Andy Reid said it, as he so often does.

"I have to get our guys into better positions to make plays, and when they are in those positions, we have to make sure that [plays] get made," Reid said minutes after the Eagles lost to the Washington Redskins, 23-17.

Try this. Steal a page or 50 out of Jim Zorn's playbook, because, boy, that rookie can coach, and in case you haven't noticed, your offense is in the midst of a wicked identity crisis.

Zorn's game plan, apparently, was to stay the course and use the running game to pound away yards while Jason Campbell dinked and dunked his way down the field. And then, when the Redskins got into the red zone, Zorn pulled out a play the Redskins had practiced once, and the result was a go-ahead touchdown and Washington's fourth consecutive win.

The Eagles got 2 yards shy of the goal line needing a score to come back, and it was the Chicago game all over again. Donovan McNabb almost called a time-out, then didn't. He barked an audible that either the linemen didn't hear or didn't understand, and then Brian Westbrook got the football in a position where he could not succeed, took a 3-yard loss and that, folks, was the ball game.

In a similar situation, Zorn called for his quarterback to roll left as if he was going to pass, then hand off to Antwaan Randle El, who ran to the right sideline and found a wide-open Chris Cooley, who had run a delay route and found that, as he said, "no one covered me." It was an easy six.

To review: Zorn's play-calling was creative, Reid's was not. Zorn gambled, Reid did not. Zorn won, Reid did not.

And now, here we are, five weeks into the season, and the Eagles have a crisis of confidence and a lack of identity.

The natural reaction is to thank the football gods that San Francisco is up next on the old schedule, but even a game against that flailing franchise isn't a given. Not anymore.

The Eagles had a beautiful opening drive, totally exposing a blatant mismatch between tight end L.J. Smith and linebacker Rocky McIntosh, that ended when Brian Westbrook somehow plowed through a slew of defenders untouched into the end zone.

But that was really it for using Smith. He caught two passes that drive, one more later in the first half, and then the Eagles didn't go to him again. Asked if the Redskins took something away from Smith, McNabb just shook his head and said, "No, they didn't."

That, friends, falls on the head coach. Although Reid hasn't officially acknowledged this fact, he's calling the plays now, not offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Reid chose to get away from Smith, and go to what? A slew of three-and-outs that lasted nearly two quarters?

The offense that had run a sprint with Dallas just a few weeks ago couldn't do anything. The receivers were smothered, and had their share of drops. Westbrook, who added bruised ribs to his sprained ankle, didn't get enough carries to get into a rushing rhythm, and so, consequently, Reid abandoned the run altogether.

And the team faltered, like they had in Chicago, at the goal line.

No one either knew or would specifically say what happened on the third-and-1 play from the 2-yard line, they just knew they obviously failed miserably for a second consecutive week.

"It sucks. It sucks bad," Todd Herremans said. "I mean, we get down there at the goal line, we've got to be able to punch it in. It falls on the O-line again."

"If I had an answer, we would definitely know what's going on," McNabb said. "It's something that we definitely have to find an answer and solution for right now to get the job done."

That's the truth. And here's the bad news: Who knows whether Westbrook will be able to play at San Francisco. He got some kind of shot during the first quarter that allowed him to continue to play, but those ribs likely are killing him this morning, and that pain usually lingers. If he's not available, the Eagles are going to look like they did against the Bears, which was one-dimensional at best.

So here the Eagles sit. Reid promised that the team "will play hard, they will play hard for 60 minutes." He said that, yes, the Eagles can be the team he thought they were going to be, but admitted "we need to change this thing around obviously."

Reid has to get the offense settled down. If Westbrook can't go, he's got to be dedicated to consistently getting Correll Buckhalter the ball. He's got to get Smith involved more, and to spread it around to the receivers, including DeSean Jackson, who for whatever reason disappeared in the second half today.

Reid's got to establish an identity for this offense. That's his responsibility, his job, and his No. 1 task right now. Everyone knows the Redskins will pound the ball then throw out a nifty play or two, knows the Giants will smash you in the mouth and spread it around, knows the Cowboys are a down-field team that can fall back on the run.

What exactly are the Eagles?

Reid needs to figure that out.

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