PPF’s most valuable Philadelphia Eagles players of the decade list is sorely lacking

If you love the Eagles’ defensive playmakers and impact offensive linemen, look away.

Those who take great issue with Pro Football Focus’ cold, machine-like approach to NFL player evaluations are legion. And while I’ll be among the first to welcome our robot overlords, as they surely present a pleasant alternative in comparison to current norms, Philadelphia Eagles fans have a new reason to oppose a takeover by the binary brigade.

Just take a look at PFF’s top five Eagles of the last decade based on their wins above replacement (WAR) formula, which combines their famous proprietary player ratings with simulated results compared to a league-average player.

Some Philadelphia Eagles were done dirty by PFF’s decade-best list

Well, that’s… interesting. At the very least, there is ONE defensive player on there, the venerable Malcolm Jenkins (and his wins for justice in the community probably didn’t even count). The rest of this group, however, is shamelessly quarterback-heavy in a way that doesn’t depict the last 10 years of Eagles football in proper proportion.

WAR, as we came to understand it through baseball, requires sustained production over time. Nick Foles, despite emerging from the shadows to win a Super Bowl, ain’t that. Carson Wentz’s spot is perfectly justifiable. Michael Vick’s even makes sense given his 2010 season that was more or less MVP-adjacent. Ertz is among the NFL’s best at tight end. But what about the immutable operators that paved the way for Super Bowl glory and never seem to take a game off?

Lane Johnson. Fletcher Cox. The Jasons, Kelce and Peters. Hell, even LeSean McCoy owing to how he played in the first half of the 2010s. If you’ve watch this team play, you know who the prime movers were.

This particular WAR calculation is clearly measuring something else.

The robots are clearly winning; this list is further proof that real football and fantasy football are approaching irreparable singularity convergence that we will be helpless to stop.

Luckily, I have something in common with computers, as we both like cookies. No, no, I couldn’t take another byte.