Reid's position was clear. He is just one of many corporate executives with serious domestic problems, and many of them do not walk away from their jobs. Nor would he.

"If Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie wants me here, I'll be here," he told reporters during a conference call last week.

Yesterday Reid walked from the podium of his weekly press conference as a voice in the back tried to slip in a question about his most recent troubles - the news that his son, Garrett, did not show up for a scheduled drug test, violated his parole, and found himself, like his brother, back in jail.

Whether Reid did not hear, or chose not to answer is irrelevant: The rules of engagement on these Wednesdays have been made clear. The coach will discuss his team only. Regardless of recurring circumstances, Andy Reid - the father - will not take questions from reporters.

Attorneys for Garrett Reid have argued that the 24-year-old, whose parole conditions also prohibit him from driving, could not find a ride to his test, that he was a victim of "a miscommunication." Your first thought was skepticism. Your second was to ponder how the head coach of your favorite football team would handle such an excuse. Wasn't Brodrick Bunkley disciplined for missing a plane just last season?

The next thought brought you back to that comment about Lurie. From the early lean seasons, through those NFC Championship failures, to this current, volatile period, Lurie has been steadfast in his support of the coach he replaced Ray Rhodes with nine seasons ago. Even amid the bleak 6-10 season of 2005, his and team president Joe Banner's public proclamations never wavered from the position that Reid was in the NFL's elite tier of coaches, capable of building and coaching a Super Bowl championship team.

And for a long time, it seemed self-evident. The Eagles were an ascending team, with a quarterback - and a head coach - who would only improve with experience. Each would learn from his mistakes.

In terms of weekly preparation and attention to detail, Reid still clearly excels. His recurring flaws are revealed on game day, both in playcalling and in making adjustments. It is not just his pass-first philosophy. He just doesn't seem to get, or buy into, the idea of wearing down an opponent, or even setting them up with a more patient offensive attack. The result is an unevenness on offense, even on the most prolific weeks, and an underlying uncertainty that it will ever lead to Lurie's professed - and aging - goal of winning a Super Bowl.

The surprising stinginess of the Eagles' defense this season seems to make a run-first philosophy an even more viable option than in years past. Yet asked yesterday whether the Eagles' playcalling was indicative of "a team with a strong rushing attack," Brian Westbrook said, "I don't call the plays."

There was also the Winston Justice offensive line mess against the Giants, the Eagles unable to make any adjustment to relieve some of the pressure - and peril - on Donovan McNabb. At times it is hard to figure if the Eagles' offensive struggles are a matter of playcalling or personnel, but in terms of assessing the coach, that's irrelevant. Reid's been responsible for both, and he is thus responsible for game-

planning with what he has, not what he should have - or worse, what he thinks he has.

Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg deserved credit for reconfiguring the offense in McNabb's absence last year to feature Westbrook. They have also earned every ounce of criticism this season for an offense that depends too greatly on their currently gimpy-kneed quarterback. McNabb spoke yesterday of missing that "burst" when he runs with the ball, but it's really worse than that. When he takes off these days, it's like watching Fred Flintstone with a bowling ball.

McNabb deflected a question yesterday about someday playing for his hometown team, the Chicago Bears, who come to town this Sunday with their own quarterback issues. Reid used his first pick last spring

on quarterback Kevin Kolb, creating even more uncertainty for a team that has drowned in it over recent years.

"I look forward to ending my career here in Philadelphia," McNabb said. But he also said, "If anything changes, it's out of my control. There's nothing I can do about it."

Reid has 3 years left on his contract. Already the team's winningest coach, his legacy is clearly incomplete without that Super Bowl ring. The question you have to ask, as his family troubles become public fodder, is what he can do in those next 3 years that he hasn't already tried to do.

And whether Mr. Lurie is starting to ask the same thing. *

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