Editing Philadelphia Eagles (section)

==== Dick Vermeil years (1976–1982) ====
{{See also|Miracle at the Meadowlands|Super Bowl XV}}
[[File:dickvermeil.jpg|thumb|[[Dick Vermeil]], Eagles head coach from 1976 to 1982, who led the Eagles to their first [[Super Bowl]] appearance in [[Super Bowl XV]] against the [[Oakland Raiders]] in 1981]]
[[File:1986 Jeno's Pizza - 05 - Wilbert Montgomery.jpg|thumb|[[Wilbert Montgomery]], Eagles running back from 1977 to 1984, in the [[1980 NFC Championship Game]] against the [[Dallas Cowboys]] at [[Veterans Stadium]]]]
In {{nfly|1976}}, [[Dick Vermeil]] was hired from [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] to coach the struggling Eagles, who had managed only one winning season from 1962 to 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O70MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2239,224559&dq=dick+vermeil&hl=en |title=Eagles search ends with Vermeil |date=February 9, 1976 |work=St Petersburg Times |access-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117035452/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O70MAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gV8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2239,224559&dq=dick+vermeil&hl=en |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Vermeil faced numerous obstacles as he attempted to rejuvenate a franchise that had not seriously contended in well over a decade. Despite the team's young talent and Gabriel's occasional flashes of brilliance, the Eagles finished [[1976 Philadelphia Eagles season|1976]] with the same 4–10 record as in 1975. In [[1977 Philadelphia Eagles season|1977]], the first seeds of hope began to emerge. The team obtained hard-throwing quarterback [[Ron Jaworski]] in a trade from the [[Los Angeles Rams]] in exchange for popular tight end [[Charle Young]]. The defense, led by Bergey and defensive coordinator [[Marion Campbell]], began earning a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting in the league.

[[1978 Philadelphia Eagles season|1978]] saw one of the great moments in Eagles history, [[The Miracle at the Meadowlands]], when [[Herman Edwards]] returned a fumble by [[1978 New York Giants season|Giants]]' quarterback [[Joe Pisarcik]] for a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the game, resulting in a 19–17 Eagles victory.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ellenport |first=Craig |title=Miracle at the Meadowlands: The fumble that changed football |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/11/14/miracle-meadowlands-40th-anniversary-giants-eagles-joe-pisarcik-herman-edwards-harry-carson |access-date=August 12, 2022 |magazine=Sports Illustrated }}</ref> The Eagles would edge into the playoffs with a 9–7 season. Young running back [[Wilbert Montgomery]] became the first Eagle since Steve Van Buren to exceed 1,000 yards in a season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eagles 1000 Yard Rushers Season |url=https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/eagles-1000-yard-rushers-season |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=StatMuse }}</ref> In [[1979 Philadelphia Eagles season|1979]], the Eagles tied for first place with an 11–5 record, as Montgomery shattered team rushing records with a total of 1,512 yards.

In [[1980 Philadelphia Eagles season|1980]], the team dominated the NFC, facing its chief nemesis, the [[1980 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]], in the [[1980–81 NFL playoffs#NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 20, Dallas Cowboys 7|NFC Championship Game]]. The game was played in cold conditions before faithful fans at [[Veterans Stadium]]. Led by an outstanding rushing performance by Montgomery, whose long cutback TD run in the first half is one of the most memorable in Eagles history, and a gutsy game from fullback [[Leroy Harris (running back)|Leroy Harris]], who scored the Eagles' only other TD that day, the Birds earned a berth in [[Super Bowl XV]] with a 20–7 victory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black And Blue: The Story Of The 1980 NFC Championship Game |url=https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/black-and-blue-the-story-of-the-1980-nfc-championship-game-20268790 |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=www.philadelphiaeagles.com }}</ref>

The Eagles traveled to [[New Orleans]] for Super Bowl XV, where they were heavily favored over the [[1980 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]], who had squeaked into the playoffs as a wild-card team. Things did not go the Eagles' way, beginning with Tose's imprudent decision to bring comedian [[Don Rickles]] into the pregame locker room to lighten the mood. Jaworski's first pass was intercepted by Rod Martin, setting up an Oakland touchdown. Later in the first quarter, a potential game-tying 40-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Parker was nullified by an illegal-motion penalty. The final score was 27–10. Journeyman quarterback [[Jim Plunkett]] was named the game's MVP.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Washingtonpost.com: Super Bowl XV: Comeback QB Throws 3 TDs in 27–10 Win |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nfl/longterm/superbowl/stories/sb15.htm |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref>

The team got off to a promising start in the [[1981 Philadelphia Eagles season|1981 season]] by winning their first six games. They ended up 10–6 to earn a wild-card berth. However, their hopes to repeat as NFC champs were dashed in the wild-card round by the [[New York Giants]], who won 27–21.

After the Eagles finished 3–6 in the strike-shortened [[1982 Philadelphia Eagles season|1982 season]], Vermeil quit the team, citing "burnout".

Defensive coordinator Marion Campbell replaced Vermeil as head coach. Campbell had helped to popularize the "bend-don't-break" defensive strategy in the 1970s. Philadelphia struggled through the mid-1980s, marked by flagging fan participation. The team failed to make the playoffs in [[1983 Philadelphia Eagles season|1983]] and [[1984 Philadelphia Eagles season|1984]]. The team nearly moved to [[Phoenix, Arizona]] at the end of the 1984 season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/didinger-when-the-eagles-almost-left-philly-14600124 | title=Didinger: When the Eagles Almost Left Philly | access-date=December 3, 2022 | archive-date=December 3, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203135524/https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/didinger-when-the-eagles-almost-left-philly-14600124 }}</ref>