive end | Louisville | |
| 12 | 327 | Darrell Beavers | Defensive back | Morehead State | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Other notable events
Following the previous season, head coachBuddy Ryan was fired and replaced by their offensive coordinatorRich Kotite, a position Kotite would hold for the next four seasons.
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Practice squad Reserve
47 active, 10 inactive, 3 practice squad |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 28 | vs.Buffalo Bills | L 13–17 | 0–1 | Wembley Stadium | 50,474 |
| 2 | August 3 | atNew York Jets | W 24–10 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 31,577 |
| 3 | August 10 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 29–24 | 2–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 56,390 |
| 4 | August 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 21–20 | 3–1 | Veterans Stadium | 55,764 |
| 5 | August 23 | Indianapolis Colts | W 23–21 | 4–1 | Veterans Stadium | 52,687 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 20–3 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 58,991 | |
| 2 | September 8 | Phoenix Cardinals | L 10–26 | 1–1 | Veterans Stadium | 63,818 | |
| 3 | September 15 | atDallas Cowboys | W 24–0 | 2–1 | Texas Stadium | 62,656 | |
| 4 | September 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–14 | 3–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,511 | |
| 5 | September 30 | atWashington Redskins | L 0–23 | 3–2 | RFK Stadium | 55,198 | |
| 6 | October 6 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–14 | 3–3 | Tampa Stadium | 41,219 | |
| 7 | October 13 | New Orleans Saints | L 6–13 | 3–4 | Veterans Stadium | 64,224 | |
| 8 | Bye | ||||||
| 9 | October 27 | San Francisco 49ers | L 7–23 | 3–5 | Veterans Stadium | 65,796 | |
| 10 | November 4 | New York Giants | W 30–7 | 4–5 | Veterans Stadium | 65,816 | |
| 11 | November 10 | atCleveland Browns | W 32–30 | 5–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 72,086 | |
| 12 | November 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–10 | 6–5 | Veterans Stadium | 63,189 | |
| 13 | November 24 | atPhoenix Cardinals | W 34–14 | 7–5 | Sun Devil Stadium | 37,307 | |
| 14 | December 2 | atHouston Oilers | W 13–6 | 8–5 | Astrodome | 62,141 | |
| 15 | December 8 | atNew York Giants | W 19–14 | 9–5 | Giants Stadium | 76,099 | |
| 16 | December 15 | Dallas Cowboys | L 13–25 | 9–6 | Veterans Stadium | 65,854 | |
| 17 | December 22 | Washington Redskins | W 24–22 | 10–6 | Veterans Stadium | 58,988 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
atLambeau Field,Green Bay, Wisconsin
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Eagles | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Q1 | PHI | Fred Barnett 11 yard pass fromJim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick) | PHI 7–0 | |
| Q2 | PHI | Roger Ruzek 42 yard field goal | PHI 10–0 | |
| Q2 | PHI | Robert Drummond 1 yard run (Roger Ruzek kick) | PHI 17–0 | |
| Q4 | PHI | Keith Byars 6 yard pass from Jim McMahon (Roger Ruzek kick) | PHI 24–0 | |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Oilers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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."[9]
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1)Washington Redskins | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 485 | 224 | L1 |
| (5)Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 342 | 310 | W5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 285 | 244 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 281 | 297 | W1 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 3–11 | 196 | 344 | L8 |
NFL Comeback Player of the Year – Jim McMahon QB
UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year – Reggie White DE
