By Jared TrexlerAfter six weeks, six consecutive pressure-packed weeks leading up to all but one must-win game, the Philadelphia Eagles cowered at the gates of football destiny.
Instead of rolling with the team's personality metamorphosis from soft to skilled over a made-for-TV turnaround, Andy Reid went a different route.
He punted.
On 4th-and-15 -- after just successfully converting on 4th-and-1o only to realize Scott Young flinched before the snap. With only 1:56 on the clock. Kicking the ball to a team that had already rushed for a franchise playoff-record 196 yards.
Going for it at that stage of the contest is even found in the MartyBall handbook.
Yet, Dirk Johnson's end-over-end 39-yard punt ended the Eagles season.
Even if the defense stopped Deuce McAllister on three straight running plays, both remaining timeouts would have been gone, leaving 50 seconds and no time life vests left on a sinking ship.
Maybe Reid should be left on a deserted island. He could lose some weight. And gain some sense.
No other coach in this league, even the aforementioned Schottenheimer, punts with the season on the line. Granted Marty found other ways to shaft the best player and best overall team in football, but that's for another columnist to tackle.
This one wants to know what in the name of Lancaster Avenue Reid was thinking. And not in the irrelevant, football jargon Reid speaks to the media on a daily basis. I'm talking real concrete diligence put behind a moment of such significance.
If Jeff Garcia had thrown an interception or the pigskin had haplessly hit the Superdome turf on fourth down, then the game would have been lost with the ball in his hands.
Instead, the season came to a crashing conclusion with the ball firmly in the arms of McAllister, who ran for 143 and one touchdown.
Yet, "Punt-Gate," wasn't Reid's only misstep. Third down and three feet to go from the Saints four-yard line, and Garcia bootlegs to...Thomas Tapeh?!?!?!? Brian Westbrook carries the ball just 13 times, and even more oddly, Correll Buckhalter logs just three carries?!?
Longtime Philadelphia sports writer Ray Didinger spoke truth earlier in the day, apprehensively stating he wasn't sure Reid wouldn't revert to his comfort zone in the face of playoff pressure.
In the end, the Hall of Fame writer was right. And in the true end -- as in 0:00 -- Reid again displayed why he hasn't reached such lofty status.
He relates to his players, gets to the brink of the mountain top, then inevitably falls flat on his face -- 5.0 on the Richter Scale with the force of that weight.
That's not to say he can't overcome his pitfalls and eventually become a Canton-worthy head coach. It took coaches his equal far more time and failures before corrections equaled ultimate success.
However, several alarming trends need to be rectified. I've had this conversation -- argument -- with several colleagues.
You CAN'T win in the playoffs if you refuse to run the football, especially when you have a running back the talent of Westbrook. You CAN'T diagram a game plan that puts the brunt of the pressure on a 37-year-old journeyman quarterback, especially when the man behind him is one of the few players that can singlehandedly change a game.
And you CAN'T stand at the brink of destiny, two games and two minutes from the franchise's first Super Bowl championship, the first professional championship this city's seen since Mo Cheeks was a player, and balk at a fleeting opportunity.
Yes, the Eagles may have lost in Chicago's elements. Or been run out of Dolphin Stadium by Indianapolis' speed or New England's scheme. But we'll never know for sure.
Fate gave Reid one last chance.
He punted.
Jared Trexler can be reached for comment at andyreidforprez@eagles.com, or jtt128@comcast.net.
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The Phanatic
2 comments:
You guys are awesome! Why can't phillysportsline.com have your content! Keep up the good work.
We all make mistakes man. Kind of like the Mike Sherman to the Cardinals thing that you guys reported. You guys had inside info that went wrong. AR had some stat's that he thought proved the Birds could stop the Saints running attack late. Do I agree with punting on 4th and 15? Hell no. I don't. I wanted another pass, but life is made of decisions. The Eagles didn't lose the game because they punted the ball late, they lost because the Saints were a better team. AR and his staff have done an outstanding job throughout their time here. They make blunders and mistakes like any other organization does. But, their positives far outweigh the negatives that they have produced over the years. The Eagles will learn from this and move forward and we wil be a better team for it next year.
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