Dick Vermeil is beloved in Philadelphia.
As the coach who turned the Philadelphia Eagles into a playoff contender and beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship in 1980, Vermeil will always have a place in the hearts of Philly sports fans.
But what about Andy Reid?
The longtime Birds coach may be coaching his last home game Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
Reid has suffered through his worst year as coach as the Birds have stumbled and fumbled their way to the finish line this year in a season marred with injuries and inconsistencies.
Fans have wanted Reid's head over the past few months as the team faltered from a 3-1 start. Team owner Jeff Lurie said that last year's 8-8 season was unacceptable.
So, if Lurie fires Reid at the end of the season -- as everyone expects -- how will he be remembered down the road?
After all, Reid is the greatest coach in Philadelphia Eagles history.
He has led the team to a Super Bowl against the New England Patriots in 2004 and to five NFC Championship games, including four straight from 2001-2004.
During his 14-year tenure, Reid has the best win total, winning percentage and total playoff wins in franchise history.
Reid just may need a change of scenery. Who knows, too, he could win a Super Bowl elsewhere, which would kind of add insult to injury.
Philly fans want someone to come along and get the Birds back to their winning ways.
But will the team ever find another coach like Reid?
So, on Sunday, instead of booing Reid, it might be right to tip your cap to him for taking this franchise to its greatest heights.
No one can take away Reid's accomplishments, no matter this terrible season. And that should be his legacy.
On a micro-level, few can disagree that "time management" during the games has been a perennial problem; this has created unnecessary angst among the fans. On a macro-level, therefore, few can disagree that the "management" of "time" spent listening to him take "full responsibility" for lack of preparedness has also created unnecessary angst among the fans. Those who claim he'll find a job elsewhere are simply too-kind to a guy who lost his usefulness [and had to have been sufficiently self-aware to have sensed his loss of engagement] a half-decade ago.
I would disagree with one argument you make about Reid finding future employment. Facts are, Reid's message and approach to players worked excellently for years, as is shown by the Eagles very quick and sustained non-Superbowl success. I think there are a number of weak NFL teams that will jump at a chance to give Reid that same opportunity.
I agree completely. The one thing I wrote about in my Reid send-off was my distinct desire to avoid reliving Eagles coaching and management futility during the early 1970's! If the Eagles end up going through coach after coach looking for success on the field, I plan to ask a lot of my Reid-hating friends if they "miss" him yet. Not that I believe they would ever admit it.
It's funny because both Fisher and Reid have awesome mustaches.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/869108-50-worst-nfl-coaches-of-all-time/page/24 Would owners want to put their fans through such excruciating experiences as have been provided to captive Philadelphians when he has interrupted the post-game Dininger-Quad on CSN with inanities?
"Hagen asks why he is 'out' and is told: 'You're not a wartime consigliere, Tom. Things may get rough with the move we're trying.' " http://www.filmsite.org/godfC.html
I never realized watching a football game could produce such stress and angst among the fans. I thought such emotions were caused by more serious issues currently reported in the news. I guess I am out of touch with what is more important and crucial in our society. Physician heal thyself, take up knitting.
As my hyperlink supra noted, there is an overlap between what the Eagles need and what the GOP needs; my overlapping attitudes reflect concern with the serious issues affecting both constituencies...and they both will be moving towards healing when appropriate events transpire. Do you not share the positive feelings when a 2-TD "miracle" transpires @ game's end? Who needs knitting when we have the ability to watch a young QB do his thing...successfully? Does this not make you wonder how different this season would have been, had quick-passes been employed routinely? BTW: I will be "healed" only after BHO has completed his reign.
Although I feel more fans share my exasperation than have blogged here, the positive sentiments that have emerged are integrated [along with pathos over the suicide] and, therefore, he won't be booed if/when he were to return [for example, as an Offensive Line Assistant-to-the-Assistant Coach].
I may still be among the minority of people who felt Vick had paid his debt to society, but I share the feeling that Reid was over-rated. Vick was an exciting scrambler and--with protection and a more inspired game-plan--he might have survived the season and even, perhaps, flourished. He didn't ground the ball regularly as did his predecessor, and he valiantly took hit-after-hit; I viewed his public service comments as heartfelt (rather than compelled) and would hope that he will recover and overcome his height-disadvantage when attempting to throw over onrushing D-linesmen/linebackers.
I suspect Vick would disagree for, as he averred repeatedly, just having been granted the opportunity to play reflected sufficient "return" to a professional baseline...regardless of the outcome. There are insufficient data to pass judgment on Reid, and I suspect no one will be a harsher critic of what transpired than the Coach himself; indeed, I would expect those who have been blogging here would not feel his overall legacy would be dominated by the conduct of his sons.
To quote from an article about the book you have touted: "Though Gorant notes that many of the Vick dogs have made slow progress in sanctuary care, others have thrived, becoming beloved pets and caring volunteer animals. In the photographs below, we can see just what a second chance looks like." http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2010/09/michael-vicks-lost-dogs.html#ixzz2FooHAoD4 Perhaps you might wish to suspend your judgmentality long enough to afford him the same mindset the author proffered the dogs. His culture fomented this, but he admitted guilt; during this Holiday season, have you no compassion...other than to predict recidivism without a shred of justification?
A frien of mine is a child psy and one of the first question ask of a child in treatment for disturbing behaviors is Have you ever wanted or have injured or killed an animal and how did it make you feel. Vick is a disturbed person that has had a free pass because he knows how to play a sport that brings millions of dollars and ego-satisfying pleasure toowners and coaches. His type of illness is untreatable. I agree. Once he leaves the cocoon football has provided him he will go right back to his former ways. As for pitbulls years ago I trained several and they were sweet devoted dogs. One used to fall asllep with his head on the edge of the bed every night until he was sucessfully adopted into a family. . Now they are bred for traits that produce unstable and aggressive dogs.
I would pose the identical question to you [as I raised to KR]...and to your friend, the child psychologist: "Cannot an individual recognize error, atone, accept punishment, and not be assumed to be doomed?"
Don't you wish he had chosen THIS YEAR to "take a year off"?
As someone, who volunteers in animal rescue, I can say from experience that NO, a sociopath LACKS the ability to feel empathy and compassion and it can not be taught! They are narrassistic and only feel bad when caught. I on a daily basis see the worst man has to offer to the most innocent of creatures. The ones that truly are compassionate and forgiving are the animals themselves. I have a pit bull that we saved after my daughter saw someone throw it out of a car. Neglected, abused,starved, infested and devasted to be without her puppies, she still licked my daughter's face despite all that had happened to her she trusted her. Mr. MD, Vick shares something in common with Dahmer, Bundy, Ridgeway and other infamous criminals. All abused, tortured and murdered animals before moving onto humans.
Your personal experience colors your perceptions.
Your broad-brush condemnations...as they have gently been revealed by my incremental exposures...now encompass the capacity to jump from "most serial killers" [rather than all] to guilt-by-association [impugning Vick by citing charges against his brother]. The level of intolerance you exhibit serves as a source of disgust and, to the disinterested reader, prompts adopting a defensive posture when Vick is being impugned; your biases/prejudices reflect more of your obsessions than anything he did wrong. And it seems you now would elevate an allegation into an engrained personality flaw for, even when unearthing an article from the Internet that encompasses your claim, even the linkage between his having supposedly disseminated STD and his dog-abuse is tenuous.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/michael-vick-hit-sex-suit
As for Vick, yeah paid his price but still a murderer and a thug scumbag typical homey football player. As far as a quarter back? He is and always was a BUM!!! Being a scrambler and exciting doesn't win games or championships. The Eagles has always had poor management and made bad decisions year after year....That's why I was never a fan of the Eagles and was and still am a huge Packers fan since the 80's who DOESNT hate his team and players one week and loves them and think their the best team in the whole NFL or constantly berates his team and talks sh** about players when they don't win. For example when scum bag Vick came, he was the best QB and they were gonna win the SB and he was gonna rip up the NFL. Then after the second season, he was all the sudden the worst player and he sucked etc etc etc. Typical Eagle fans. GO PACK!!!!!!
First of all, some Eagles fans are not as you depict us, swaying in the breeze. Second, regarding Vick, regardless of what ultimately transpires, he can hold his head high...and those who facilitated his return should feel proud of what has resulted; he scrambled effectively/fearlessly, but he didn't toss a lot of ground-balls as had McNabb. Third, I concur that Reid hardly carries a notable "legacy" in the positive-sense, having been dismayed consistently with his "product"; BTW, he did not WIN the "1 Super Bowl in 14 years" that you cite. Fourth, I am ignorant of the internals regarding Eagles management, but it consistently projects an image that the optimal team is being assembled; nevertheless, that Reid was also GM may be telling [and it's been asserted that Lurie doesn't interfere on draft-day, as have his predecessor(s)].
Andy Reid was informed on Friday that he will coach his last game. on Sunday 12/30/2012. Monday The Eagles will have a press conference on 12/31/2012