Hey Eagles Fans, It's OK To Have Fun With This Season Right Now

"It's not about the destination; It's about the journey."

That concept can be difficult for sports fans to accept and practice. Every season there is only one goal for our favorite teams: A Championship. Anything less is considered a failure.

I'm not disputing that by any means. As one of the most passionate Eagles fans you'll come across, that is the painful truth. The city of Philadelphia wants a Super Bowl Championship above anything else. The Flyers, Sixers, and Phillies have had their championships in the past, and even though we want to see all of them win again, this is still a football city first and foremost and the Super Bowl remains the ultimate prize that has eluded us.

As the Eagles enter their Week 10 bye week, there are many different takes I've been hearing from both Eagles and non-Eagles fans.

You have those who are, and have been, claiming the Eagles as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and with a league best 8-1 record and looking like the premier team not only in the division, not only in the conference, but in the whole league it's understandable for them to think that.

You also have those who are still skeptical, whether it be the haters like Skip Bayless, Nick Wright, or the cast of Cowboys fans who refuse to have any sense of objectivity. Or just Eagles fans who are trying their best to be cautious about their hopes and expectations, which is also understandable considering the years of agonizing pain and suffering we've gone through (although no football city goes through the type of pain as Cleveland does).

And then of course you have everyone else in between, which is the group I fall into. I've been doing my best to play this season week-to-week, trying to find that fine line of being realistic and hopeful. I can't deny with how the team has played and the circumstances that have fallen the Eagles' way that a Super Bowl run is definitely a real possibility. At the same time, anything can happen from here on out, especially injuries. All it would take is a Carson Wentz injury to derail any hope that we now have. Not to mention that there are still other teams in the NFC (Saints, Seahawks, Rams, Cowboys, Viking) that are playing very well and are capable of beating us in either the regular season or the playoffs.

No matter what your expectations are or how you view this team, there is one message that I want to send out to all of the Eagles fans out there, and it is this:

Enjoy this. All of it.

Whenever I hear/read the quote that I mentioned at the top, I don't think about just one side or the other. I don't place priority on just the destination, nor do I place priority on just the journey. To me, it's about both. What good is the end result if the path you took to get there isn't one you're proud of? And what good is the path you took if you don't get to where you need to go?

No one knows if the Eagles will win the Super Bowl this season or not. However, even if you're afraid to get your hopes up, you shouldn't be afraid to enjoy these wins. You shouldn't be afraid to say the words "Super Bowl!" It's not about looking back at the past, and it's not about looking forward to the future. It's about taking in what's happening right now, and right now the Eagles have already given Philadelphia and its fans something we haven't had since the Andy Reid / Brian Dawkins / Donovan McNabb / Brian Westbrook years, and that's real, genuine hope. Hope that the "unattainable" can finally be attained.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating every TD our offense scores, because it's truly a sight to see them tear up opposing defenses almost at will.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating every sack or turnover our defense forces, because you know that this city really loves to watch an Eagles defense shut offenses down and beat them up.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating every victory like it's an actual accomplishment, because every regular season win in the NFL is important no matter what team it is we're facing (beating the Cowboys still is at the top of the list though).

There is nothing wrong with believing that this Eagles team can go all the way, because I can assure you that every player, coach, and front office member in that organization believes so too.

If the Eagles do end up faltering and don't win it all or even don't make it to the big game, then we'll be facing another "letdown" year where we thought the team could finally get over the hump. It'll be painful. We'll get laughed at by rival fans. It's going to really suck.

But then ask yourself this: when hasn't it for us? How is the end result of losing this season going to be different from all of the prior years where we thought we could go all the way? 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008. You can find an Eagles fan somewhere that could tell you why exactly that team in that specific season should have gotten the job done. But the truth is, we didn't. Us Philly fans have dealt with that pain before, and we can deal with it again.

All I know is, when that time finally comes where our beloved Eagles do end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, whether it be this season or not, I want to make sure that I didn't make the most out of just that one Super Bowl Sunday. I want to be able to look back and say that I enjoyed every single moment of that season. The wins, the losses, the emotional roller coaster, the stress and anxiety, the constant screaming and yelling; I want to be able to say I enjoyed all of it. And that will make the championship celebration that much more unforgettable.

It's possible that if you've gotten to this point of my entry that you've already written it off as ridiculous. "I don't want to hear the world Super Bowl right now! I refuse to jinx it!" And that's fine, I don't blame you at all. I'm actually just thankful that you've taken the time to read this whole thing.

Personally, I haven't had this much fun watching the Philadelphia Eagles since... I don't even know. And that's not going to change going forward. I have no problem believing that this team can get the job done; it's just a matter of if they actually will.

It's been an absolute blast watching so far, just ask these guys...

Shoutout to my 814 squad!

If anyone wants to join us at 814 South Pub& Kitchen (formerly Shady Katie's) for the games, the more the merrier! It's tough to find a better atmosphere for Eagles games outside of actually being at the Linc. And we're going to need a great crowd for the November 19 showdown against the Cowboys!