Second-guessing Andy Reid

You coach long enough in the NFL and you're going to have a number of moments in which your decisions will be second-guessed. Whether it has something to do with the inordinate amount of Monday-morning quarterbacks in the Philadelphia area or not, Andy Reid's game management has been second-guessed on many occasions. Some have called it his Achilles heel.

Here are some of the more notable games in which the Eagles coach may have goofed:

Sept. 19, 1999

Tampa Bay 19, Eagles 5

   With the clock ticking down just before the half, the Eagles lined up for a 26-yard field goal that would have trimmed the Buccaneers lead to 13-8. But one crucial piece was missing from the attempt - kicker Norm Johnson. The Eagles couldn't stop the clock because they had no more timeouts - this will become a familiar theme – and when Johnson finally ran out on the field, he rushed the kick, and missed wide left.

"There's no excuse for a kicker in a hurry-up situation not being on the football field," Reid said. "That's absolutely ridiculous. It's a lack of concentration and organization on our part."

Sept. 26, 1999

Buffalo 26, Eagles 0

   Facing fourth and 4 at the Buffalo 32 with 1 minute, 10 seconds left before the half, the Eagles expended their last timeout before Johnson lined up for a 50-yard try. They trailed, 16-0, at the time.

"I wanted to kick the field goal," Reid said, "but I knew the situation had to be proper. I wanted to calm the situation and give the kicker the best possible chance to make the field goal."

Johnson missed and the 30 seconds the Eagles could have burned by not calling a timeout gave the Bills 1:05 left on the clock. Starting from their own 40, Buffalo drove to the Eagles' 18 and kicked a field goal for a 19-0 cushion at the half.

Oct. 29, 2000

N.Y. Giants 24, Eagles 7

   With 2:13 until intermission, the Birds took over on their 4-yard line. One incompletion was followed by a second, followed by a third. Total elapsed time: 15 seconds. The Giants were not forced to burn a single timeout to stop the clock. The Birds had to punt from their own end zone, and after an Ike Reese penalty, the Giants took over on the Eagles' 32. It took them three plays to get a touchdown and turn a 7-0 lead into a 14-0 margin at the half.

"If I knew there were going to be three incompletions, I probably would have changed my mind," Reid said dryly.

Oct. 13, 2003

Dallas 23, Eagles 21

   A 7-7 tie turned into a 10-7 Cowboys lead at the half when Reid's aggressive play-calling may have been unwise. Backed against their 2 with 1:36 left before the break, the Eagles threw on second and third down even though Dallas had two timeouts left to burn. Both Donovan McNabb pass attempts fell to the ground. After a punt, Dallas had plenty of time to move into position and connect on a 51-yard field goal.

"I don't think it's Donovan," Reid said. "I'm a part of it. He's a part of it. The offense is a part of it. Everybody has a piece of the pie."

Jan. 16, 2005

Eagles 27, Minnesota 14

   Up 21-7 in the second quarter, the Eagles had a chance to pad their lead in this NFC division game. McNabb drove the offense to the Vikings' 9 but with 10 seconds left threw a pass short of the end zone to Dorsey Levens, who was tackled short of the goal line as time expired. It didn't end up costing the Eagles, who held on to win and advance to the NFC championship against the Falcons.

"We left some points out there," McNabb said.

Feb. 6, 2005, Super Bowl XXXIX

New England 24, Eagles 21

   Trailing by 24-14 with a precious 5:40 left to play, the Eagles took over on their own 21-yard line. Three completed passes later, they had moved 11 whole yards for a first down - and 1:21 had run off the clock. The Eagles eventually scored a touchdown, but had only 1:48 to get the ball back. They had two timeouts left but tried an onside kick that failed. When the Eagles got the ball back after forcing the Patriots three and out, they were backed up on their 4.

McNabb completed a short pass over the middle as the clocked ticked down and then two plays later tossed a game-ending interception in Reid's only Super Bowl appearance.

"I'm trying to remember back on that," Reid said a few days later. "I've put that away a little bit."

Oct. 22, 2006

Tampa Bay 23, Eagles 21

   Everyone remembers the 62-yard field goal by the Bucs' Matt Bryant that won the game, but few remember the three McNabb interceptions and another pass thrown by the quarterback shy of the end zone as time expired before the half. It was the fourth time in three seasons – including the 2004 playoff win over the Vikings – that McNabb made such an error. He also did it against the Raiders and Redskins in 2005. This time, he completed a throw to L.J. Smith at the 2, but the tight end was promptly tackled.

Reid said that during the timeout before the throw, the need to make sure any pass went into the end zone was "one of the things we talked about."

Jan. 13, 2007

New Orleans 27, Eagles 24

   Down three with 1:56 left and two timeouts remaining in an NFC division contest, Reid punts on fourth and 15 from the Eagles' 39. After a Reggie Bush fair catch, Saints running back Deuce McAllister carried three times for a first down, and the Eagles never got the ball back.

"I guess maybe we should have done that, because we didn't get the ball back," Reid said. "I figured they would run the football and we might be able to stop them and get the football back."

Nov. 16, 2008

Eagles 13, Cincinnati 13

   It wasn't so much Reid's clock management that led to this putrid tie against the woeful Bengals, it was his insistence on passing time after nauseating time. Of 78 offensive plays, Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg had McNabb drop back to throw 61 times. With those numbers, the three interceptions McNabb tossed don't seem as bad. But having your quarterback throw on three straight third-and-1s and each one falls incomplete? That's just infuriating. Perhaps the worst thing was that McNabb admitted afterward that he did not know an NFL overtime game could end in a tie. Reid, of course, took the blame, but you can forgive the coach if he assumed that his quarterback would know a very basic rule.

Dec. 15, 2008

Eagles 30, Cleveland 10

   Eagles win in a rout but this sequence before the half had fans pounding their heads against the wall. After advancing to the Cleveland 2, the Eagles wasted 26 seconds before running their next play - a Brian Westbrook 1-yard gain that led to an Eagles timeout with nine seconds remaining. Off the timeout, McNabb lobbed a short pass to Hank Baskett - in the end zone (!) – but Brandon McDonald picked off the pass. The Browns cornerback raced 98 yards the other way, but was stopped short of a score.

There was a brief moment of hope that the play would be called back when a flag was thrown, but the Eagles were whistled for illegal formation.

"We can't have the mistakes we had" in the red zone, Reid said. "We've been doing pretty well there. Tonight we didn't do well. Obviously, we have to address it."