IS IT TIME for Eagles coach Andy Reid to step down?
Normally that question would be grist for debates in sports bars, on sports-talk radio or among die-hard Eagles fans. But these aren't normal times for Andy Reid. The public airing of his family's dirty laundry - his sons Garrett and Britt's drug arrests and subsequent run-ins with the law - have even made people unfamiliar with pro football ponder Reid's fate.
It's too easy to draw a straight line from Reid's off-field issues to his team's on-field struggles. The fact is that the Eagles have been in decline since losing the Super Bowl in February 2005. The team had five wins and five losses last season when quarterback Donovan McNabb was injured and backup Jeff Garcia stepped in, and, after losing the first game, won five straight games and took the team to the playoffs.
Reid's era as coach and executive vice president of football operations appears to have run its course after nine years, a lifetime for a pro football coach. But other teams have caught onto his system and improved. Reid's been slow to adjust.
Persistent problems plague this team: poor clock management; questionable off-season signings; reluctance to embrace the running game; talented free agents allowed to fly the coop. There's little fire from the players. Aside from the 56-21 blowout of the Detroit Lions, the Eagles have been unexciting and have had trouble scoring.
In August, as cases against his sons continued to unfold, we noted Reid's two obligations were to his family and team, not the public, though we wished he would say something about the situation and his personal struggles as a husband and father.
But when it comes to football, some argue it's too early in the season to ask Reid to step down. And owner Jeffery Lurie says he supports him.
Still, this game is about winning and improving. The Eagles are stagnant. Reid should step aside - not because of his family problems, but because of his coaching problems. That the time might help him heal his family is just a side benefit. *