Who Could Replace Andy Reid If He Gets Fired?

Think about it. Do you want to see Andy Reid fired?

Or, would you rather see the Eagles’ Head Coach rebound from consecutive losses that were the result of poor play-calling and clock management and lead his team to a Super Bowl victory?

My guess is you’d rather see the latter.

However, that’s a perfect-world scenario, and the reality is that Andy Reid has mismanaged his team and out-thought himself for fourteen years.

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has publicly stated that the Eagles’ performance under Andy Reid over the last few years has been unacceptable, which has lead many to speculate that Andy Reid’s job may be in jeopardy if the Birds don’t make a deep post-season run this year.

With the way things are for the team right now, it’s too early to wave a white flag and give up on the 2012 season. Nonetheless, the Philadelphia Eagles are currently 3-3 heading into their next game against an undefeated Atlanta Falcons team.

If they lose to the Falcons, the team could take a nosedive. If they win, the sky could be the limit. It’s safe to say this very well could be a make-or-break game that has an enormous impact on whether or not Andy Reid will return as the Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles next season.

What if they lose, though? What if the team ends up finishing 8-8 or worse?

Who could possibly come in and take Andy Reid’s place? Moreover, if that was to happen, would that coach be under orders to try to win with what he has or rebuild for the future?

There is no doubting that Andy Reid has what it takes to build and sustain a successful football team. The doubt is in regards to his ability to coach a team on game day, which is what will cost him his job if he is fired.

The following slideshow contains candidates who could replace Andy Reid if he loses his job after the 2012 season.

A little note: Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher are not on this list because they are not coming out of retirement. 

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5. Brian Billick

I wouldn’t exactly call Brian Billick a football genius.

Though he’s proven himself a decent offensive coordinator during his time with the Vikings, and he won a Super Bowl in 2001 on the back of his ferocious Baltimore Ravens defense, his resume exhibits mediocrity more than it does success.

I see Billick being hired as the next coach of the Eagles as a quick-fix rather than a long-term solution—someone to act as a placeholder until the team finds the next up-and-coming brilliant young football mind.

4. Nick Saban

Although he has a contract that runs through the 2020 season to remain Alabama’s head coach, it’s never out of the realm of possibility for a coach to leave the college ranks and ascend to the NFL.

Saban is a controlling perfectionist, and his success at Alabama can be attributed to that.

He has experience in the NFL as the Miami Dolphins Head Coach, and he also served as an assistant under Bill Belichick with the Cleveland Browns.

There were rumors of the Browns expressing interest in him that he dismissed. However, the Eagles are not the Browns.

In Philadelphia, Saban would be walking onto a team with a stacked defensive unit (defense is kind of his thing) and an explosive offense.

The Eagles would have to pay him—a lot. It’s not likely that he would leave Alabama, but if he did to come to Philadelphia it wouldn’t be a bad thing. 

3. Tom Clements

Tom Clements is currently the Green Bay Packers’ offensive coordinator. The Green Bay offense is pretty good.

Clements was the Packers’ quarterbacks coach (just like Andy Reid), and we’ve seen how Aaron Rodgers turned out.

Clements is a great pick for those who want to see Nick Foles stick around and develop because of his credentials. In fact, during Matt Flynn’s record-setting start for the Packers on January 1, 2012, Clements could be seen on the sideline working with Flynn throughout the game.

The Green Bay offense has been good this year, and Clements has been a big part of that through his managing the offense and his work with Rodgers prior to becoming the team’s offensive coordinator.

Could he come to Philadelphia and work with what the team already has? If not, could he develop a championship team? No one knows.

However, his credentials are there, and they certainly merit some consideration. 

Could he could bring Winston Moss over as defensive coordinator? Just a thought. 

2. Chip Kelly

Although my objectivity about ranking the best candidates for the Eagles’ head coaching job has kept Kelly at No. 2 on this list, he’s my favorite candidate.

Kelly turned down the head coach position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but would he turn down the position in Philadelphia?

He’d come into a team that has the offensive tools that would work in his system—especially LeSean McCoy. The only catch would be whether or not to let Michael Vick stay around, because Kelly’s QBs carry the ball fairly often.

Even if the Birds don’t stick with Vick if Reid gets fired and Kelly gets hired, I think he’d be able to be successful immediately. 

I also think he’s the best candidate to rebuild the team for the future, one that could operate under his philosophy. The only big question is who would run the defense?

We saw Jim Harbaugh come out of Stanford and be successful in the NFL immediately. Chip Kelly is not Jim Harbaugh. In fact, we don’t know how Chip Kelly’s style would translate into the NFL, but given his collegiate credentials and the team the Birds have now, it’s hard to say if Kelly wouldn’t be a great man for the job.

1. Jon Gruden

Jon Gruden has a Super Bowl ring. He has a history in Philadelphia from serving as offensive coordinator under Ray Rhodes and is quite familiar with the West Coast Offense.

Jon Gruden has also proven that he knows how to win with a team he didn’t build. Is he a football genius? Or, is he a sensible guy who knows how to get the most out of players by putting them in positions that allow them to play to their strengths? It doesn’t matter. He’s a proven winner.

Gruden has come under some scrutiny for winning his Super Bowl with Tony Dungy’s players in Tampa Bay. Nonetheless, he won the Super Bowl, right?

During his tenure in Tampa Bay, Gruden made the right personnel decisions and surrounded himself with coaches and assistants who he felt would best help him lead his team to victory.

It turns out he was right.

If Andy Reid is fired and the Eagles want to win with the players they have, Jon Gruden is probably the best candidate to do the job.

I wouldn’t say he’s the best candidate to rebuild the team, even considering what he did with the Raiders, but I also wouldn’t say he’s the worst.

As insufferable as he is as a football commentator, he’s probably the best choice to replace Andy Reid.