Andy Reid's Challenge Gaffe Doesn't Hurt the Eagles, Just His Reputation

So many great things happened in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 38-31 comeback win against the New York Giants that the easy thing to do would be to dismiss the blunder.

In a battle for first place in the NFC East, the Eagles were down 31-10 halfway through the fourth quarter on the road and won in regulation with no time left on the clock. The word epic is often overused but not in this case.

There are errors in judgment during every NFL game. In fact, the Giants made two in the last quarter of this very game by not being prepared for an onsides kick when they were winning by two touchdowns with seven minutes left on the clock and punting to one of the fastest men in the league, DeSean Jackson, with 12 seconds to go and the score tied.  

Eagles head coach Andy Reid is no exception. His decision to not challenge Jackson’s fumble, with his team down 24-10 and less than 13 minutes remaining, showed a lack of confidence and poor decision making normally only seen in rookie head coaches.

After making a catch, Jackson fell to the field and it was clear that the ground caused the ball to come loose. However, the referee ruled that he went down untouched and possession was given to the Giants, who recovered the fumble.

But considering the amount of time left in the game and the fact that three Giants were in Jackson’s vicinity, it seemed like an easy call to challenge. Reid had the balled-up little red challenge flag in his hand like Wyatt Earp before the O.K. Corral, but, for reasons that may never be fully explained, he decided not to toss it on the field.

Reid is often criticized for his misuse of timeouts, poor clock management and, oddly enough, his overuse of challenges on insignificant plays. And this latest incident only strengthens some people’s view that he is a poor game-day coach. 

After initially, and correctly, calling out the Eagles head coach for not challenging the play, Troy Aikman tried to defend his actions. The former Cowboys quarterback, now Fox analyst, suggested that decisions to challenge calls are made by the staff in the coaches’ box.

However, off­-the-field assistant coaches aren’t paid millions of dollars to make split-second decisions. That burden is placed squarely on the head coach and this was a simple call to make.

It wasn’t a bad spot of the ball or questionable catch in the first quarter. It was a fourth quarter turnover at midfield with your team down by two touchdowns. It’s the kind of turnover that can cost your team the game and, considering the Giants scored a touchdown on the subsequent drive, it is amazing that it didn’t.

Even without the benefit of a replay, one could see that Jackson was close to being touched by a Giant player so, really, what was the downside to acting without advice from others?

Losing a timeout? The ability to make another challenge? At that point, there were 12 minutes left in regulation so I find it hard to believe that the Eagles head coach thought there may be a more important time to use one later in the game. 

I have been a defender of Andy Reid for years as I consider him a great motivator and game planner. And given his career regular season record (118-71-1), I have always thought that if he had the same decisive in-game reactions of a Bill Belichick, that he could be, well, Bill Belichick. However, this particular decision was far too egregious to be ignored.  

That being said, Reid will be given a pass by most people because his team eventually won the game, but the fact is that they were victorious in spite of his poor decision.

If the Eagles had lost the game the airwaves and the internet would be filled with people again questioning his decision making and perhaps even calling for his job. Lucky for him, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is taking all of that heat today.

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