On what is known in the NFL as "Black Monday", the Philadelphia Eagles fired Head Coach Andy Reid after 14 seasons.
Now that 24 hours have past and the dust has settled a bit, I wanted to look back on Reid's coaching record . A coach's legacy tends to be defined by wins and more importantly, championships. Reid never won a Super Bowl Championship, but he did win a lot of games.
I thought it was important to compare Reid to his divisional opponents over the last 14 years. Here is how the Eagles (Reid) stack up against divisional opponents since 1999:
You can see that Reid has done very well overall the last 14 years in and out of the division. Get this, over the last 14 seasons only one NFC East team has gone undefeated (6-0) in the division during any regular season. Yes, that team was the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles, who went on to lose to the New England Patriots in Reid's only Super Bowl appearance. Unfortunately, the following season in 2005, the Eagles were winless (0-6) in divisional play - only the second NFC East team to do that in the last 14 seasons (09' Redskins).
What hurts Reid's legacy, is all of the playoff opportunities, yet no Super Bowl ring to show for it. With two fewer playoff appearances, the New York Giants have managed the same number of playoff wins and two Super Bowl titles. While the Eagles reached the NFC Championship game five times, they only won that game once (2004 season) during Reid's tenure as Head Coach.
I can see why some fans and NFL analysts will deem Andy Reid's time in Philly a success. I can also see why some will argue that he couldn't win the big game and probably overstayed his welcome. Many NFL fans (Cleveland comes to mind) would love to have their team go to the playoffs 9 times in 14 seasons (including one Super Bowl appearance since 1999). Well, we are talking about Philadelphia and their fans expect titles.
The Eagles finished the 2012 regular season with a 4-12 record (their worst record since 98', 3-13). Reid's team missed the playoffs for the second straight season, marking the first time in his tenure that the Eagles missed the playoffs in back to back seasons. Reid is 0-2 his last two playoff appearances, with his most recent playoff win came during the 2008 Post-Season.
So what will Andy Reid's legacy be in Philadelphia? It's a tough call. If a legacy is defined by wins, Reid was a success. If a legacy is defined by Super Bowl titles, then Reid was a failure. Either way, I believe it was time for Reid to go and that he will land on his feet. I think a move across the country will do wonders for him. Somewhere like......sunny Arizona:)
In closing, I would like to give Mr. Reid one piece of advice. Before your next job interview, please remove the "roadkill" from your upper-lip.
Philadelphia has a team in all 4 of the major sports and between them they've won one title in the last 30 years. (Phillies, 2008) The Eagles last won a championship in 1960, when it was called the NFL Title and you won it by winning the equivalent of the NFC Championship game. Why on earth would their fans expect a Super Bowl win?
ReplyDeleteHere's your article, briefly summarized: "Here are Reid's stats. Some people think he was a good coach and I can understand why; others think he was bad and that's understandable too. Is he a good or bad coach? I don't know. Here's a picture of Kevin Kolb on the turf."
I mean yeah, thanks for looking up Andy Reid's W-L record for me. But the analysis here is a bit, umm, lacking relative to what we generally get from you. I give crap because I know you're capable of more.
You're welcome for the Andy Reid stats. Just because the Philly fan base hasn't seen a title in years, doesn't mean they don't expect one.
ReplyDeleteI've lived in PA and have extended family that have been there all their lives. I've been to games and spent time in and around Pro sports in that city. I can say for a FACT, that many Philly fans expect titles. Have they been rewarded with them? Nope. Do they still want them? Yes.
Take note - This is a new blog I am getting up and running, not every post is going to be a novel. I appreciate you following the blog and the feedback, but I think you're just trying to take a shot here.
By the way, Kolb is #4, the picture is #6 Brian Hoyer. The connection when I wrote this blog was pretty obvious with the Arizona rumors:)
Please leave your name next time. Anonymous is the easy way to go:) Put your name on your opinion.
Take care.