Reid staring at the end
Falcons 30, Eagles 17
Reid staring at the end
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
The operating theory, mostly because Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has said as much, is that Andy Reid awoke Sunday morning with 10 games to save his job. It was the clearest of imperatives. After all of the years, all of the great moments, all of the disappointments, it was to be a final sprint to the finish and then a clear decision.
Now, after a particularly timid abomination -- Falcons 30, Eagles 17 -- there are more questions than answers.
Can it really be?
Nine more weeks.
Nine more weeks?
Until Sunday, the Eagles had never lost the game immediately following the bye week under Reid. Given that, and given the decision to fire defensive coordinator Juan Castillo during the break, the widespread belief was that the Eagles would come back from their short vacation refreshed and re-focused, fully realizing what is at stake. Instead, they arrived in body only. Their hearts and minds were elsewhere. They did not turn over the ball and still got their backsides handed to them.
Defensively, they lacked both cohesion and fire under new coordinator Todd Bowles. Offensively, they got it blocked a little better but still couldn’t score points early, when it mattered. The special teams were the same, except for the punt return team. We don’t know about them because the Falcons never punted until there was 5:35 left in the fourth quarter.
The hearts-and-minds thing is what bears the closest watching. Reid has had exactly one team quit on him in his 14 seasons -- the 2005 team, after all of the Terrell Owens stuff and after quarterback Donovan McNabb got hurt. That team just curled up in the fetal position at the end -- but it was almost understandable, given the post-Super Bowl hangover and everything that happened.
This is different.
Nine more weeks.
Nine more weeks?
The Falcons’ opening drive of the game was the maiden voyage for Bowles: 16 plays and 80 yards; 8 minutes, 44 seconds of having the ball shoved down his defense’s throat. The touchdown pass to Drew Davis featured a blown coverage, just the biggest hint of a permeating confusion. Along the way, a holding penalty on Jason Babin extended the drive.
The Falcons were ahead by seven before a crowd that was two-thirds full had had a chance to be chilled by Hurricane Sandy’s first winds. And they booed. It would be the first time that happened but not the only time.
Did I already say that the Falcons never punted until 5:35 in the fourth quarter?
Along the way, Julio Jones scored Nnamdi Asomugha on a 63-yard touchdown pass, one in which safety Nate Allen made sure he was no possible help by taking a terrible angle on the play. Linebacker Mychael Kendricks did not start the game, reportedly as punishment for being late for a team meeting. A continuing lack of pressure on the quarterback -- despite the team’s first two sacks in about a month -- just opened up the defensive for carving by Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, and that is exactly what happened.
As the game ended, the wind whipped and the rain fell sideways onto nearly-emtpy stadium seats. Most everyone was rushing home to beat the storm; Andy Reid was not nearly so lucky.
Eagles have no confidnce in the loser Vick, they are afraid he will have more turnovers, so they now play it safe and only make Vick throw 3 yard passes. Vick is now slowing down and was caught from behind while scrambling by a big LINEMAN.....LOL.— Bob112- Get ready for development league football in the the city of broken teams.— fafink
- Vick is one of the most overrated player in NFL history -- consistently bad for 10 yrs except for one 3 to 4 game stretch in 2010... while McNabb was mediocre to decent and was overrated for being considered "good", Vick is simply not an NFL caliber qb, and never has been, and it's amazing how the press picks its celebrities like this (and another no-talent like Barry O. to run the country) without regard to their consistent failure to accomplish anything ever ..while today's game was a team effort, it's still absurd that the coach 3 yrs ago thought he could buid a team around an undersized thrower with no ability to read a defense or make any intelligent decisions (just like the incompetent running the country)— warbiscuit
- This was painful to watch. The thing that bothered me the most was that I saw no fire or passion from the players. It seemed like they were not motivated at all to play today. The offense is stagnant and the defense was abysmal. In addition to getting their butts handed to them, the defense had a chance to make several plays that could have turned the momentum around and just like in previous games they failed to make a play. I think the Andy Reid era is almost officially over. I hope Vick gets to go to a team that runs the ball, as he is more of a play action type quarterback and not a west coast one.— vicksmyboy
- The incompetence of Reid reminds me of the incompetence of the Bush Administration. sure, Reid didn't start two illegal wars that killed nearly a million people, or destroy our economy, and destroy the lives of women, children, minorities, the elderly, and gays, but the analogy is still almost perfect. Reid blamed the minority Castillo, just like the Republicans blame the black President because he is black. A vote for Romney is a vote for hatred, bigotry, and a vote of approval for Andy Reid and the Eagles performance today.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Two things... One, they need coaches that put the fear of God in them, because they are laughing around their coaches and not being held accountable. Two, yes, Reid needs to go. But who do you bring in? And do not say Jon Gruden, who will get tuned out immediately... Do you trust management to bring in the right coach? I don't.— echosmyron
- WOW. And I used to boo Norm Snead and Joe K.— jeromie
- The only position that fat-a**ed, bloated arrogant windbag of a scam artist puts his players in, is bent over, facing away from the opponent. He needs to take his drug-infested legacy out of this city.— Bob1
- Unwatchable— dtcoder
- This is not good. So many problems, making changes on the fly. Let Vick be a mobile quarterback and move around a little bit. He is not a pocket passer. Having him standing there is an abomination. What is the worst that can happen?— zajaca
- Turn out the lights Fat boy the party is over, you are going to be
gone soon, but it should of happened like 8 years ago, thank Nimrod
"we are the Gold Standard" Jeffrey Lurie for that.— mikey48 - VICK SUCKS....Vick is a $100 million bust.....Vick is the most over rated player in NFL HISTORY....absolutely.— Bob112
- How can we win with these safeties? They are terrible.— bobcitydoc
- puny end.
HULK PASS!— COACH HULK - Trade Vick before Tuesday!!!!
He is not getting it done here— connorjr
