The Philadelphia Eagles Are Insane
Written by B-Dub, Thursday December 10 2009
After the Eagles lost the NFC Championship game to the Arizona Cardinals last season, team president Joe Banner said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Obviously we need to make some changes in what we're doing."
Banner said those words outside the locker room right after the Eagles fourth NFC Championship game loss in five tries. It was obviously said in the heat of the moment with yet another heart-breaking loss fresh in his mind and there was no question that it was a shot across the ample bow of head coach / GM Andy Reid.
Unfortunately Banner and team owner Jeffrey Lurie forgot that quote, since they have announced the signing of Andy Reid to a contract extension through 2013. You'll excuse me if I'm not excited. That's because I don't believe that Reid is capable of leading the Eagles to the one and only goal that matters, a Super Bowl Championship. I know that puts me in the minority, but he's failed to bring home the Lombardi trophy in any of his first ten years so there is some credence to my theory.
I will admit that Reid has built a winning program in Philadelphia. You can't deny the fact that he has won 115 games and compiled a .611 winning percentage, both best in Eagles history. He also has the most playoff victories (10) in franchise history as well. That's a lot of winning. The problem is that it's not enough.
The lack of a Lombardi trophy is all that should matter. And that is the one place where Andy Reid comes up small. At the press conference to announce the extension Lurie said, "Who's out there that gives us a better chance to be in the position of achieving the goal that's preoccupying everybody here? (meaning a Super Bowl win) Our answer to that question is Andy Reid." I would beg to differ.
I can think of a few coaches who are available and have actually won a Super Bowl. I would take Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden over Reid, since each of them has actually delivered when it mattered the most. Shanahan and Gruden were both fired when they could not repeat their Championship success. But at least they got that Championship that has eluded Reid. Cowher is the example that all of the Reid supporters throw out there to prove that a coach needs time to build a winner.
Sure, it took Cowher 14 years to win his first Super Bowl with Pittsburgh, but how does that mean that the same thing will happen with Reid in Philadelphia? That stupid point also completely ignores the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl again two years later, with Mike Tomlin as the head coach. If that was only Tomlin's second year as the coach, how does that prove you need to give a coach a long time to build a winner? It doesn't. How about when Gruden took over a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that kept getting close, but just couldn't get over the hump under coach Tony Dungy? Gruden won the Super Bowl in his first season in Tampa.
Longevity doesn't ensure anything in the NFL. Jeff Fisher is the only coach who has been with the same team longer than Reid has been with the Eagles among current NFL coaches and he never won a Super Bowl. He is also likely to get fired after this season. Bill Belichick has been with the New England Patriots one year less than Reid has been with the Eagles and he has three Lombardi Trophies to polish. Forget about longevity. Give me results.
The real reason that Andy Reid was given a contract extension is that he is just as arrogant and condescending as the guys who run the team. What kind of arrogant Douchebag would refer to his own team as "the Gold Standard of the NFL", without ever having won a single Super Bowl? The answer is Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. What pompous team president would actually tell a fan "if you don't like what we're doing, then don't go to the games" during a radio interview? Joe Banner, Come On Down! And what coach would berate, belittle, bully and look down upon every single question at every single newsconference that wasn't a complete smooching of his big fat ass? I give you the coach / DICKtator for life, Andy Reid. This is a match made in hell for any Eagles fan who truly wants to win it all.
I do believe the Unholy Trinity, (In the name of the Jeffrey, the Joe, and the Andy Reid, Amen) when they say that they want to win a Super Bowl. They want nothing more than to rub it in the faces of all the naysayers. The problem is that they want to win it on their terms and that hasn't exactly been the road map to a parade so far. They want to prove what genius they all are, yet they just come off as smug. Oh, and wrong so far. Their callus treatment of the fans and the players they get rid of is nothing short of cruel. The worst example was their discarding of Brian Dawkins this past offseason.
Dawkins is one of the most popular Eagles of all time and they showed him so much disrespect that he had no choice but to leave. Yes, the Broncos gave him a crazy contract, but they won't be paying all of that anyway. That's the way most contracts are in the NFL. The players don't always get to see it through to the end. The Eagles should have paid the man for services rendered. The main culprit there was Banner. Being the keeper of the Salary Cap for the Eagles, he essentially gets to make all the final decisions. Low-balling Dawkins was a slap in the face of the fans of the team. Hell, even Reid seemed pissed off when Dawkins left the team. I actually had a lot of respect for Reid when he went against everything that Banner said about Dawkins being at the end of his career. Reid did nothing but praise Dawkins when he left. Nice one there Andy. And all those people who say the Eagles are always right when they get rid of a player should really watch a Broncos game sometime this season and see #20 dominate the game.
Andy is getting better as a talent evaluator, but even a fat squirrel will eventually find his nuts. Or something like that. I have criticized McNabb for the many failures during his career, but he was a great first draft pick by Reid. Unfortunately Reid's drafting has been low on average, but high on slugging percentage, to borrow a baseball term. He misses a bunch, but really hits on some nice ones. He has even started drafting good skill position players in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy. What a nice change from the likes of Freddie Mitchell. It's too bad Reid offsets the good things with decisions like going into a season without a fullback or a punt returner. And how's that whole Michael Vick thing turning out?
The biggest problem I have with Reid is that he is one of the worst gameday coaches that I have ever seen. He goes into each game with a plan of attack on offense. If it works, the Eagles will win the game on most days. If it doesn't work, then the team is doomed because Reid is incapable of making adjustments on the fly. The team's redzone failures are a direct reflection of terrible play-calling. The same time management flaws are still evident after all of these years. The team constant plays undisciplined football, with far too many stupid penalties. How can that not reflect poorly on Reid? He picked the players and the position coaches. And Reid's passaholic ways have cost the Eagles countless games. I would like to point out to those who think the West Coast offense is a passing offense should get s friggin clue. He's a nice stat for you: Every Super Bowl winning team in San Francisco under Bill Walsh, the creator of the West Coast Offense, ran the ball more often than it passed the ball. You could look that up.
The ultimate example of why Reid will never lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl was the team's failure in Reid's only Super Bowl appearance. Trailing the New England Patriots 24-14 late in the 4th quarter, the Eagles embarked on a two-minute drive that actually took over seven minutes off the game clock. It was highlighted by McNabb tossing his cookies on the field, but Reid's play-calling was the real joke. Sure they scored a TD, but they left themselves with no time to score again. Game over. NFL Films did a fantastic job of catching Bill Belichick actually saying on the sideline during that seven minute, two-minute drill, "Aren't we the ones who are winning this game?" You see Andy; it's not as arrogant when you actually win a Super Bowl or three, like Belichick.
But the thing about this signing that ticks me off the most is the timing. This extension was a done deal weeks ago, but they waited until now because they needed to do it when the team was going good. What better time than a three-game winning streak? They didn't dare wait to see if they could get a four-game winning streak before the announcement because the Giants are a legitimate team, unlike some of the stiffs that have been on the Eagles schedule. You can't make this kind of announcement after a loss or after the season if it ends with yet another crushing playoff loss.
It looks like the Eagles will make the playoffs again this season. That would make it 8 playoff appearances in 11 seasons for the Eagles under Reid. That's very good, but that's not good enough. The point is not just to be good. The point is to win the Super Bowl. The Eagles don't have a chance in hell of doing that this season. If you think so, then explain to me how they're going to win in the playoffs at Minnesota, when they barely beat the same Vikings team last season with Tavaris Jackson at QB instead of MVP candidate Brett Favre? Or how they're going to beat the Saints in New Orleans after the Saints destroyed them in Philly earlier this season? The answer is that they can't.
I do believe the Unholy Trinity, (In the name of the Jeffrey, the Joe, and the Andy Reid, Amen) when they say that they want to win a Super Bowl. They want nothing more than to rub it in the faces of all the naysayers. The problem is that they want to win it on their terms and that hasn't exactly been the road map to a parade so far. They want to prove what genius they all are, yet they just come off as smug. Oh, and wrong so far. Their callus treatment of the fans and the players they get rid of is nothing short of cruel. The worst example was their discarding of Brian Dawkins this past offseason.
Dawkins is one of the most popular Eagles of all time and they showed him so much disrespect that he had no choice but to leave. Yes, the Broncos gave him a crazy contract, but they won't be paying all of that anyway. That's the way most contracts are in the NFL. The players don't always get to see it through to the end. The Eagles should have paid the man for services rendered. The main culprit there was Banner. Being the keeper of the Salary Cap for the Eagles, he essentially gets to make all the final decisions. Low-balling Dawkins was a slap in the face of the fans of the team. Hell, even Reid seemed pissed off when Dawkins left the team. I actually had a lot of respect for Reid when he went against everything that Banner said about Dawkins being at the end of his career. Reid did nothing but praise Dawkins when he left. Nice one there Andy. And all those people who say the Eagles are always right when they get rid of a player should really watch a Broncos game sometime this season and see #20 dominate the game.
Andy is getting better as a talent evaluator, but even a fat squirrel will eventually find his nuts. Or something like that. I have criticized McNabb for the many failures during his career, but he was a great first draft pick by Reid. Unfortunately Reid's drafting has been low on average, but high on slugging percentage, to borrow a baseball term. He misses a bunch, but really hits on some nice ones. He has even started drafting good skill position players in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy. What a nice change from the likes of Freddie Mitchell. It's too bad Reid offsets the good things with decisions like going into a season without a fullback or a punt returner. And how's that whole Michael Vick thing turning out?
The biggest problem I have with Reid is that he is one of the worst gameday coaches that I have ever seen. He goes into each game with a plan of attack on offense. If it works, the Eagles will win the game on most days. If it doesn't work, then the team is doomed because Reid is incapable of making adjustments on the fly. The team's redzone failures are a direct reflection of terrible play-calling. The same time management flaws are still evident after all of these years. The team constant plays undisciplined football, with far too many stupid penalties. How can that not reflect poorly on Reid? He picked the players and the position coaches. And Reid's passaholic ways have cost the Eagles countless games. I would like to point out to those who think the West Coast offense is a passing offense should get s friggin clue. He's a nice stat for you: Every Super Bowl winning team in San Francisco under Bill Walsh, the creator of the West Coast Offense, ran the ball more often than it passed the ball. You could look that up.
The ultimate example of why Reid will never lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl was the team's failure in Reid's only Super Bowl appearance. Trailing the New England Patriots 24-14 late in the 4th quarter, the Eagles embarked on a two-minute drive that actually took over seven minutes off the game clock. It was highlighted by McNabb tossing his cookies on the field, but Reid's play-calling was the real joke. Sure they scored a TD, but they left themselves with no time to score again. Game over. NFL Films did a fantastic job of catching Bill Belichick actually saying on the sideline during that seven minute, two-minute drill, "Aren't we the ones who are winning this game?" You see Andy; it's not as arrogant when you actually win a Super Bowl or three, like Belichick.
But the thing about this signing that ticks me off the most is the timing. This extension was a done deal weeks ago, but they waited until now because they needed to do it when the team was going good. What better time than a three-game winning streak? They didn't dare wait to see if they could get a four-game winning streak before the announcement because the Giants are a legitimate team, unlike some of the stiffs that have been on the Eagles schedule. You can't make this kind of announcement after a loss or after the season if it ends with yet another crushing playoff loss.
It looks like the Eagles will make the playoffs again this season. That would make it 8 playoff appearances in 11 seasons for the Eagles under Reid. That's very good, but that's not good enough. The point is not just to be good. The point is to win the Super Bowl. The Eagles don't have a chance in hell of doing that this season. If you think so, then explain to me how they're going to win in the playoffs at Minnesota, when they barely beat the same Vikings team last season with Tavaris Jackson at QB instead of MVP candidate Brett Favre? Or how they're going to beat the Saints in New Orleans after the Saints destroyed them in Philly earlier this season? The answer is that they can't.
Maybe if the team had re-signed Brian Dawkins to lead the defense, that they knew was going to be without Jim Johnson, and traded the first round pick that they used on Maclin to the Cardinals for Anquan Boldin, they would have had a chance at the ring this season. But that's not the Eagles organization's style. They are most interested in making money, by keeping the team good enough to be relevant and the stadium full. If they truly wanted to win a Super Bowl, Dawkins would still be here.
What we do have, for the foreseeable future, is a coach who is the perfect reflection of the arrogance of the organization. The problem is that the reflection is seen in the empty trophy case at the Eagles' Novacare complex.
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4 comments
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jzanine, now you have me worried, after I thought the Eagles would win for sure. Dammit. There was one good performance right after a contract. Randall Cunningham had a career game against the Redskin the day he signed a big contract. Yeah, that didn't make me feel any better.
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My fear about the Reid contract extension is the upcoming game with the Giants. Bad enough were playing Sunday night. We don't seem to play well at night. It's going to be cold making it difficult for McNabb to hold on to the ball well alone throw it. Last but not least Andy has a new deal and can relax and run his stupid offense like he has been doing. I see this game as a loss. History of contract extensions during the season never pan out well for us. Seems like the players or coaches get worse, not better after signing them. I agree with you B-Dub, playoffs are a joke this year. Not a chance in hell we can beat either Vikings or the Saints so why even bother. It will be another stat the unholy trinity can say that they accomplished but so what.
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Greg, you are so right about my love-hate relationship with the Eagles. I will always love the team I grew up rooting for, but I just can't bring myself to like the people who own and are running the team right now. It pains me to know who I am paying all that money to for my season tickets. Some people want to live long enough to see their children have families of their own. Me? I just want to outlive the current Eagles front office and Reid so maybe someday I'll see a Championship parade for my football team.
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Once upon a time, I had no concern for the Eagles, but your love-hate relationship is the only reason that I laughed out loud when I heard about the extension of Reid. Nothing personal, B-Dub, just a mischievous sharing of your inevitable pain. Like realizing there is nothing an individual can do to fully escape Murphy's Law.