obie_wan Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 From everyone's favorite source- A little insight into the thinking of our front office (and why Tom Modrak still has no GM gig) EAGLES SOAR FIVE YEARS AFTER NEAR MISS As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for a rematch of the 2003 NFC title game -- a rematch that Philly is highly likely to win in a decisive rout -- there's no doubt that the Eagles are on their way to success this season, and likely to a fourth straight appearance in their conference's championship match. But with another supposed NFC contender, the Saints, reeling under the weight of four seasons of unfulfilled expectations, we wonder whether the Eagles would be sitting so pretty right now if they'd made a different decision regarding their current head coach. Rewind to 1999. After Ray Rhodes was fired after a dismal 3-13 showing, owner Jeffrey Lurie, president Joe Banner, and director of football operations Tom Modrak set about to find a new coach -- the right coach -- to lead the team into an era of consistent success, not just sporadic playoff appearances. In the end, Modrak wanted to give the job to Jim Haslett, a friend of Modrak's from their days in Pittsburgh and, at the time, the Steelers defensive coordinator. But Lurie and Banner decided to go in another direction, tapping a relatively unknown quarterbacks coach from Green Bay to be promoted into the top job without the perfunctory stint as a coordinator. Haslett eventually got his gig, in New Orleans. Haslett became an instant star with the Saints, leading the franchise to its first postseason win ever in his rookie season. Since then, however, the Saints have underachieved on Haslett's watch, and the clouds are now gathering thick, dark, and angry over Haslett's head. So did the Eagles make the right decision? Hell, yes. As Banner told ESPN the Magazine in September 2002, "Frankly, we were surprised we weren't competing with several other teams for Andy. We're still quite proud about not being struck by the same kinds of blind spots as everyone else. And as far as great moments or difference-makers in team history, the hiring of Andy Reid forever changed this franchise." From Modrak's perspective, the decision to hire Reid really was a mistake, since it eventually allowed Banner and Lurie to bounce Modrak out of his job, handing control over the football operations to Reid. And Reid is one of the few (only?) head coaches who successfully can juggle personnel responsibilities with his day-to-day X-and-O duties. As a result, our guess is that Reid will still be winning games as the head coach in Philly long after Jim Haslett leaves his current job. And the next one. And the next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zow2 Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 They got Lucky with Reid. Still, I believe players win games not coaches. The players do have to respect the coach they're playing for, however, or they won't even get off the ground. Funny how Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is suddenly not a very good coach anymore now that he doesn't have as many good players. And Gruden must really be lousy even though he was a coaching god just a couple years ago. Heck Bill Callahan was running the Oakland Raiders machine all the way to playoffs and Superbowls, then suddenly a few of his key players got old and injured and now he is leading Nebraska to 60 point losses! Reid got lucky that he has some really good players to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark VI Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 TD,Modrak and Haslett all are grads of the same college, Indiana(PA) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 TD,Modrak and Haslett all are grads of the same college, Indiana(PA) . 69552[/snapback] as is chris villareal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 zow2 is right...isn't it possible that they're both good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 Last I checked neither one of them has won the Super Bowl yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 was marv a good coach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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