Bleeding Green Nation, a Philadelphia Eagles community

The safety did a better job than we anticipated.

"I have a hard time believing that there's another [player] who's played in the National Football League who's been as valuable to a team in so many different ways than what Brian has meant to us both on the field and off the field,"

"Andy definitely wants to stay in Philadelphia, and the team definitely wants him to stay in Philadelphia," the coach's agent, Bob LaMonte, said yesterday by phone.

We feel like we have some good players there, so that's why.

"We are glad to see everyone a day early here. We are excited to announce Sean McDermott is the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. At the same time, both Sean and I are very sensitive to the situation with Jim [Johnson] and the battle that he is continuing with melanoma. I have been in contact with both Jim and Vicky [Johnson], and they fully support this situation of announcing Sean, knowing that, for right now, this is absolutely the best thing for the team to have someone in a leadership position that is here to lead the defense. And as you know, in this business, that is a very critical thing. I feel very strong about Sean in this position. He has worked very hard to put himself in a position where he can be a defensive coordinator at the absolute highest level in the National Football League. Obviously he had a great tutor in Jim Johnson, somebody that he'll talk to you about here in a minute, and the effects that Jim had on him. I know the players and coaches and the organization just have the utmost confidence in Sean, and maybe most of all, Jim Johnson has the utmost confidence in Sean and the job that he'll do."

As a receiver he was the most productive receiver in the country, all around I'm saying when you add special teams in there. You look at hi hands, his ability to catch the footballs, he doesn't drop footballs. You look at his ability getting in and out of breaks. They have a vertical game that they've worked on and then quick hitch routes that they do in their offense. He has the ability to stop and start which is important and the ability to get in and out of breaks which I think is important as well. We just thought he was an all-around good player

"Actually, we thought he was going to go quite a little bit higher than he did," Reid said. "This was not who we had targeted. He just happened to be one of those guys who fell a little bit and he kind of fell into our lap there."

"I will personally miss working with him prior to the broadcasts of our games," Reid said of Madden in a statement. "When I was a young head coach, he was very generous in letting me pick his brain about our profession and I will always be grateful to him for that. May we all push the seven-man sled as well as he had done in his 73 years!"

"I think it would make the team a lot better, if they were that type of coaches," Thomas said after completing his charity golf tournament in his hometown, part of a weekend of events aimed at helping area youth. "It would definitely change the atmosphere of the team. You look at other coaches, who seem like they really get into the players' place.

"I look at the coach from Pittsburgh [Mike Tomlin], he seems like he's a real passionate coach. He's really into his players, joking around with them. I think he's a great motivator, also. Other coaches around the league, I've seen them get passionate. Philly is just a little different. It's more businesslike, you know? Like, 'I expect you to do it, and that's it.' ''

If I had a nickel for every e-mail I've gotten accusing myself and the rest of the local sports literati of being "afraid" to ask Reid tough questions at his news conferences, I'd have enough money to bail out GM.

The problem is, their idea of a tough question is, "Hey, fatso. Your playcalling stinks. When are you going to do us a favor and die?"

Truth is, Reid gets asked the tough questions every week. He just chooses not to answer them, which is certainly his right, just as it is our right to draw our own conclusions when he doesn't answer them. He was asked 10 different ways on Monday to explain why just five of the Eagles' 43 second-half plays against the Redskins were run plays. His most expansive answer: "We probably could've run it a couple more times."