Reid gets his mind back on football

THE DEEP, visceral things we've all wondered about - the things Andy Reid must have thought or felt in the middle of the night during his leave of absence to deal with his sons' problems - remain off-limits, for now.

According to a source close to the situation, the attorneys for Garrett and Britt Reid made sure the Eagles' coach said nothing about his sons or his feelings about their troubles at yesterday's news conference held to mark Reid's return from the hiatus that was announced Feb. 12. Not that Reid is especially given to pouring his heart out in public, but the attorneys thought almost anything Reid said could become part of the legal mess 23-year-old Garrett and 21-year-old Britt face in the wake of separate Jan. 30 traffic incidents that resulted in drug and weapons charges.

What did come through loud and clear yesterday was that Reid is back, that he is in charge, and that he doesn't expect any significant change in his level of involvement with the team.

"It's good to be back," Reid said in his first public comments since his sons were arrested. "I thought it was very important that I took a little time and had the chance to spend the time with my family. On behalf of my family and myself, there was a great outpouring from fans and friends and colleagues around the country, and a tremendous amount of support right here in Philadelphia, and we appreciated that."

Garrett Reid is charged with injuring another driver while under the influence of heroin. Britt Reid faces a felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license and misdomeanor drug charges. Andy Reid is thought to have accompanied Garrett to a Florida drug-treatment facility last month. But that was among the things he said he could not address yesterday.

"I can't go into all that, thank you," Reid said when asked how Garrett was doing.

Asked his thoughts when he answered the phone Jan. 30, on vacation with his wife, Tammy, in California, and heard what had happened, Reid said:

"I just don't want to go in that direction. If we can go back to the football questions, I'd like to do that, please."

In a way, it was like querying Reid the day after a particularly nettlesome loss, given his repeated, steadfast refusal to address specifics. The difference was probably a lower level of irritability and displeasure among the reporters asking the questions, most of whom seemed to empathize with the coach's situation.

Empathy has marked public reaction to the Reid family crisis, in a city not known for gentle treatment of its prominent sports figures.

Reid was asked whether such a situation teaches someone who his real friends are.

"Yeah, I believe that, but there are no negatives to that, because the outpourings have been phenomenal, way more than I could have ever asked for or expected in a situation like this," Reid said. "That is very much appreciated."

Reid acknowledged that he thought of quitting, but in answers to follow-up questions, he made it clear he was never close to acting on that thought.

"Family obviously is the most important thing in my life. So, at that time, and really at all times, that is it. That's the most important thing. 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," Reid said.

Later, he said: "This is the thing. I needed time to situate some things out and spend time with the family. I didn't get to that point where I was ready to walk away. I just needed time to make sure that I focused on the things that I think are the most important. I was able to do that with the last few weeks."

Asked whether he felt guilt, as a coach who spends much of his time away from home and family, Reid said that was among the things he couldn't address. Then he said:

"I work hard here, that's part of the job, and I think that's important. At the same time, you take a lot of pride in your work and take a lot of pride in being a father. There are going to be things that happen, and I think that it's important when something happens, you hit it head-on and do what you have to do when it deals with family."

Going forward, Reid must balance the requirements of his sons' legal situations with his coaching of the team. Both sons waived preliminary hearings; no court appearances are on the horizon for now. Reid said he will "cross that when it happens."

The closest thing to introspection came during Reid's final answer of the 17-minute session, after he was asked for the second or third time about whether what he and his family have gone through has changed him.

"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," he said. "Yeah, you go back and think through a lot of things."

Reid said he wouldn't necessarily pursue a lighter workload, now that he's back. Asked whether he could spend less time at the office and still be as effective, he said: "I really haven't even gone there. I haven't gone there with that. I'm excited to be back, and that's where I'll leave it, and we'll see how things work down the road."

Reid said he thought the Eagles added "quality players" in free agency. He will attend the NFL's annual meeting, starting this weekend, in Arizona, then will prepare for the April 28-29 NFL draft. Reid reiterated that he was involved in the free-agency decisions; he said he, team president Joe Banner and general manager Tom Heckert "communicated every day."

Reid was asked what makes his job worth such personal sacrifice.

"It's a great job. It's a great city to coach in," he said. "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." *