Libertarian Librarian

Andy Reid, for those of you who don't pay attention to professional football (and what the heck is up with you that you don't pay attention to professional football?), is the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. From all accounts, he's a smart guy-- which is why the pros below make sense, and I can't quite figure out where the cons came from.

Pro: Suspending perenial pain-in-the-arse wide receiver Terrell Owens for the rest of the season. T.O. is a spoiled brat who need a time-out and big, major, gianormous kudos to Reid for finally giving him one. Oh, and as a side note, T.O. and Randy Moss are exhibits A and 2 in the case against Intelligent Design. 'Cause God giving those two cretins the incredible amount of physical ability they have with the defective workings of their brains and conscience is really hard to reconcile.

Con: Trading for T.O. in the first place. Reid wanted that final piece in the puzzle to get his team to the Super Bowl and was willing to compromise he's team's chemistry and work ethic to get it. The result got him to that Super Bowl, where they lost, and a virtually never ending series of headaches and team schisms that have contributed significantly to the team's 4-4 start this year.

Pro: Working around injuries and free agent defections to keep his team winning year in and year out. Four straigth trips to the NFC title game is no small accomplishment, especially in the free agency/salary cap era.

Con: Relying on a pass whacky offensive scheme that has gotten pass whackier over time. The old adage about running games and defenses is still pretty solid-- the Eagles have had solid Ds during Reid's tenure, but they seem to be drifting further and further away from having a solid running game. The Eagles are currently dead last in rushes per game and, not surprisingly, yards per game gained on the ground, with a pathetic 58.6. Conversely, the Eagles pass 5.5 times more often a game than any other team, and are averaging nearly 20 yards a game more than the second most prolific passing team. 1st passing, last running. Not a recipe for winning the Super Bowl, Andy.

Pro: He used to coach in Green Bay.

Con: He now coaches in Philadelphia which, according to the solid third and fourth hand accounts I've heard, have the worst fans in the country.

Overall, the kudos he gets for sitting T.O.'s sorry ass down outweigh all the other negatives, so bravo, Andy. Oh, and you might want to reconsider that nearly 3-1 pass/run ratio.