Andy Reid needs to go.
So does Donovan McNabb.
They can take Greg Lewis with him. And make room for L.J. Smith on the bus out of town. Reggie Brown can sit on L.J.’s lap.
The Eagles are not going to the playoffs. I know, mathematically they are still alive. But the truth is they died Sunday in Washington.
They had been given a Christmas gift earlier in the day when the Chargers went into Tampa Bay and knocked off the Buccaneers. The Eagles held their destiny in their hands. And, as they would continue to do much of the afternoon, they dropped it.
The Eagles managed to put a total of three points – a single David Akers field goal – on the board and lost 10-3. Their defense played outstanding. But their offense was just that, simply offensive.
You can start with the head coach. This was classic Andy Reid. All that talk of balance and an effective running game went out the window as Reid went back to his pass-happy ways. In the process he threw away a golden opportunity to reach the post-season.
Reid dialed up 46 passes to just 16 running plays. This on a day of howling winds in Fed Ex Field, when the Eagles took the field without two key wide receivers, Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett. It would seem to be a day again to bank on their best weapon, Brian Westbrook. No chance. Instead at one point the Eagles actually threw the ball 15 straight times.
Lewis set the tone on the Birds’ first offensive series. After they appeared to be moving the ball, the wideout who was in the lineup because of injuries managed a false start. First and 15, end of drive.
Later there’s the vision of L.J. Smith dropping a key pass from McNabb.
There’s Brian Westbrook for whatever reason seeming not to want to run straight ahead for potential first down at a key point in the second half. A first down appeared to be in his sight. Instead he comes up short, and McNabb fumbles on the next play. That leads to game’s only touchdown, as the Redskins take a 10-0 lead.
In the final 39 seconds, there is the vision of Smith catching balls and not having the presence of mind to get out of bounds to stop the clock, costing the Eagles precious time. Of course, what game would be without a wasted timeout coming back to bite the Birds. They used their first timeout just 20 seconds into the second half.
Finally, with the Eagles driving toward what might be a tying score, did anyone have any confidence that they were going to get it into the end zone?
I’ll be honest. I was betting McNabb was going to throw a killer interception. He did not. He did something else we have seen before. The Eagles managed to waste time on just about every play, then found themselves with time for just one final play.
McNabb threw a pass to Reggie Brown at the 1-yard line. Brown never had a chance to get into the end zone. Amazingly, after the game he admitted he probably should have run the route a little deeper, like in the end zone. Have we seen that before? Oh, yeah. That’s the thing about the Andy Reid era, the same problems happening year after year.
I’ve seen it before. I’ve seen all of it. It didn’t keep me from screaming at the TV. And mulling another year without the playoffs.
That great week leading up to a showdown with the Dallas Cowboys? Forget it.
The season’s over.
To err may be human, but to air it out time after time is Andy Reid.
That era needs to end. The sooner the better.
So does Donovan McNabb.
They can take Greg Lewis with him. And make room for L.J. Smith on the bus out of town. Reggie Brown can sit on L.J.’s lap.
The Eagles are not going to the playoffs. I know, mathematically they are still alive. But the truth is they died Sunday in Washington.
They had been given a Christmas gift earlier in the day when the Chargers went into Tampa Bay and knocked off the Buccaneers. The Eagles held their destiny in their hands. And, as they would continue to do much of the afternoon, they dropped it.
The Eagles managed to put a total of three points – a single David Akers field goal – on the board and lost 10-3. Their defense played outstanding. But their offense was just that, simply offensive.
You can start with the head coach. This was classic Andy Reid. All that talk of balance and an effective running game went out the window as Reid went back to his pass-happy ways. In the process he threw away a golden opportunity to reach the post-season.
Reid dialed up 46 passes to just 16 running plays. This on a day of howling winds in Fed Ex Field, when the Eagles took the field without two key wide receivers, Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett. It would seem to be a day again to bank on their best weapon, Brian Westbrook. No chance. Instead at one point the Eagles actually threw the ball 15 straight times.
Lewis set the tone on the Birds’ first offensive series. After they appeared to be moving the ball, the wideout who was in the lineup because of injuries managed a false start. First and 15, end of drive.
Later there’s the vision of L.J. Smith dropping a key pass from McNabb.
There’s Brian Westbrook for whatever reason seeming not to want to run straight ahead for potential first down at a key point in the second half. A first down appeared to be in his sight. Instead he comes up short, and McNabb fumbles on the next play. That leads to game’s only touchdown, as the Redskins take a 10-0 lead.
In the final 39 seconds, there is the vision of Smith catching balls and not having the presence of mind to get out of bounds to stop the clock, costing the Eagles precious time. Of course, what game would be without a wasted timeout coming back to bite the Birds. They used their first timeout just 20 seconds into the second half.
Finally, with the Eagles driving toward what might be a tying score, did anyone have any confidence that they were going to get it into the end zone?
I’ll be honest. I was betting McNabb was going to throw a killer interception. He did not. He did something else we have seen before. The Eagles managed to waste time on just about every play, then found themselves with time for just one final play.
McNabb threw a pass to Reggie Brown at the 1-yard line. Brown never had a chance to get into the end zone. Amazingly, after the game he admitted he probably should have run the route a little deeper, like in the end zone. Have we seen that before? Oh, yeah. That’s the thing about the Andy Reid era, the same problems happening year after year.
I’ve seen it before. I’ve seen all of it. It didn’t keep me from screaming at the TV. And mulling another year without the playoffs.
That great week leading up to a showdown with the Dallas Cowboys? Forget it.
The season’s over.
To err may be human, but to air it out time after time is Andy Reid.
That era needs to end. The sooner the better.
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