1997 Philadelphia Eagles season

1997 Philadelphia Eagles season
Head coach	Ray Rhodes
Owner	Jeffrey Lurie
Home field	Veterans Stadium
Results
Record	6–9–1
Division place	3rd NFC East
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 65th in the National Football League (NFL). The team failed to improve on their previous output of 10–6, going only 6–9–1 and failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

Lowlights of the '97 campaign include a disheartening one-point loss at Dallas in Week 3, where starter Ty Detmer led the Birds on a potential game-winning drive late in regulation, only to see holder Tommy Hutton botch the hold on what would have been the deciding field goal from ex-Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol. In Week 7, the Eagles lost their first-ever game against the three-season-old Jacksonville Jaguars, and on November 10, in a Monday Night Football 24–12 home loss against San Francisco, a fan was spotted firing a flare gun in the upper deck. Six days later, at Memorial Stadium, the Eagles and Ravens engaged in a 10–10 tie, Philadelphia's first deadlock since 1986 against the Cardinals.

One bright spot during the year came on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when rookie Bobby Hoying stepped in under center and threw for a career-high 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 44–42 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 1997 campaign was notable in that it ended a 13-year radio partnership between broadcasters Merrill Reese and former Eagle Stan Walters on 94 WIP. Mike Quick became the color commentator the following season.

Offseason

NFL draft

The table shows the Eagles selections and what picks they had that were traded away and the team that ended up with that pick. It is possible the Eagles' pick ended up with this team via another team that the Eagles made a trade with. Not shown are acquired picks that the Eagles traded away.

= Pro Bowler [1]

= Hall of Famer

ROUND	PICK	PLAYER	POSITION	COLLEGE
1	25	Jon Harris	Defensive End	Virginia
2	57	James Darling	Linebacker	Washington State
3	71	Duce Staley	Running Back	South Carolina
4	119	Damien Robinson	Free Safety	Iowa
5	152	Ndukwe Kalu	Defensive End	Rice
5	155	Luther Broughton	Tight End	Furman
6	190	Antwuan Wyatt	Wide Receiver	Bethune-Cookman
6	198	Ed Jasper	Defensive Tackle	Texas A&M
7	207	Koy Detmer	Quarterback	Colorado
7	225	Byron Capers	Defensive Back	Florida State
7	227	Deauntae Brown	Defensive Back	Central State (OH)

Personnel

Staff

1997 Philadelphia Eagles staff
	Front office Owner/Chief Executive Officer – Jeffrey Lurie Executive Vice President – Joe Banner Director of Football Operations – Dick Daniels Head coaches Head Coach – Ray Rhodes Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Jon Gruden Quarterbacks – Sean Payton Running Backs – Ted Williams Wide Receivers – Gerald Carr Tight Ends – Juan Castillo Offensive Line – Bill Callahan Offensive Assistant – David Shaw			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Emmitt Thomas Defensive Line – Mike Trgovac Linebackers – Joe Vitt Defensive Backs – Danny Smith Defensive Assistant – Chuck Knox Jr. Special teams coaches Special Teams – Joe Wessel Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Mike Wolf

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	August 31, 1997	at New York Giants	L 31–17	77,344
2	September 7, 1997	Green Bay Packers	W 10–9	66,803
3	September 15, 1997	at Dallas Cowboys	L 21–20	63,942
4	Bye
5	September 28, 1997	at Minnesota Vikings	L 28–19	55,149
6	October 5, 1997	Washington Redskins	W 24–10	67,008
7	October 12, 1997	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 38–21	69,150
8	October 19, 1997	Arizona Cardinals	W 13–10	66,860
9	October 26, 1997	Dallas Cowboys	W 13–12	67,106
10	November 2, 1997	at Arizona Cardinals	L 31–21	39,549
11	November 10, 1997	San Francisco 49ers	L 24–12	67,133
12	November 16, 1997	at Baltimore Ravens	T 10–10	63,546
13	November 23, 1997	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 23–20	67,166
14	November 30, 1997	Cincinnati Bengals	W 44–42	66,623
15	December 7, 1997	New York Giants	L 31–21	67,084
16	December 14, 1997	at Atlanta Falcons	L 20–17	42,866
17	December 21, 1997	at Washington Redskins	L 35–32	75,939

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(3) New York Giants	10	5	1	.656	307	265	W3
Washington Redskins	8	7	1	.531	327	289	W1
Philadelphia Eagles	6	9	1	.406	317	372	L3
Dallas Cowboys	6	10	0	.375	304	314	L5
Arizona Cardinals	4	12	0	.250	283	379	W1

References

1. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.

External links

• 1997 Philadelphia Eagles at Pro-Football-Reference.com