management

Okay, I think we should all try this, it will help: We just have to try to strip ourselves of any and all expectations for the team. Then we can just watch, and watch for what it is. In a way, it's almost ironic that we, as Philly fans, developed such expectations last year. Seemed like we really tried to bring those expectations into this year, but it also seemed like we were trying too hard and it didn't really feel right. Maybe because of the off-season discontent and pre-season circus, which was sometihng out of the ordinary for an Andy Reid team. (Just like it was to snag T.O. in free agency, but our hopes helped to rosey-up our eyeglasses on that one). Man, we are hungry for something. As The Boss said, still at the end of every hard earned day, people find some reason to believe...

I've been hearing a lot of people -- most notably some of the mouth-breathing dolts who call WIP -- argue that Reid is a terrible coach. Talk about reactionary. That's just plain D-U-M. Now, I am as mad as anyone over what's been happening, and I lay a lot of the blame squarely on Reid's shoulders. I think there have been far too many losses in which we have not just been getting outplayed, but we've been getting outcoached, and dramatically so. (The Tampa Bay NFC CG comes to mind). And it makes me ill to see how stubbord Reid can be, how slow he is to adjust, how our team makes so many stupid mental mistakes (i.e., illegal formation penalties), how long it takes him to call the plays, and of course, our liesurely two minute drill.

Now that said, I still truly believe that Reid is a great coach. Not good, but great. No one can deny how embarassingly awful our entire franchise was before he came. Getting to the NFC championship in four years in a row is an astonishing achievement. To produce a team that hits that level, and for that long, is just simply amazing -- especially in this day and age of the salary cap. Sure, the Pats do it, but who else? Reid's players seem to love him, and he seems to fit well in Philly which ain't an easy place to coach. I think his steadiness in the beginning of 2003 when we were 0-2 and McNabb was getting harshly criticized, really was a factor in keeping the team solid. So I think there have been some overreactions...

Now all that said, he better get his act together, and soon. He deserves a ton of criticism. He needs to do something substantial. This ain't a bump in the road where we just need to stay the course. There are fundamental problems here that need to be fixed.

In the meantime, I'm still an avid fan. But I am trying not to have grandiose expectations beyond the next game. It would be great if they made the playoffs, but I'm not expecting it. Yes, the secret to being an Eagles fan right now is the same as the secret to relationships -- management of expectations. (Of course, in relationships the trick is to lower their expectations not yours, but that's another post altogether).