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When the Philadelphia Eagles let go of head coach Andy Reid the day after the conclusion of a woeful 4-12 campaign, it was more of a mutual separation than a cold, hard firing.
Reid was the face (and mustache) of the Eagles’ franchise for the past 14 years, in a storied tenure that is highlighted by nine playoff appearances, five NFC championship showings, and a Super Bowl XXXIX appearance against the New England Patriots following the 2004 season.
So it should go without saying that Reid, owner Jeffrey Lurie, and the entire Eagles’ organization have an overwhelming amount of love and respect for each other. But after a pair of horrendous seasons in 2011 and 2012, Lurie really had no choice but to cut ties with Coach Reid.
Just this week, the Eagles found their next head coach in former University of Oregon front man Chip Kelly, and both he and Lurie expressed gratitude and thanks towards Reid for his assistance in the hiring.
“One person I want to thank, in terms of advice in this whole thing, is Andy Reid,” stated Kelly. “Andy reached out to me and told me about his experience here just told me what this organization is all about.”
Reid was not without work for long at all himself, as he was able to find a brand new NFL head coaching job within just a week of his firing, and is now leading the Kansas City Chiefs.
While Reid has moved on from Philly from a coaching standpoint, a piece of his heart will always remain in the city no matter where he travels. And even though Eagles’ fans were relentless in their cries for Reid’s removal towards the end of his tenure, they will still always have a soft spot for Reid.
I think that Kelly’s hiring was a terrific move by Lurie and the Eagles, and it is certainly comforting for the team to know that Reid condoned the acquisition and helped throughout the interview process.
Kelly said it himself, he has “really, really, really big shoes to fill” when it comes to replacing Reid, so he should waste no time in quickly jump-starting the revival of this Eagles’ franchise.
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