Gonzo: Unflappable Reid? LOL

It's possible Al Michaels moonlights as an amateur standup comedian when he isn't doing play-by-play. The other night, during the Eagles nationally televised game on NBC, Michaels called Andy Reid "unflappable."

It was killer material. Tell another one, Al. No one has laughed that hard since Richard Pryor headlined the Stardust.

Whether he's botching a two-minute drill, misusing time-outs or simply using "poor English," Reid handles pressure about as well as a novice carnival sword-swallower with a gag reflex problem. It's generally just a matter of time before things turn ugly with him and the crowd recoils in horror.

Sorry, Al, but the man becomes more flappable by the day. The latest evidence was heard during Reid's postgame news conference following the Eagles' win over the hapless 49ers. If you can't find the audio, it's important to review the entire original transcript and not the excerpt disseminated by the organization. The latter was scrubbed clean of Reid's unnecessary condescension.

If you missed it, Kevin Kolb played a solid game on Sunday. At the very least, he looked more confident against the 49ers than he did during the Dump-off Derby versus Washington.

A reporter asked Reid about Kolb's improved play. There was no provocation or escalation between the journalist and the head coach. It was a perfectly reasonable question, one asked respectfully:

"Can you talk about Kevin throwing with conviction?" the journalist asked following the game in San Fran. "He looked a lot different than he did in early appearances. Was there something that changed or what do you think that it was that allowed Kevin to be successful?"

It was a simple enough query. Or so everyone thought before Reid responded.

"Well, Coach, I appreciate you telling me that," Reid said. "I didn't really necessarily see the difference. But maybe I should ask you the questions."

Reid's snide reaction was unprofessional and unnecessary. But it wasn't surprising. Despite his physical size, Reid can be a small at times.

There's a portion of the population that doesn't care about those sorts of interactions because they don't like the media for whatever reason. That's fine. Maybe Reid doesn't dig the media, either. That's also fine. But that doesn't mean the head coach has to snarl during an otherwise civil exchange. Reid barely gives any information to reporters (and, by extension, football loving fans) as it is. Is it too much to ask that he doesn't dip his already-clipped comments in contempt before flinging them at the credentialed assembly?

Beyond Reid's petulance lies an important point: The question Reid took umbrage with might have helped us better understand what the Eagles think of Kolb, at least for the moment. Like a lot of Birds fans, some media members are still trying to untangle the organization's short- and long-term plans for Kolb.

Before the season started, Reid and the front office led people to believe that this year would afford Kolb the opportunity to play. That, in turn, would have allowed the Eagles to evaluate his ability. Obviously things changed.

"There's a maturation process that takes place when [Kolb] plays," Reid said. "You just don't step in one year and set the world on fire. That's not how this thing works. That's the reason why Michael [Vick] moved into that spot. It cuts that maturation process down when another guy plays."

If you understand how someone's maturation process is accelerated by not playing, bully for you. If it's true, that means every armchair quarterback in the area is actually a seasoned starter in waiting.

One final note: While we were all paying attention to the Phillies, Reid said there's no quarterback controversy and added that Vick will reclaim his job as QB1 once he recovers from his injury.

And of course we believe Reid. He's not just unflappable and pleasant. He's also candid and credible.

If you haven't read the new Sports Illustrated cover story, do so immediately. Former sports agent Josh Luchs claims he gave perks (concert tickets, clean urine for drug tests) and/or cash to quite a few athletes before they turned pro, including Chris Mims, Ryan Leaf and Greg Townsend. . . . No way the Obama streaker collects on the $1 million bet/stunt reportedly offered by a British billionaire. I'm still waiting for my British buddy to make good on his backgammon debt. . . . Message to DeSean Jackson: wearing a Yankees cap on national television, as you did during the Sunday night broadcast, is borderline. You might want to put the hat away just in case the Phils reach the World Series and end up pitted against New York. . . . Fantasy football chat returns to Philly.com at 1 p.m. on Thursday. It was a tough weekend on the injury front for Page 2's (many) teams. As Reid said, maybe I should be asking you the questions.