Andy Reid: 5 Adjustments He Must Make Now to Save the Eagles' Season

Another week, another loss for the Philadelphia Eagles.

After being ahead 20-3 at halftime and totally dominating the game, Andy Reid and the Eagles got destroyed in the second half and ultimately lost to an average team (at best) in the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers unloaded for 275 yards in the second half, which translated into 21 unanswered points.

At 1-3, this Eagles team is anything but a Dream Team. It is still early in the season, and the Eagles have time to right the ship, but it has got to be soon. The Eagles' next two games will determine their season.

The Bills and Redskins are up next for the Birds. Easy wins, right? Going into the season you would think so, but have you seen these teams play this year?

Here are five adjustments Reid must make in order to keep their NFC East championship and Super Bowl hopes alive.

1. Run the Darn Football

Pass attempts: 46

Rushes: 12

Are you serious?

This is just incredible, and time after time, everyone has been saying that this needs to be more balanced.

In LeSean McCoy, you have who I consider the best all-around running back in the league...and you give him nine carries on the ground! That is just downright dumb play-calling by Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg.

No wonder Michael Vick is always getting hit. The opposing team knows the Eagles will be throwing the football, and it can get its best pass-rushers in position to rush the quarterback.

Run the football and don't waste an All-Star talent in the backfield.

2. The Foundation That Jim Johnson Laid Is Now Gone

The late Jim Johnson has been gone for a few years now, and his great defensive scheme is all but gone in Philadelphia.

Sean McDermott tried to carry on his scheme to no avail, and now Juan Castillo has put in what looks to be a totally different defense of his own.

Gone are the days when the Eagles would stack eight in the box, bring the house on blitzes and create turnovers.

Another problem I see is that the Eagles are playing too much zone. The Eagles have three of the best corners in the league. Why play zone? Nnamdi Asomugha is perhaps the best man-to-man corner in the league, and Castillo has him playing zone? What gives?

Go back to your roots. Go back to the blitzing scheme that got the Eagles to the Super Bowl and made the Eagles one of the best defenses in the NFL year in and year out.

3. Protect Mike Vick Even More

It was apparent in Sunday's game that Andy Reid was trying to protect Michael Vick in the pocket.

However, it was still not enough. Vick was knocked down plenty of times again Sunday and sacked twice more.

Sometimes Reid would try to get Vick out of the pocket by running a bootleg. Again, it just wasn't enough. The 49ers were still getting too much pressure on the Birds' $100 million man.

Enough with the fancy offensive line schemes too. Instead of doing all this trapping and pulling, just block the guy in front. Multiple times today, guys just went right through the holes in the defense and got to Vick unblocked.

4. Stop the Run First

Fifteen attempts for 127 yards and one TD.

Frank Gore, coming into today's ballgame, was a game-time decision because of an ankle injury. He seemed to have no problem dicing through a porous Eagles defense.

Then again, you could throw out a high school back and he could probably rack up 50 yards against the Eagles' run defense.

The Eagles have to make it their priority to stop the run. If I'm the Bills next week, I give the ball to Fred Jackson 40 times. The Bills should be thinking, "I'm running the ball until you prove to me that you can stop it."

Coming into Sunday's game, the Eagles had the third-worst run defense in the league, allowing over 131 yards per game on the ground.

I know the Eagles linebackers are young and not very good, so that begs the question, is the wide nine technique working? Sure, the Eagles are getting one of the best pass-rushes in the league, but it creates openings bigger than the Grand Canyon for the run.

5. Red-Zone Efficiency

All the blame has been going to the defense when talk of the red zone surfaces, but what about the Eagles' offensive red-zone efficiency?

The Eagles entered the red zone eight times today. They converted only twice. It is definitely a concern, especially when you are turning the ball over in the red zone, let alone not scoring a touchdown.

Play-calling becomes a premium in the red zone, and obviously Andy Reid just does not have what it takes. This has been going on for years now.

Now, the defense has its own problems and has had them for a few years now. That's a whole different story.

What to Expect

Is it even a possibility that Andy Reid gets canned during the season? It remains to be seen, but the front office has to do something soon to shake up this team.

They were a Dream Team, the hands-down NFC East champions and Super Bowl favorites. Yet they are 1-3 and going into one of the toughest stretches in their schedule.

Reid has been here for a long time and has done some great things in Philadelphia, but he has ultimately always come up short in getting the Eagles to their final goal.

Is it finally time?

Hopefully it's enough for Reid to get this ship back on the right track and fix these things immediately.