The Case For Andy Reid

Most people, just after seeing the title of the article, probably won’t even take the time to listen to what I have to say in this post. For those of you that are taking the time to hear me out on why I think Andy Reid should remain as Eagles head coach, I thank you and I encourage you to keep reading.

 To start, I’m not going to sit here and mention the 9 winning seasons, the 7 NFC East division titles, the 5 NFC Championship Game appearances, the Super Bowl appearance, or any of that other track record junk. Because as an Eagles fan myself, I know that you are fed up with the fact that the Eagles are 4-8 in what was supposed to be a Super Bowl year, and the one man that can and should be held responsible is still gainfully employed as head coach. I know that you don’t want to hear about what Andy Reid did for us in the past, rather you want to know what he is going to do to get us a Super Bowl championship in the future. And in Philadelphia we live by the “what have you done for me lately” mentality, and when it comes down to it Andy Reid hasn’t done anything for us ever. But please hear me out, and listen to my case for Andy Reid to remain as head coach.

 I want to first clear the air and let you know that I have heard just about all of the arguments from Eagles fans everywhere on why the Eagles should fire Reid:

-He can’t clock manage
-He can’t run the ball
-He’s had 13 years and he hasn’t won it
-He hired Sean McDermott and Juan Castillo
-Ever since Jim Johnson passed the Eagles haven’t been the same
-The Eagles are 4-8, get him out of here 

The list goes on and on as to why the Eagles should fire Big Red. The arguments for his firing in fact are probably too numerous for me to even list in this article. But I wanted to make sure that before you continuing reading this article, you realize that I’m not a naïve Eagles optimist that blindly thinks the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl every year. While I do go into every year with a positive outlook, I realize that there are a lot of holes on this team and a lot of them start up top with Big Red.

 But let me drop a little knowledge on you. The Eagles shouldn’t fire Reid primarily because he is so much more than just the head coach. Listen to a lot of former players and coaches and they will almost laugh at the notion of firing Andy Reid. Reid is so embedded in the organization both personnel and strategic wise, that in my opinion if the Eagles were to fire Reid, it would take 3-5 years for this team to be in contention for a Super Bowl. Reid handles a lot more than he probably should, and for that reason, any coach that were to replace him would have a lot on his plate and would be playing catch up for at least a few years.

 Which leads me directly into my next point: who would Reid’s replacement be? Jeff Fisher? Bill Cowher? John Gruden? I love how Eagles fans think that any replacement the Eagles bring in is going to be a flawless coach that will lead our beloved Birds directly to the promised land. The possibility of hiring Fisher is just dumb because he never won a Super Bowl. And Cowher, it took him 14 years to win a Super Bowl, and while Gruden certainly won a championship he also had 3 losing seasons during his 11 year head coaching career. The point is that any replacement the Eagles bring in will have flaws just like Reid. But at the end of the day, Reid is still one of the best coaches in the NFL. Bringing in another head coach just for the sake of change is not going to magically cure this team and bring this city a Super Bowl; it just doesn’t work like that. A lot of fans look at what Gruden did with the Bucaneers as a model for which the Eagles should abide by. But that was a special situation in which the franchise was built up by Tony Dungey, and Gruden came in and pushed the right buttons and won a Super Bowl. But that is extremely rare, and given the structure of the Eagles franchise as completely Reid’s team, I don’t see that happening for the Eagles.

 Also take into consideration the magnitude of this past off season. The Eagles acquired a multitude of new players and coaches, and I’m simply unwilling to give Andy just one year with this “new” team. The Eagles had a shortened off season which is also playing a major factor in the current 4-8 season. If after a full off season of preparation he can’t right the ship, then I would be fine with pulling the plug on the Andy Reid project. But one shortened year with all this talent is not enough time for me to call for Reid to be fired.

Another thing a lot of Eagles fans aren’t considering is the 29 turnovers the Eagles have commited this season. One of the reasons Tim Tebow has been so successful this year is because he doesn’t turn the ball over. What ever your opinion on Tebow is, you have to respect the fact that he only has 1 interception on the season. To put that in perspective, Vick and Young have combined to throw 22 interceptions on the year, and combined with 7 fumbles, the Eagles altogether lead the NFL with 29 turnovers. Good teams don’t turn the ball over. Just look at the Packers who have just 11 total turnovers on the year. Just think about that for a second; 29 turnovers. That’s 29 drives cut short. 29 scoring opportunities lost. And also remember that a lot of the Eagles’ turnovers come in the red zone which is seemingly more detrimental than a typical turnover outside the red zone. You can’t blame Big Red for turnovers. Turnovers are execution mistakes, plain and simple.

 Lastly, the love and admiration players have for Reid is unquestioned. McCoy loves him, Vick wants to win him a Super Bowl, guys want to play for Reid and love him as coach. So while the fans may not be too crazy about him, the players like him and are willing to go out and play hard for him.

Overall I realize the pain and frustration of my fellow Eagles fans, and I get why they want to get rid of Reid. But sit down for a minute, look over the facts, and you will realize that keeping Reid is in the best interest for the team in the future. Changes need to come no question. But I will continue to defend Reid and it’s a shame that we are treating the best coach that this football team has ever had like absolute trash. Chanting for his firing in the house that he helped build is simply inexcusable. It’s time to give Andy some respect and see what he can do in 2012.