That Philly thing

You had to feel for Nate Sudfeld. Not only was the former IU quarterback rumblin'-fumblin'-stumblin' around out there -- these things will happen when you haven't take a snap in three years -- but he was at ground zero for a kerfuffle not of his kerfuffling.

At issue (and what continues to be at issue, because 24/7 media feeds on stuff like this for days now) is why Eagles head coach Doug Pederson would yank starter Jalen Hurts and put in Sudfeld, his QB3, with the Eagles trailing only 17-14 to the Washington Football Team.

That 17-14 lead eventually became a 20-14 win and a divisional title for the Washington No-Names. And everyone got all mad because, with Sudfeld doing all that rumblin'-fumblin'-stumblin', it looked as if Pederson was throwing the game to improve the 4-11-1 Eagles' draft status. 

Disrespectful, people called this. Making a joke out of Hallowed Football. Why, the very idea of an NFL team not giving its best, even in the last game of the season!

You can't see it, but the Blob just rolled its eyes so far back in its head it can see its frontal lobes.

Because, listen, while Pederson was giving Sudfeld some reps (and perhaps handing the Washington No-Names the division), over in Cleveland a bunch of front-line Steelers, including Ben Roethlisberger, were sitting too. They sent Mason Rudolph out there as their Nate Sudfeld, and the Steelers lost to the Browns.

Which of course handed the Browns a playoff berth for the first time in 18 years.

So who was tanking worse?

Oh, you can argue what Pederson did was worse because he was trying to improve his team's draft prospects, and by doing so he kept the Giants from winning the division in a tiebreaker and making the playoffs. But when he took out Hurts, the former Alabama star was 7-of-20 passing for 72 yards and an interception. His passer rating was 25.4.

This does not sound like someone who was going to magically lead the Eagles to victory, either. So why not play Sudfeld?

Besides, the Steelers deciding to rest Roethlisberger and others perhaps altered the  playoff landscape, too. Because if the Browns don't win, they don't make the playoffs.

This is not to put the Steelers on blast, understand. Teams whose playoff status can't be improved with a win in the last game frequently rest their starters. It's no big deal, and actually is the prudent course.

All the Blob is saying is what the Eagles did differs very little. And therefore is no big deal itself.

Well. Except in 24/7 Media World, that is.