Lurie: Reid is best coach to win championship
Andy Reid will be back to coach the Eagles for a 14th season, team owner Jeffrey Lurie said Tuesday afternoon. He said decisions about defensive coordinator Juan Castillo will come from Reid.
Lurie: Reid is best coach to win championship
Jonathan Tamari
Andy Reid will be back to coach the Eagles for a 14th season, team owner Jeffrey Lurie said Tuesday afternoon. He said decisions about defensive coordinator Juan Castillo will come from Reid.
"Andy Reid to me not only has the love of the players and respect, he also has the fire in his belly to be the best," Lurie said, though he expressed anger about this season's results.
But he said if the Eagles want to win a championship next season Reid is the best coach for the job.
"if I didn't think next year would be substantially better I'd be standing up here announcing a coaching change," Lurie said.
After an 8-8 season that began with big aspirations, Lurie said this year was "without question the most disappointing" since he has owned the team. He called the results after a 10-6 finish last year "unacceptable."
Reid's team started 4-8 as his hand-picked choice for defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo, struggled. The defense lost five fourth quarter leads to dig that hole that was too deep for the Eagles to make the playoffs. Lurie called the start of the season "dismal."
The team finished with a four-game winning streak to avoid a losing season, but Lurie said it was against poor competition.
Reid has led the Eagles to the playoffs nine times in 13 seasons and has won the most games in franchise history. But the team has slid in recent seasons. This will be their third straight year without a playoff win and the Eagles have failed to get a postseason victory in five of the past seven seasons.
Reid has two years left on his contract, which makes the 2012 season critical. Teams rarely let coaches enter the final year of their contract without the security of additional seasons, so after 2012 the Eagles will likely have to decide whether to extend Reid or cut ties with their long time coach.
This is a developing story. We'll have more soon.
- Arent you by defintion saying that 8-8 IS acceptable if you bring back the guy who was in charge and MOST responsible for hiring the clueless defensive coach..... Lurie can do what he wants but his actions do not match his words
— wxdavid - Reid’s only short coming is no S/B that’s it that will come I'm patient I like the team as it stands all we need is better coordinators!!! We have the best run game in the league some of the best of everything but line backers, safety and we're probably lacking on the O line a bit as well... I think this season will bring about greater appreciation for the off season workouts and mini camps from the players because its not just our team having problems there’s most of the teams in the league... no team in the NFL as retooled to the degree we have and I think things will be much better next year as well as different if we hire new d/c and o/c!!! I'm not worried as long as they keep big red but make him get ride of his o/c and d/c.... Hugh is the linebackers coach for the super bowl champs and has been helping the d/c in green bay for a few years now they seem to be doing things very well considering they have one the best defense against the run and some of the best linebackers in the NFL... Everyone in Philly is screaming fire Reid and replace him with who??? GOOD CALL JEFF LIKE YOU SAID THE PLAYERS LOVE AND RESPECT THE GUY SO THIS YEAR WILL BE MUCH BETTER THEY NEED TO BRING IN LB'S AND A SAFETY AND MAYBE A LINE OR TWO AND WE SHOULD BE STR8!!!! ALSO KEEP DESEAN JACKSON PLEASE!!!!
— DJ_Bootleggah - Good move!— MoeP
- So if not Reid then whom? Where is the superior resume? Spags? How many wins did he have as a head coach? One of the Ryan boys? They did great jobs of stopping our O. I don't think Belichick is leaving New England. Maybe we should trade owners with Dallas for a season and then see what the fan base thinks of Jeff Lurie.— Lockyer
- Jerry Jones: 3 SB rings, Jeff Lurie: 0. Fans don't need to like the owner personally, we just want them to hire the right people so their team WINS. Lurie is CLUELESS. — ELM
- Hey 'deputy-dope'...if you support these losers, then you yourself are a loser.— ELM
- Couldn't hear the PC but it sounds like Lurie is giving AR an ultimatum. It's AR's choice to either get the job done or die by them.
If he wants to keep JC he will have to bear the brunt of it if he fails.— tpizza - The guy is a complete idiot. Joe B, go wash his car on Sunday morning and Fat Man, make sure you split your Big Mac with jeff. Oh yeah, Tinker Bell, make sure you check the boxes on the draft picks.— alwaysphil1
- It's the right move IMO. Sounds like Reid is on final notice though!— Sportsterroy
- FIRE REID? KEEP HIM??? that is NOT the issueright now:.... Keeping reus while saying 8-8 is unacceptable makes no sense— wxdavid
- Times still his. WTF?? Scream Team!!— Will T.
- Laurie does not know what "fire in his belly: means...for him it is a bad piece of quiche, for Andy it is heartburn, for an athlete it is that incredible driving competative force which drives one to be the BEST.....and thinks second place is for the losers in life....so as long as Laurie's goal is jsut to play the game and make the playoffs we will continue to allow mediocrity to be our standard...and until he gets a backbone and the desire to "win it all" excludes everything else we are doomed to a future of no Lombardi Trophies....and as long as the koolade drinkering fans and those willing "to settle" for jsut another year (on top of 13) of the same there will be no pressure on Laurie to change or to sell and move on.......No parade again....Thanks Jeffery.....No change in sight...thanks Jeffery....No fire in your belly......thanks for nothing Jeffery— nuggett
- What is it Lurie saw from Reid and Vick in 2010 & 2011 that makes him think they will go to the superbowl? He'll get what he deserves an inept team no one seriously. Tell Lurie i'll bet him five dollar the Eagles will not make the playoffs next year, or is he too wimpy to bet too?— mario1239
- The definition of Insanity: Doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. Were in for another year of horrible clock management, exp: calling timeouts because we cant get the plays off on time!! 3rd and 1 is a passing down even though we have on of the best rbs in the league!!! Press conferences after a loss explaining that he has to put the players in a better postion to win!! Same old b.s., expect the same results!!!!— VegasBaby!!!
- I'm glad the owner has common sense. Reid needs to stay!— Norm3
