Thus endth another lesson

By Steven Lienert

I like to think that after each playoff loss, Andy Reid goes on vacation and ponders what could have been. It comforts me to think that way – at least that’s what my therapist tells me.

I hope that, at the end of some long introspection, he realizes there’s a lesson to be learned. And, more often than not, The Stubborn One does learn from his mistakes.

Take this season, for example. He surrendered the play-calling duties and allowed the Eagles to run the ball more than 50 percent of the time down the stretch. He deserves credit for that.

But let’s face facts – when Donovan McNabb went down, the Eagles season, for all intents and purposes, was finished. In other words, however, there was nothing left to lose.

So pull out everything you got. Go Boise State on the rest of the league – the Statue of Liberty, 4th-and-26, Hook and Ladder and God Help Us plays should have become a regular part of the arsenal.

Instead of tightening up – and by tightening up I mean running a screen pass to Thomas Tapeh on 3rd-and-1 deep in Saints territory (can we please put a quarterback sneak in the playbook for next year?) and, of course, punting on 4th-and-15 – it would have been nice to see something special.

Does anyone remember when Koy Detmer flipped the ball over his shoulder to David Akers? It was at Arizona in October of 2000 when Reid called for a fake field goal. After taking the snap, Detmer nonchalantly flipped the ball over his shoulder to Akers, who subsequently ran for a first down. It was playground-esque.

How cool would that have been to see again, especially since Akers and Detmer were on their ‘Reunited and it feels so good’ honeymoon?

In the end, though, it was Coach of the Year Sean Payton who had his punt team allow an Eagle to come untouched through the middle of the line only to have his punter sidestep the oncoming defender and run for a key first down.

One guy had balls of solid rock. The other had balls that would make a scared turtle proud.

At that point in the game against the Saints, on the road, in the second round of the playoffs, the Eagles were playing with house money. They had already died in Week 11. But yet, here they were, walking among the final eight still-breathing teams in the NFL.

Personally, I think Eagles fans would have gained a new-found respect for Reid had he and his staff played to win instead of playing not to lose. There was no better time for him to do it, either.

Instead, while we appreciate the run, we lament what could have been.

Hopefully, this was the last time Reid had to be reminded to go for broke when he has the chance.

In my head, he’s sitting on some beach somewhere wearing yet another hideous Hawaiian shirt thinking how next time it’ll all end differently.

At least that’s what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

Lienert can be contacted at stevelienert@hotmail.com, but why bother? He’s still upset about losing to the Saints and will only yell at you anyway.


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The Phanatic