Report: Reid wanted power, considered Manning
Jeffrey Lurie called a press conference after the 2011 season to announce that Andy Reid would be returning as the Eagles' head coach.
Report: Reid wanted power, considered Manning
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Jeffrey Lurie called a press conference after the 2011 season to announce that Andy Reid would be returning as the Eagles' head coach.
But, according to a report, Reid was ready to walk away if the organization didn't make some changes.
Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times dropped a couple of bombs in his column today, including this one:
Two NFL insiders, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said that Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid was ready to walk away from the Eagles if he didn't get more personnel control, and now he has it.
The Eagles have maintained all along that Reid has final say on personnel matters, but perhaps that has not been the case. There were reports earlier this offseason that the Birds' front office was split on whether to extend DeSean Jackson's contract. Well, Jackson got his new deal, and assuming this report is true, he may very well have Reid to thank for that.
The Eagles also took care of respected veterans Todd Herremans and Trent Cole.
One other juicy nugget from Farmer:
Something else about the Eagles: Reid wanted to jump in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, despite the signing of Michael Vick to a six-year, $100-million contract last season. Talks never got too serious, the insiders say, because Manning didn't like the idea of playing against his brother Eli, quarterback of the New York Giants, at least twice a season.
Wow.
So far this offseason, the Eagles have been connected to both Robert Griffin III and now Manning. If we weren't sure before, we can say it with certainty now: Never count Reid out when a quarterback is available.
The report also pokes some holes in the theory that Reid will be fired if he doesn't take the Eagles far in 2012. Per the article, it seems he felt confident enough to make some demands this offseason. The truth is, if Reid were to hit the open market, he would have no trouble finding another head-coaching job. It looks like he realizes that, and wants to make sure he's got the players he wants on the roster.
At around 11:30 Friday morning, Reid released the following statement:
"We look into everything, as all teams do. And I have the highest regard for Peyton Manning. But as I said publicly last month, that wasn’t the direction we were heading in. Michael is our guy."
"As far as the personnel control, I have had final say on personnel matters for quite some time here and that’s never been an issue or a point of contention."
"Our front office works very well together and that’s one of our strengths."
Earlier Friday, I rounded up some mocks and provided thoughts on who the Eagles might draft at No. 15.
You can follow me on Twitter or become a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.
Whoah. Big man is throwing his weight around!— knighn- Throwing? That wouldn't be easy. Maybe moving it slowly from one place to another, threatening to place on top of something valuable.
— COskier - One thing never made sense about Reid. On one hand, he's viewed as a players coach, a player advocate. On the other hand, the Reid Eagles have been ruthless about cutting aging stars; they never rewarded a player for past performance, only future potential. We always assumed Andy had the final say. Maybe he didn't.— dragoon6
- They should have pursued Manning & any other QB with notoriety because their in-house QB.."X-Con Mike Vick".. is a reckless mess. I've said all along, you have ZERO chance of winning a Super Bowl with a turnover machine at QB. I don't care how dynamic he could be. You can't sustain dynamic. To win 3 or 4 playoff games in a row you have to be consistent. The only thing consistent about Vick is the turnovers!— FetchDixon
- Why should you hold on to aging stars? What did they do after they left Philly? Only Charles Johnson and Duce Staley got SB rings after Reid cut them, and BOTH were bench warmers when their teams won it.— bobbyuk
- If anyone actually believed that Reid was on the hot seat, you were apparently mistaken.— jmc
Comment removed.- Someone explain what Andy has done to earn the right to throw his weight around? That's those Super Bowl trophies in the case...oh wait, scratch that.— THE-KID (WI)
- Never really was plain as to who exactly was responsible for what when it came to personel. If Reid didn't have final say he put up a good front. Maybe HE gets credit for Ryans and not Howie? Gee, and here I was thinking Howie was getting a gold star.— tpizza
- Coach not be fillin' conVicktim no more.— autolykos
- This is perfect spin for AR. Pretend like you actually didn't have final say all these years so you can cozy up to the players and let them know "you were always on their side." Extend a couple of vets whose signing still fit the fiscal plan while still selling the "AR is gonna take care of you guys now" plan. Genius!
- Didn't want to play twice against his brother???? What??? Sissy....— elfman
- Back int he saddle again. Thank Goodness— izzylangfan
- "Never count Reid out when a quarterback is available"
Drew Brees, anyone?
— SteveS11 - Comment removed.
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