It's Time For Andy Reid To Go

The Philadelphia Eagles were still relevant in this 2011 season going into Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles were just 3-5 going into the game, but they were a 2 touchdown favorite to take care of Arizona.  And then, if they got hot and strung together some wins, the NFC East title was still a possibility.

But the Eagles found a way to lose Sunday's game outright. This season is now all but over.

The Eagles have been close in every game they have lost this year. They have blown five 4th quarter leads. In those five games, they have been outscored 60-3 in the final quarter. Good teams do not let that happen to them.

This is a team that is loaded with talent, leading to backup QB Vince Young calling it a "dream team."

Clearly talent is not the issue. So, what is?

I have nothing against Andy Reid as a person.

I have nothing against Reid as a head coach. There is a reason that he has been at the helm since 1999. In that span, Philly has reached the Super Bowl, and have been in playoff contention every season. Reid is a good head coach.

But there is also a reason why head coaches in the NFL have short tenures.

Coaches generally don't change their philosophy. They coach the way they know, the way they understand and want the game to be played.

After awhile, this message loses it's relevance to players. It no longer registers. Even if the players love and respect the coach, as seems to be the case with Reid, systems grow stale. Even if the system is fundamentally solid.

If Reid was let go by the Eagles, he would get another head coaching job, if he wanted it. And there is every chance that he could go to another team and be successful.

But this underachieving Eagles team needs an overhaul. It is no longer acceptable to hear, week after week, that there are things the team needs to work on. It is no longer good enough that the team knows what needs to be done and they will get better.

When a team loses a key game at home when the season is on the line, to a team that is obviously overmatched  .... things are at their core awry. It can be said that Michael Vick was hurt early in the game and that Desean Jackson was missing.

But they were playing the lowly 2-6 Cardinals, at home, with Arizona's backup QB. There are no valid excuses to be made. This Eagles team has grown stale. It needs to be broken down and reassembled, from the top down.

Yes, I remember the pre-Reid years. And of course I do not want to see Rich Kotite back in charge.

The Reid years have been overall a success. It is not without some sadness that the change is made. Change is always difficult. But in my opinion, the time has come.