For 11 seasons, the first game following the bye week was money in the bank for Andy Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles. When the undefeated Falcons came into town on Sunday, Oct. 28, there was a legitimate threat that it could end.
It was almost no contest. With threatening weather bearing down and a lackluster effort on the field, half of the stands were empty by the time the fourth quarter began. The Eagles lost to the Falcons, 30-17, to fall to 3-4 on the season.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie said prior to this season that a lot of changes would be made if the Eagles repeated their 8-8 effort from last season. So far, the act is nearly identical.
The defense is terrible. The secondary is invisible, the linebackers can’t stop the run and the defensive line seems to have forgotten how to pressure and sack an opposing quarterback. This led to the firing of Juan Castillo as defensive coordinator and the promotion of Todd Bowles.
On the other side of the ball, it isn’t much better. The team hasn’t scored many touchdowns this season. They are flat out lousy in redzone situations. They turn the ball over far too regularly – most of them by their $100 million quarterback Michael Vick. They abandon the run all too easily.
In all the flaws, Reid continues to be the broken record he has been for years – good ‘ol “better job” Andy.
The quote that stuck out to me from Reid’s postgame presser was one about leadership.
“I didn’t do a good enough job challenging them,” Reid said.
That’s alarming considering he’s the head coach. He’s supposed to be challenging his players. He’s supposed to be leading his players. Judging by their record in the last two seasons – a whopping 11-12 – Reid’s leadership is fading.
Reid no longer has a voice with this team. He no longer has the grip over this team that he did in the glory years. Remember that time the Eagles were in four straight NFC Championships.
The bottom line is that returning to that stage would save Reid his job. The problem is that the team is nowhere close to being a contender; not with these players, not with this coach.
It’s time the Eagles brass realized a change is needed. It’s time for Andy to go. The only question will be whether or not the Eagles, mercifully, wait until the end of the season to pull the trigger.
