Eagles vs. Giants: Andy Reid Must Be Fired If Philadelphia Falls

Andy Reid couldn’t eat away his troubles if he tried.

If the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the New York Giants in a must-win game on Sunday Night Football, Reid should be fired.  The Eagles began the 2011 season with Super Bowl-or-bust expectations, and another loss will officially brand their season a bust.  Blaming fingers should be pointed in an endless amount of directions, but the vast majority of the burden must be placed on Reid’s shoulders.

Philadelphia is arguably the most talented team in the entire league on paper.  Yeah, still potentially ahead of the Green Bay Packers.  Philly, without a doubt, has the players to win it all.

Chemistry is what’s killing their execution.  The Eagles’ physical ability is all there.  Mentally, though, they haven’t been able to get the job done.

Six out of the Eagles’ seven losses were one-score ball games.  Five out of those six could’ve been won by a single touchdown.  Mental lapses cause failure in crunch time which leads to losses.

Does Philadelphia’s joke of a run defense deserve blame?  Without a doubt.

How about their inconsistent offensive line?  Sure.

Andy Reid’s job, though, is to mentally prepare the Eagles players, and it’s obvious he’s failed to fulfill that part of his role.

Reid has been Philadelphia’s head coach since 1999.  Head coaches that are able to keep their jobs that long usually do so for one reason: they win Super Bowls.  Reid has done no such thing in Philly.

While Reid has come close, the amount of times he’s been in position to knock down the door only to have it slammed is alarming.  His Eagles teams lost the NFC Championship four times and the Super Bowl once.  Winning before New Year’s Eve has never been a problem.

This year, though, the Eagles won’t even have a Merry Christmas.  The only possible way they make the playoffs is if they win out.  Even then, Philadelphia could still be left out in the cold.

Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden would be forced to consider an offer to coach the Eagles next offseason.  Philadelphia would understandably be a dream option for any available head coach.  Despite their record, they will immediately be ready to compete for a title after a few tweaks.

With a loss to the Giants, one of those tweaks should be an interim coach taking Reid’s reins to pave the way for a more capable head coach to general the 2012 Dream Team. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.