The Inquirer's Bob Brookover wrote an interesting piece in today's paper about the embattled Andy Reid.  He says that while many are rightfully frustrated with him, particularly with his nonanswers to media questions post-game, his lousy playcalling, his ineptitude at adjusting mid-game, and his apparently non-existent delegation skills, we as fans should be careful what we wish for when we roar, "Off with his head!"  He cautions that Reid, given his accomplishments, is still one of the better coaches in the NFL.  He brings up the fact that the Eagles have been in bad situations before but came out well, such as in 2002, when McNabb went down with six games left to play, but the Birds went 5-1 in those games to retain the NFC East title.  And in 2003, when the Eagles started 2-3, then won nine in a row to finish 12-4 and win the division again.  AND in 2006, when all hell broke loose with McNabb's knee exploding and Jeff Garcia taking over en route to another 5-1 home stretch and the Bird's sixth division title in seven years.  He says that to summarily axe the man who brought us these turnarounds would be foolhardy at best, and that Reid is still capable of taking this team to the playoffs.

Now, I have nothing but respect for Bob Brookover.  In my opinion, he's the best commentator on the Eagles outside of Ray Didinger.  But what he has to realize is that the Eagles are not the same team they were in those years.  McNabb has had many injuries since then, and they have taken their toll.  Westbrook is just now showing the wear and tear that life as a running back has brought him.  Brian Dawkins, I hate to say, has slowed significantly.  And, more importantly, the NFC East has significantly improved over the last few years.  This is NOT the same division in which the Eagles were undisputed heavyweight champs five years running.  From 2000-2004, Reid was able to beat Giants squads that were less a team than just 50-odd separate guys, Redskins teams with inept coaching and quarterbacks, and Cowboys teams that didn't know the difference between a quarterback and a hole in the turf.  But all that has changed now.  The Redskins look great under new coach Jim Zorn, the Cowboys are in a great position to challenge for the Lombardi Trophy, and, lest we forget, the Lombardi Trophy currently resides in an office somewhere in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  The rest of the East has caught up, and Andy simply has not been able to adjust.  His decisions, once logical and practical, have become bizarre and erratic, indicative of the conflict within his own reasoning.  He second-guesses himself during games, and he puts patchwork squads on the field with the wrong players in the wrong positions.  He has traded away our first-round draft pick the last two years.  His playcalling has gone south for the winter, and what is worse, he is not willing to relinquish one iota of power.

Brookover, as always, makes a good argument, but I can't agree with him on this one.  We can't be like broken-record Yankees fans or Cowboys fans, relying on our team's accomplishments of the past in order to justify the woes of the present.  Andy's had a great run, in fact, an awesome run that brought us five straight NFC East titles and one more in 2006, four straight NFC championship game appearances with one win in 2004, and a Super Bowl berth that same year.  But these are different times, and the Eagles need someone who is capable of adjusting to the improvements their division rivals have made.  If Andy isn't to be fired totally, he should have his duties as GM revoked, or at least significantly curtailed.  There must be more than one man's opinion present in the decisions that affect the future of this team.  I am taking nothing away from Andy, he's the best coach this franchise has ever seen.  But the NFC East has moved in a different direction, and it just feels as if Andy and Co. have been swimming against the tide since they lost the Super Bowl.  Not to get too political, the Eagles, like America, need serious change.  Strange days are ahead for us, fellow Birdbrains, and as always, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.