Reid talks Dawkins, LB, his mustache and sandwiches
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Reid talks Dawkins, LB, his mustache and sandwiches
Jonathan Tamari
Andy Reid shared some thoughts about the decision to let Brian Dawkins walk away and his plans at linebacker and tight end next season as he took questions from readers here on Philly.com Wednesday afternoon.
In several instances, Reid did not say much about on-field issues, free agency or the NFL lockout. But he did show fans a somewhat lighter side of his personality, poking fun at himself and taking on off-beat questions in ways he sometimes does when he’s away from cameras. Among the topics he covered: his favorite sports teams, top sandwiches, and the time his children tricked him into shaving his mustache (see below).
Jeff McLane hosted the chat, choosing the questions and typing Reid’s responses. Below are a few highlights, plus a thought or two from me. The full chat is here.
Comment From Nick: Is the offensive strategy going to change much now that you've had an offseason to prepare knowing Vick is your starter?
Andy Reid: Nick, Not really. We'll just try to refine some things coming out of the season that we thought we should work on, but offense will remain the same.
Comment From Nick: What other sports/teams are you a fan of?
Andy Reid: I'm a fan of the Phillies. Really, all the Philly teams. Lakers because he's from LA. The Dodgers. … BYU is always No. 1.
-- One ambitious questioner got all of the free agency/trade speculation into one post:
Comment From jonathan: hey andy what you think are the chances are these players will be targeted during fa or trade namdi asomugha,albert hanyesworth,rey edwardes,charles johnson and what about plex if we can get at least 2 of these guys we would be contenders for the next couple of years we need a superbowl now namdi and rey edwards should be the main focus what do you think
Andy Reid: That's what we do. ... Howie and I look at all the guys. ... We've looked at all the possiblities.
Comment From Ernesto Foldats: Is Plaxico Burress a Red Zone Solution. This is a weeknes in Eagles Offence. Thank you (From Venezuela)
Andy Reid: Plaxico was a great player in all areas of the field before he was incarcerated. ... I'm sure he's working like crazy to get himself in shape. Other than that, we haven't gone any further in regards to Plaxico.
Comment From Fat Chaz from Gside: What is your favorite sandwich?
Andy Reid: Cheesesteaks/Tommie Burgers (in LA).
Comment From The Rad One: How do I know this is the real Andy Reid? Tell me something only Andy Reid would know...did Donovan McNabb throw up in the Super Bowl?
Andy Reid: I'm on the eighth hole on my belt.
Comment From chris: IS there a FA that the Eagles feel they Must Sign?
Andy Reid: We have a couple to a handful of guys that we have targeted. ... But we understand you don't build your team through FA.
Comment From EaglesR#1: Looking back, was not signing B-Dawk a mistake?
Andy Reid: I think it's worked out for both teams. Brian was able to make a substantial amount of money and play for a good team ... and we were able to draft a number of good players to help us now in the years to come.
Comment From Chris East Falls: What are you going to do differently this year so that Brent Celek gets involved more?
Andy Reid: We did a great job with our down the field throws last season. Our short to intermediate game we need to go back and look at that and point a more emphasis on that.
-- I find this answer interesting – it seems to acknowledge that the Eagles offense was too much boom and bust last year. When it was clicking, the Eagles could run opponents off the field. But as those big plays became rarer late in the year, we saw that the Eagles struggled to sustain drives in some big situations. Maybe Celek is part of the answer there. -- JT
Comment From Lance: What are your thoughts on Stewart Bradley playing SAM? And the chances he is back as the eagles starting MLB next year?
Andy Reid:When you talk about our SAM LB, I think Stewart could do that,. Chaney could do that. Fokou has done that. Fokou and Chaney could do both SAM and WILL. Bradley, though, gives you years of experience at the MIKE.
-- I thought this was another telling answer. While Reid hinted earlier in the offseason that Bradley could play SAM, here he seems now to be leaning to putting him back in the middle. If that happens, my guess is that would put Chaney at WIL, where he could use his speed to make sideline-to-sideline plays. -- JT
Comment From Adam: when was the last time you didn't have a mustache??
Andy Reid: I went to Australia the summer after the Super Bowl ('04) and my kids changed the level on my mustache trimmer on zero and I shaved off half off and took off the rest.
For more, including Reid's thoughts on LeSean McCoy, Jaiquawn Jarrett, life on other planets and his favorite movies, check out the full chat.
Nice to see the funny side of Andy Reid.— P Even- Word on the street is that the Eagles are close to a deal for the Jets D.Revis, Bart Scott and number 1 picks for the next two years for Kevin "Klutch" Kolb.— lonewolf 10
Comment removed.- fluff......but then it is andy and nothing he says can be trusted...nobody had the courage to ask, if a player failed 12 times and allowed 12 td's or 12 sacks what would he do to him.....and why would Jeffery keep you areound after 12 years of failing to win the only thing that counts....and how do you feel about failing to win the only thing that counts.....— nuggett
- Get over yourself. I'm sure he hears that sh*t on the street every other day.
— phillychaos - is my post too close to the truth or are you jsut in the Andy Reid kiss up mode....— nuggett
- lame chat... I'm surprised no one asked Andy "boxers or briefs?" It was that lame...— RockStar
- The kids changing the level on the shaver is classic...— IvanDejesus
- Fools.....he got you again. You pay for a losing team through your nose....why give you a winning team? It's about Green (not Eagles green) cash, plain and simple. They make a profit with a loser so why change the business modle? Keep buying them shirts, pennants, towles, everything else that says.....I am an Eagles Fan, part of the city of losers!!!— STEPHEN1988
- Your post hardly makes any sense. EVERY team has fans that buy merchandise. Even the really, really bad ones. It's not just exclusive to the Eagles. It's not about being duped, it's about showing some team pride and spirit...even when they suck or underachieve. — phillychaos
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- Dawk should have never seen FA. The Birds should have signed him way before that and kept him an Eagle for life. Yes, he was not the Dawk of old, but he was still better than the slop they have put out there since. And those young guys the Birds drafted/signed sure could have used his knowledge to learn this defense. The Birds have been pretty good letting go of aging players, and I've agree with that most of the time. But Dawk was one of those players you keep around.— CousinEddie
- Dawk was the one guy that had to be the exception and you pay him and keep him.— Jim C.
- The Eagles offense was definitely too much boom and bust. They need to execute the whole deal. Use the tight end, run the ball a lot at times, and keep trying to get Maclin and Jackson open in space. The line will be the key.— armchairGM
- those complaining about Dawk, you do realize the Eagles offered him a contract, right? Theres no way Eagles should have just given him a blank check. He was offered more money by Denver and took it. Also Dawk gets away with a lot of blame in all those nfc championship game runs. Troy Polamalu never did not show up like BdAwk did not show up— tremo12
