The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

It sounds like long-time Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid will be heading to Kansas City before long to coach the Chiefs. I can't really blame Reid for wanting to go to Kansas City. The Chiefs will have the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Their fan-base is great. Also, the division in which they reside - the AFC West - is lacking outside of Denver. Oakland hasn't put a winning team together in well over a decade it seems like and San Diego is heading the wrong direction with theirs. Lastly, the club went 2-14 this year. They can only go up from here. Reid won't be facing nearly as much pressure in Kansas City taking over a 2-14 squad than he would have had he continued coaching Philly. But, while I understand why Reid would be interested in the job, I don't think it'll be a good fit for him, at least in the short-term, and management will need to be very patient with Reid if they really want to see what he can bring to the club. As Eagles fans know, ...

The Philadelphia Eagles have made some very unwise moves these past couple years. A lot of it simply has to do with coaching. Before last year, Juan Castillo had never coached defense in his life. He was the Eagles' offensive line coach for 13 seasons prior to last year, when for some strange reason, he was hired as the team's defensive coordinator. The defense struggled mightily during the first half of the season, but showed enough improvement in the second half to warrant Castillo another year on the job. Well, it wasn't a full year on the job. Following a couple losses mid-season where the defense gave up 4th quarter leads, Castillo was fired. The defense was quite mediocre for the most part - ranking in the very middle of the pack in most categories. On the other side of the ball, the offense ranked near last in many important categories, yet Castillo was made to be the first scapegoat of the season and was let go. The Eagles were 3-4 at the time, far from out of the p...

It was another game and another loss for the Philadelphia Eagles, as they fell to 3-6 following their 38-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys - their fifth consecutive loss. That wasn't their only loss. Quarterback Michael Vick left the game in the first half with a concussion and receiver Jason Avant left not long after with a hamstring injury. Wideout Jeremy Maclin, as has been the case for most of the season, seemed to be in and out with an injury all game. For the first time this season, the Eagles scored a touchdown on their opening drive, as Vick hooked up with wideout Riley Cooper inside the red zone. After Vick left the game, the offense stalled the rest of the half and the Eagles found themselves down 10-7 at the break. To his credit, rookie quarterback and Vick's back-up - Nick Foles - played alright considering the tough situation in which he was placed. However, two Foles' turnovers resulted in defensive touchdowns - the first on an interception return and the se...

It was nice hearing former quarterbacks and current ESPN analysts Steve Young and Trent Dilfer finally discuss what the main problem is for the Philadelphia Eagles' offense this year. It hasn't been the coaching nor has it been the play of quarterback Michael Vick, although both have factored into the team's struggles. The main problem has been with the offensive line and that was illustrated more than ever last night, as Vick got sacked 7 times in the game and either pressured or knocked down several others. The Eagles now have four offensive lineman playing regularly that weren't there to start the season. This spells major problems. They may not be the most well-known or highest paid players on offense, but, and I've said this for years - the offensive linemen are the five most important players on offense. The offensive line is where everything starts. They're the guys that open holes for the running back to sneak through. Without that blocking, which has be...

Following the Philadelphia Eagles' very disappointing 27-6 loss to unbeaten Arizona last week, head coach Andy Reid was asked about his quarterback situation. For the record, Pro Bowler Michael Vick is the starting quarterback for the 2-1 and co-NFC East leading Eagles. The backup is rookie Nick Foles - a 3rd round draft choice out of Arizona by the Eagles this past year, who has never started an NFL game. Reid said he was sticking with Vick for now. Perhaps he could have worded things a bit differently to not generate any news story with his comment, but after discovering what he had just done via the media's obsession with it over the next 24 hours, he clarified his statement by saying Vick is the starting quarterback and that there was no controversy. Yet even after making that statement, there has still been some talk amongst ESPN pundits about this Eagles quarterback controversy. Granted, Vick has not been the most efficient quarterback in the Eagles' first three gam...

So, I watched the San Francisco 49ers/Philadelphia Eagles game in its entirety on Sunday along with the last few minutes of the Arizona Cardinals/New York Giants game. In the two games, there were two plays that stood out to me for how boneheaded they were on the players part (and in one case, the coach's as well). I'll start with the Eagles game. On a 3rd-and-goal from the 49er 1-yard line, tailback Ronnie Brown received the handoff and was stuffed at the 2-yard line. As he was being tackled to the ground, he threw the ball laterally and it was recovered by the 49ers. At first look, I was wondering what in the hell that guy was thinking. Afterward, I still am, but come to find out, it was a called halfback option play. He was told to throw the ball. Now, I doubt Andy Reid said to still throw the ball as he was being stuffed a yard behind the line-of-scrimmage and being taken to the grass. However, it was a called play. How stupid of a playcall is that? A halfback pass play o...

Following the Eagles' loss to the Giants this past Sunday, Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick had a few words for the officials, claiming that he doesn't receive the same treatment as other quarterback around the league with regard to late hits due to his scrambling and running ability. It seems as if his head coach, Andy Reid, agreed with the star quarterback, stating that just because Vick is able to run with the football, he should still be treated as a quarterback and not a running back. A Giants' defender seemed to understand Vick's gripe, but said once Vick gets outside the pocket and makes it appear as if he's going to pull the ball down and run with it, he should no longer be treated like a quarterback. Once Vick crosses the line of scrimmage, I completely agree with the defender's statements. Once Vick or another quarterback crosses the line of scrimmage, they are, in essence, a running back attempting to gain yards on the ground much like a running...