(For-now) Eagles coach Andy Reid said Monday the decision to fire defensive line coach Jim Washburn was his and his alone.
But the decision to hire him might have had more to do with general manager Howie Roseman. According two Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, citing two sources, it was Roseman who made the initial push to hire the veteran assistant away from the Titans prior to last season.
According to those sources, Roseman brought the idea to Reid, and then pushed for his hiring, and the wide-nine scheme that has now been mothballed.
After what is described as initial skepticism, Reid took Roseman’s recommendation.
The Eagles issued statements from Reid, Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie saying Reid had final say in all football decisions.
“Andy Reid has full and final control over all decisions over his coaching staff,” Roseman said in his statement. “To say that I had more to say, or more involvement or more input that Andy Reid in hiring Jim Washburn is categorically false.”
Whoever’s idea it was, it turned out to be a bad one. The personalities didn’t mesh, Washburn behaved badly, and the product on the field didn’t justify the conflict.
Much like the fantasy football collecting-parts approach the Eagles employed putting together a roster, throwing a well-regarded but strong-willed assistant into Reid’s staff never meshed.
It looked good on paper, but it never translated into a team.