Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie yesterday announced that coach Andy Reid "would return for a 14th season." In Philadelphia, Jeff McLane notes Lurie made the announcement "after calling the Eagles' 8-8 season 'unacceptable' and the 'most disappointing' of his 17 seasons as owner." But Lurie said, "There's no doubt in my mind if our focus is on trying to win a championship next year, the best coach for that is Andy." Lurie added that he is "sticking with Reid because of his track record, his recent success, and, most important, intangibles such as his relationship with his players." Lurie's "harsh language, while perhaps meant to placate fans, also could be viewed as a message to Reid that he has to win a Super Bowl for the franchise very soon -- such as next season" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 1/4). ESPN Radio’s Mike Missanelli said, “I thought it was very interesting that owner Jeffrey Lurie had to talk for 10 minutes to sell Andy Reid to the fan base before he slid in, ‘Oh, by the way, he's coming back'” ("Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN Radio, 1/4). In Philadelphia, Phil Sheridan writes Lurie "rambled his way through 13 minutes of self-contradiction Tuesday before declaring Reid his coach for another season." Sheridan: "Listening to the whole discourse brought back memories of another NFL owner -- Al Davis. ... In Lurie's mind, the Eagles aren't the team that has regressed each of the last three seasons" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 1/4).
POOR CHOICES? In St. Paul, Tom Powers writes under the header, "Rick Spielman Is The Wrong Man For The Job As Vikings GM." Powers writes, "Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf needed to make a bold statement. And on Tuesday, they did: 'We are idiots.'" Hiring Rick Spielman as GM "was about as inspiring as 28 floors' worth of elevator music." Spielman "was sort of like the general manager anyway," and "look where the team is today." Powers sarcastically adds, "I'll bet the season ticket hot lines are on fire. ... This could have been a real moment in Vikings history. Instead, they promote Spielman, who fizzled in Chicago and Miami before blending into the woodwork here" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/4).
TIME TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR? In Dallas, David Moore reports Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones believes adding a GM to the team's "front-office structure would, in his words, 'deter from the mix' because it adds another layer." Jones said, "The way we're structured and the way it is, our fans need to understand that I have the ability to go get anybody and any bit of information that there is, sports or football, and I do. I go get it. We get it from a lot of sources" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/4). ESPN's Woody Paige said Jones "needs to step farther away from the situation and bring in a personnel guy, as the Cowboys used to have." Paige: "The fact is he’s too closely involved emotionally to this team that he makes decisions based on emotion. It’s a mistake. He needs a buffer” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 1/3). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "At some point you have to look at the Cowboys if you're Jerry Jones and say, ‘Maybe it's me. Maybe I’ve got to bring someone else in’” (“PTI,” ESPN, 1/3).
ROUND OF APPLAUSE: A GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE editorial was written under the header, "2011 Was Near Perfect For Packers." The editorial: "If the 1960s were the franchise's glory days of the last century, 2011 stands as this century's incumbent glory year. ... We join the chorus that extends far beyond the city, county, state and national borders in saluting the entire Packers family for a momentous year" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/1).
