The Eagles Monday officially fired coach Andy Reid after 14 years with the organization. Reid is the franchise's all-time winningest coach with 140 victories, but Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie in a statement said it was time for the team "to move in a new direction." He noted the team would begin its search for a new coach immediately (Eagles). In Philadelphia, Jeff McLane cites sources as saying that Reid was "informed on Friday that Monday would be his last day" with the team (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/31). ESPN's Chris Mortensen said, “Jeffrey Lurie pretty much sent this signal last January when the Eagles didn’t make the playoffs. He said, ‘This is not acceptable.’ Certainly, he reinforced that this summer that Andy Reid did not have a lifetime contract with the Eagles. And it’s time, I think. Maybe it was time for Andy to move on because 14 years is a long time” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 12/31). Reid following the team's 42-7 loss Sunday to the Giants said, “I’ve loved the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s all I have to say. And I’ve loved every minute that I’ve had the chance to coach them” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/31). Reid last week said that he “wanted to continue coaching.” In Philadelphia, Jeff McLane noted the Chargers and Cardinals “have been rumored as possible landing spots, but Reid could ultimately take a year off” (PHILLY.com, 12/30).
END OF AN ERA: In Philadelphia, Rich Hofmann writes Reid is the “best coach in the history of the franchise,” but he “did not connect on an emotional level with the fan base.” Reid “simply coached well enough and consistently enough to raise their expectations to a place where they had never been.” Still, Hofmann writes it "is time," and Reid “deserves to be fired” after 8-8 and 4-12 records in the last two seasons. But Reid's replacement “has to know that the job is harder than the one Andy Reid took over in 1999 because the expectations are so much greater" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/31). Hofmann in a separate piece wrote Reid “will be remembered for being the best coach the Eagles ever had at the same time he is remembered for failing to win the Super Bowl” (PHILLY.com, 12/30).
