Reid back in action, and facing the media

From the opening remarks, you could tell this would be different from any of the other news conferences Andy Reid had presided over during his tenure as the Eagles' head coach.

Injuries weren't the lead item, and by the time Reid finished his initial statement yesterday, he was pleading for the media to ask as many questions as they wanted about his football team.

Reid, often uncomfortable and less than forthcoming when asked about the business side of his life, found himself in the awkward position of dealing with questions about the personal side.

Back at work, he sat in the NovaCare Complex's crowded auditorium and tried to deliver answers about the family crisis that led to his 39-day leave of absence.

"Obviously, this is a pending legal matter and I won't be able to comment on anything," Reid said in reference to the separate Jan. 30 traffic incidents that led to drug charges against his eldest sons, Garrett and Britt. The 21-year-old Britt also faces gun charges.

"If we could move on, I know a lot of you have football questions," Reid said. "If we could move in that direction, I'd appreciate it."

The questions, however, rarely moved in that direction. The state of the franchise didn't matter on this day. Instead, the head coach was asked about the state of the Reids and his own state of mind during this difficult time.

"It's good to be back," Reid said. "I thought it was very important that I took a little time and had the chance to spend the time with my family. We're doing well. We're working through this."

Reid, who is entering his ninth season as the Eagles' coach, said he considered walking away from his ultra-demanding job.

"Family, obviously, is the most important thing in my life," he said. "So, to say walking away, I can't say that it doesn't cross your mind, but I knew I needed to take some time and make sure I addressed the issue there."

The issue involving his sons, of course, is unresolved. Britt Reid faces a felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license and misdemeanor drug charges after allegedly pointing a gun at a motorist during a road-rage incident. Garrett, 23, faces drug charges after allegedly admitting he used heroin following a traffic accident that left a woman injured.

The calendar turned from winter to spring this week, which means the demands of Reid's job will intensify. The NFL draft is five weeks from today, and endless minicamps will follow, with training camp scheduled to open in late July.

Reid said he should be able to handle his family life and the heavy load that goes with the dual job titles of head coach and chief personnel decision-maker.

"You balance it out," he said. "You balance it out and you go forward. I needed time to situate some things out and spend time with the family. I didn't get to the point where I was ready to walk away. I just needed time to make sure I focused on things that I think are the most important. I was able to do that with the last few weeks."

Reid, who turned 49 on Monday, said the passion for his work made the decision to return an easy one.

"It's a great job," he said. "It's a great city to coach in. I've seen quite a few things in the National Football League, and the opportunity to coach in Philadelphia is a special thing. Not every city is as passionate as Philadelphia is. There's nothing like game day; there's nothing like dealing with the quality of young men that you get to deal with, the opportunity to teach. Those are all very important and it's a new experience every day coming to work, and that's something you appreciate."

Support within the franchise made it possible for Reid to take his leave of absence without worrying about being judged on his work performance.

"The organization, Jeff Lurie, Joe Banner and Christina Lurie have just been awesome with their support," Reid said. "Really, none of this would have been possible to do here without their support. I've also had great support from my coaches, [general manager] Tom Heckert, his crew in the personnel department making sure things were still running at a very high level here. So, that's been important. It allowed me to do what I needed to do at home."

Reid's job at home has been trying to right whatever went so drastically wrong on that afternoon in late January when he was called back from a California vacation to deal with the family crisis caused by his two sons. He didn't want to talk about that yesterday, but he had no choice.

"If I tell you after a loss or a win that I do a lot of thinking, I'm sure you can add that up for this," Reid said. "Yeah, you go back and think through a lot of things."