At a time when the folks in Philly have once again broken out the pitchforks and torches, their efforts to clamor for change in the coaching ranks of the local NFL team ultimately could fall on deaf ears.
Though more people than ever can now envision the end of the Andy Reid era after 13 years featuring one Super Bowl appearance, the smart money in league circles remains on Reid staying put, even if the Dream Team fails (as expected) to make it to the playoffs.
The fact remains that Reid is a very good coach. He has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks coaches in league history, as evidenced by the reality that quarterbacks play better with Reid than they do with anyone else. From Mike Vick to Kevin Kolb to Donovan McNabb to Vince Young (with limited time in the system) to A.J. Feeley to Jeff Garcia to Koy Detmer to Mike McMahon, Reid has shown on a consistent basis that he can coach up quarterbacks. Since quarterback remains the most important position on the field, that ability should not be underestimated.
Then there’s the fact that Reid would quickly find himself on the wish list for pretty much any team that fires its coach. As Howard Eskin of NBC 10 and WIP radio pointed out on Monday’s PFT Live, Reid could be a perfect fit for the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers. If the Vikings, who once hired Reid’s right-hand man, decide to move on from Leslie Frazier in an effort to get a new stadium built, why not give the keys to Reid?
Then there are the Redskins, who may be more inclined to move on from Mike Shanahan if the man who has beaten the Redskins 16 of 25 times since Dan Snyder bought the team becomes available.
Regardless, someone will want to hire Reid. And the fear that he could go somewhere else and finish the job he started in Philly could be the factor that prompts owner Jeffrey Lurie to let Reid keep trying to finish the job where he started it.