Wins only go so far

By Tim McManus

There is a lesson in this; future bosses, take heed.

Amazing the violent descent, how the coach who specialized in entrancing the media was left suddenly powerless and vulnerable to incoming arrows.

Not long ago, anyone bold enough to question or take an antagonistic tone would be swiped away like a gnat. Now, a hand can't be raised in defense without a series of body blows hammering the unguarded areas.

Andy Reid is done here. It no longer matters how the team performs or what Jeffrey Lurie thinks. Best coach in Eagles history? Worst play-caller of the modern era? No matter...these are now debates over a departed man.

It should not be like this.

The E-A-G-L-E-S chants shouldn't have gone extinct this close to the Golden Age of Eagle football. The outrage should not be this prevalent. The hot water shouldn't scald.

Being upset over poor play/poor leadership/poor decision-making is one thing; in fact, in Philly, it's the one thing you can count on.

But being filled with this much detest for a team -- and more specifically, a coach -- who won as much as this one has is remarkable. It speaks volumes about this fan base.

This franchise is far from distinguished. While celebrating the Miracle at the Meadowlands, we were reminded that the storied play in 1978 propelled the Birds to their first winning record since 1966. And many periods in this team's history are just as ugly. There are no Super Bowls to speak of. Dallas or Oakland or San Fran this is not. The fall to the Detroit's of the NFL universe is shorter, in fact, than the rise to the Pittsburgh's for Philadelphia.

And if we're honest with ourselves, we admit we'd rather endure a solid decade of familiar futility than rise to the top again with Reid at the helm.

It is not about the pursuit of a championship. You can say it is, even believe it is, but it's not. Rather, it's more about a common pursuit in Philadelphia.

Even in the best days of the Reid administration the fans felt like they were stuck behind soundproof glass, unable to fully share in what was going on. Questions were never dignified with a response...outcries were quickly muted. The Eagles established a hierarchy; the people became the peasants.

A snap of the fingers, and the media and its followers assumed the position. The cache of success was piled too high to justify a revolt.

Things have since changed. Chinks have been found in the wall. The sense of order and command is melting off the bone. The people now have justification to overthrow the regime.

It is over. Even if it drags on for seasons to come, it is over.