Why Philadelphia Eagles Were Wise to Retain Coach Andy Reid

Forget the 1-4 start, blown fourth-quarter leads, poor clock management and the general disaster that was the Philadelphia Eagles' 2011 season. 

Eagles owner Jeff Lurie made a wise decision today when he announced that head coach Andy Reid would be retained. 

Although Lurie said it was "completely unacceptable to be 8-8," he made it clear that Reid is his head coach for 2012.

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I want to see our team coached by Andy Reid next year. I wish it was next week, I wish the season started in May or April. But there's no doubt in my mind that if our focus is on trying to win a championship next year, the best coach for that is Andy. 

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By this time next season, I think we'll look back on Lurie's decision (hindsight is 20/20, remember) and agree it was the right choice.

Firing Reid would have been a short-sighted, panic-driven move. Everyone knew that the Eagles were going to be talented on paper, but no one realized how long it would take this team to gel. Lurie mentioned the lockout and he's probably right—losing a full offseason with his roster likely didn't help that gelling process.

Where did the Eagles then falter early? They struggled in the fourth quarter. They couldn't stop the run. The offense turned it over.

These are all things that teams need to be on the same page on to win in the NFL. It's no excuse, but you can't discount how these factors affected the Eagles early on.  

And you have to look at the alternatives to a head coach when putting his job status in question. Is there a coach out there right now that is a better option than Andy Reid, who has taken the Eagles to the playoffs in nine of 13 years?

I wouldn't underestimate the importance of the Eagles' four-game winning streak to end the season, either.

I remember a Packers team in 2006 that wasn't all on the same page through the year but came together and won their final four games. The next season, the Packers won 13 games in the regular season and was one errant Brett Favre pass away from the Super Bowl. 

In the end, Eagles fans should appreciate the organization's commitment to winning a championship. Firing Reid and bringing in a new head coach wasn't going to get the team any closer.

Like Lurie said, Reid gives the 2012 Eagles their best chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy.