FanPost

Okay, okay...Fire Andy

Any of you that have even remotely paid attention to anything I have EVER said on this blog will probably be surprised by the title of this post...but yes, I now believe it is time to get rid of the franchise's best head coach. And just like when I had to break it off with my highschool sweetheart, I have to do it in classic bull$#@* form.

Andy, it's not you...it's me. I'm just not good enough to have you.

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I have to say that the reasons I have wanted to keep him have been wrong. Sure, he has had tremendous success for the Philadelphia Eagles in the win-loss column and is a major reason why a franchise that has never won a Superbowl has been preseason Superbowl favorites about 5 times during his tenure. But my reason for keeping him has been fear of the unknown, and that is no way to be. Fear of another Ray Rhodes. Fear of another Rich Kotite. And yes, Fear of another Buddy Ryan (Sorry people, immortalize him all you want, he never won a playoff game here).

To go back to the relationship analogy, I once thought that my highschool sweetheart was the best thing since sliced bread. And even when things were at their worst, all I could do was think about how things were before her and how I didn't want to go back to that. Soon though, that reason was not enough. And after I went that route is when things took a great turn for the better.

Andy is not the coach that is going to take this team to the Championship Parade with the Lombardi trophy. That must be painfully obvious to anyone with eyes at this point. Even if he has not lost the lockerroom, he has clearly lost the fans. He is a GREAT head coach. He has turned this franchise into one of the premier franchises in the NFL. But I think this change is needed and will be best for both parties. He is Tony Dungy. And with that comparison comes what I think a change could lead to for this franchise. Before Dungy got to Tampa, they were the laughing stock of the NFL. Tony Dungy came in and took them from laughing stock, to respectable, to formidable, to one of the league's best. But he never got them the title. The franchise decided that he would not be the guy to get them over the proverbial hump, and they fired him from the team that he built, a team with tremendous talent. In comes Gruden and wins the Superbowl with Tony Dungy's team. Would Dungy have won it?? We'll never know...but the split ended up being good for both as Dungy went on to do the same exact thing he did in Tampa in Indy, except he won the championship. All parties won.

There are three coaches out there that you could at least argue would be as good as Reid is. Some you could argue would be better for this current team than Reid would be. Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, and Jon Gruden would all be at the very least comparable to Reid...and all have the hardware required to back that claim up. While I personally don't want Gruden, I would be ecstatic to have Dungy or Cowher. The arguments against both are valid as well though. Dungy won with one of the best QBs to ever play the game in one of the most unique offensive systems ever. Cowher has seen a number of his coordinators and assistants go on to have success elsewhere. However, Dungy seems not only content in retirement...he seems downright HAPPY. I seriously doubt he will be back coaching anytime soon. Cowher is a different animal...I think he has been away from the game long enough that he is ready to get back in. And what coach wouldn't want to come into this situation in Philly? You have a fanbase BEGGING for change, a team with probowlers, cap space, and a young nucleus, and an owner that seems ready to buy a championship (if that is possible). If he were to come in and win a title in Philadelphia after years of falling short with Reid, he could be mayor.

To summarize, I think Andy is a good coach. I no longer think he is the right coach for this team. It's time for us to go our separate ways and find happiness...even if that is in the arms of another.