Last year at this time, fans were sitting around, clamouring with suspense, waiting to hear Philadelphia Eagles’ owner Jeff Lurie tell the world his decision whether or not to bring back coach Andy Reid for a 14th season. He started off with words like, disappointed, disgusted, and embarrassment, when elaborating on a bad season. This, the season they were picked to contend for a super bowl and self labeled as “The Dream Team.” Unfortunately, this move turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for Andy Reid and his football team.
Consequently, the Eagles followed up their 8-8 campaign with a dismal 4-12 record that was truly shown on the field. The players looked like a group of guys who lost their will to win and the discipline that used to make this team a contender. This was the telling sign that Andy Reid’s tenure in Philadelphia was over, leading Jeff Lurie toward a new chapter in Eagles history.
On the other hand, there were many voices of displeasure all around the national media when approached with the topic of Andy Reid being replaced. Many feel we will not find a coach to duplicate Andy’s so-called success, or think we are acting unjustly towards the team and its deficiencies. These national pundits either are not looking at the information in the same context as the average eagles’ fan or they are letting their personal feelings for the coach get in their way. Ever since he took the team over in 1999, Andy has done alot in this city to make Philadelphia a prime landing spot for many players to want to play. He led the eagles to a 130-93 regular season record, along with a 10-9 playoff record, including one illustrious trip to the Super Bowl in 2004. Unfortunately, 4 NFC title games ( 3 losses as a Favorite ), and only 1 win does not spell greatness. Instead its the makings of a very good coach, but a coach who came up short when it counted.
The other problem that plagued the Andy Reid era was the lack of production from the draft. In the NFL, the draft is the leading source of talent that helps a franchise assemble a plan for a winner. Therefore, a constant misjudgment in talent evaluation that lead to an abysmal average of 2 out of 7 players a year making a contribution, is not going to help any franchise go in the right direction.
This leads us to the new year ahead that has the excitement building around the streets. There is a new breath of life in the air knowing there will be a new philosophy to look forward to, along with new schemes, and players to learn about. All of a sudden, the draft has a new found suspense because of the last regime being so predictable. As you can see, no one ever said Andy Reid will never win again or be successful with his methods on another team. The feeling was that he has done everything he could do in this city and with this team. The man laid all his cards out on the table, but just came up short. Everything in life sometimes becomes stagnate and taken for granted. This is the point in time where adjustments need to be made in order to preserve what life is left. Therefore, the eagles made the decision to look for another coach, which herein has brought life back into a fan base that has been on life support for much too long!
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