Reid encouraged despite Eagles' latest loss
PHILADELPHIA - October 10, 2011
He might be the only one.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 1-4 following a 31-24 loss at
Buffalo on Sunday, and their Super Bowl expectations have been
reduced to a mere fantasy.
Yet, Reid saw reasons to be encouraged.
"I thought the effort was good. I thought as the game went on
we continued to get better in most phases of the game," Reid said
Monday. "There are some good things we can take out of this
game."
Reid, in his 13th season as coach of the Eagles, has never been
the type to publicly criticize his players or assistants. He isn't
going to start now.
The overhyped Eagles are clearly underachieving. They have a
turnover-prone offense that marches up and down the field seemingly
at will only to give the ball up or be stymied inside the red zone.
Their defense is in total disarray and can't even execute simple
fundamentals like tackling.
"Somewhere down the line enough is enough," wide receiver
DeSean Jackson said. "We've just got to figure it out. At 1-4
right now, this isn't a great feeling, especially for a team like
us and we've just got to figure it out. We've got to keep coming to
work, working hard and doing the things that we need to do, but I
don't know."
For Reid, the bright side against the Bills was the team's
performance in the second half. The defense allowed only 10 points
and the offense nearly rallied from a 21-point deficit.
But mistakes are killing this team.
The offense has 14 turnovers during Philadelphia's first
four-game losing streak since 2005. Michael Vick already has thrown
seven interceptions, though a few of those aren't his fault because
receivers have either dropped balls, been stripped or his
protection broke down.
Fumbles have been a major issue, especially in crucial
situations. Players continue to be careless and aren't securing the
ball.
"I think guys are just trying so hard to make a play," Vick
said. "We know what we're capable of, we know what we can do. We
move the ball up and down the field all game, and I think that in
the moment guys are just trying to make the play and want to be the
game-changer, want to be the guy making a contribution. And I
totally understand, in our position we're desperate for a win. So
you can't fault guys for giving 100 percent effort.
"And I'll take that any day."
At this point, effort simply isn't good enough. The Eagles
desperately need a win. They'll play at NFC East-leading Washington
(3-1) next Sunday. The Redskins are coming off a bye, so they've
had ample time to prepare for Philadelphia.
If the Eagles are going to turn their season around, it has to
start immediately. They have no margin for error anymore.
"There is plenty of time, it's the NFL," Jackson said. "There
are 11 weeks left. As far as time, we've got plenty of time, man.
That's not the issue; our time is figuring it out on our watch.
There are plenty of games left."
Reid's time could be running out, though it's highly unlikely
anything would happen until after the season. He's had a lot of
success in Philadelphia, leading the Eagles to nine playoff
appearances, six division titles, five NFC championship games and
one Super Bowl.
But Reid hasn't won it all, and that was the expectation for
this season. Reid has an excellent relationship with owner Jeffrey
Lurie and president Joe Banner.
However, he's put himself at risk with several questionable
decisions. The biggest was moving Juan Castillo from offensive line
coach to defensive coordinator.
Reid insisted that he's not going to make drastic changes,
meaning he'll stick with his coaches and the same schemes. If they
don't somehow find a way to improve and make the playoffs, it could
end up costing Reid his job.
"In the National Football League, your job is on the line every
week," Reid said.
Maybe even for him, too.