NFL | Time to start holding Cox accountable for unproductive play

by Jack Kerwin  |  [email protected]

Yeah, Carson Wentz had his ups and downs.

As did head coach Doug Pederson.

The officials had another rough one Monday night. The home team’s secondary did, too.

But, once and for all, this has to be said: Following another Invisible Man outing in a 27-13 loss to the Packers, fan favorite Fletcher Cox is the most overrated player in town right now.

With Jason Peters a distant second.

Sorry, reality-check time … and, hopefully, it’s enough to get Mister 103 Mil off his keister and earn his paycheck, or something close to it.

For all the hype and rationale used to promote his – cough, cough – value, the acclaimed linchpin of the Birds’ defense has been a virtual non-factor pretty much all season. Except, of course, when he’s picking up personal fouls.

Stop if you’re about to defend his late, and cheap, hit on Aaron Rodgers. That forearm shiver to the Green Bay quarterback’s chest plate came well after the ball had been released and was completely unnecessary. Not to mention stupid.

Much like Pederson’s challenge of a meaningless two-yard pass play that not only erased a meager gain for the Packers, but also the home team’s ability to question any more calls the rest of the evening.

But, we digress … back to the big man.

Hoopla and hope aside, Cox has brought about as much production to the table as a retired assembly-line guy.
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Seriously, one tackle in this one … with the clock winding down and the outcome long since settled?

Of course, guess that’s better than his zero and zilch efforts against Washington and Atlanta earlier this season …

Granted, a defensive lineman ain’t exactly going to be racking up Luke Kuechly-type tackle totals, but it would be nice to see Cox show up once in a while without a yellow flag accompanying his presence. He checks in at 29 stops (and four sacks) through 11 games this season. That’s a far cry off the pace he set last season with 71 (and 9.5) en route to earning all those accolades and coin.

Spare me the “he was double- and triple-teamed” excuses against Green Bay. For the most part, Cox was manhandled by a rookie offensive lineman all game.

Recognize it. Accept it. Deal with it.

For starters, by ending this ceaseless dedication to his dominance and his worth when the evidence continues to pile up to the contrary of both.

For clinchers, hold him accountable for not performing – to an acceptable professional level never mind an All-Pro one.

The Eagles had a lot of culprits factoring the downfall in this one. Cox was chief among them.

It needs to be said.