Kelly Experiences Overflow Introductory Press Conference As Eagles’ Coach

PHILADELPHIA— Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie opened Thursday’s introductory press conference for new head coach Chip Kelly by saying “This is a very, very exciting day for the Philadelphia Eagles, an exciting day for the city and I think an exciting day for Eagles fans across the country.”

Kelly then explained how he was struck right away by the passion of the franchise and knew almost immediately that “this was the place for me.  I was just trying to figure out how to do it the right way.”

The priority, Kelly said, was making sure his players at the University of Oregon wouldn’t find out he was leaving from any source except him.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/eagles/mc-eagles-coach-kelly-press-conference-cn-0117-20130117,0,6898808.story

Andy Reid Takes Over In Kansas City

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid pulled up to Arrowhead Stadium in a black SUV on Friday, stepped out of it wearing a dark suit and red tie, and walked briskly toward the doors of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ home.

His new home, as it turned out.

Just a few hours later, Reid officially became the coach of the Chiefs.

Reid was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs just four days after being fired by the Eagles.

The longtime Philadelphia Eagles coach signed a five-year deal, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the terms of the contract.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/mc-andy-reid-chiefs-contract-20130104,0,6936586.story

Eagles Stun Bucs In Thrilling Finish

Editor’s note:  It’s about time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TAMPA, Fla.— The most puzzling Philadelphia Eagles game of the season was a tale of two comebacks, with some old-fashioned, fourth-quarter desperation providing the fuel for a 23-21 victory over the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Rookie quarterback Nick Foles hit Jeremy Maclin with a 1-yard scoring pass on the game’s final play from scrimmage as the Eagles (4-9) broke an eight-game losing streak and came away with perhaps their most improbable win in decades, considering what happened immediately after Damaris Johnson fumbled away a punt return early in the third quarter.

Leading 10-0 and dominating on defense, the Eagles temporarily lost their fighting spirit after that play, and the Bucs (6-7) responded with three touchdowns for a 21-10 lead.

But Foles and an offense that was stifled on the ground all day pulled it back together and pulled one out with two late touchdowns sandwiched around a crucial defensive stop.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/eagles/mc-eagles-bucs-1209-20121209,0,1262341.story

Chaos Now Defines Reid’s Final Days – Eagles Lose To Cowboys

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Eagles are gripped now by chaos.  There is no other way to look at it.  With four games remaining in a down-spiraling season, just hours after a late-night loss in Cowboys Stadium, they abruptly fired defensive line coach Jim Washburn, apparently telling him not to let the door hit him in the wide-9 on the way out.

In the midst of an eight-game losing streak, they now have fired a defensive coordinator (Juan Castillo), a defensive end (Jason Babin), a defensive line coach (Washburn) and, just for fun, a couple of front office executives.

As it turns out, even Nixon’s final days were more orderly than Andy Reid’s.

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/hofmann/Chaos-now-defines-Reids-final-days.html

Andy Reid names Nick Foles the starting quarterback for remainder of season

Read the article here:  http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-eagles/Andy-Reid-names-Nick-Foles-the-starting-quarterback.html

Report: Andy Reid could become next Dallas Cowboys head coach

Read article here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/Report_Andy_Reid_could_become_next_Dallas_Cowboys_head_coach.html

Eagles Deny Report Of Conflict With Vick

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILADELPHIA – Michael Vick still hasn’t passed his concussion recovery test and remains out, but the Philadelphia Eagles strongly refuted reports of a rift between the quarterback and the team over the issue.

An ESPN report Friday said Vick believes “politics are entering the equation” in his bid to get back on the field as the team plays rookie quarterback Nick Foles, who will start a third straight game Sunday night against Dallas.

“There’s nothing to that,” said head coach Andy Reid, who said he has talked to Vick about the matter.

Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder confirmed that Vick on Friday failed the ImPACT test that measures cognitive brain function for a third time this week, but said the team believes it has figured out why Vick reached a “plateau” in phase four of the five-phase recovery protocol.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=432499

Eagles Lose Seventh Straight Game

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Philadelphia Eagles have now fallen to 3-8 after being dominated by the Carolina Panthers at home.  You could hear booing when the clock ran out.  The final score was 30-22.

The Panthers outscored the Eagles in the first and fourth quarters.  The Eagles only outscored the Panthers in the second quarter.  Both teams scored 7 points in the 3rd quarter.

I am sure Andy Reid will take “full responsibility” for another loss.

 

Craptastic Eagles Host Carolina Pathers On Monday Night Football

Eagles Brace For Hostile Home Crowd (be afraid, be very afraid)…

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

‘MONDAY NIGHT Football.” A six-game losing streak. The Andy Reid era sputtering to a ragged close, with Jon Gruden right there in the broadcast booth, analyzing the proceedings.  In the 2-8 Carolina Panthers, an opponent that provides the potential for what would have to be the worst Eagles loss in a season defined by them.

People around the team are worried about an ugly scene at Lincoln Financial Field.

“It might be a little hostile,” said tight end Brent Celek, who is as much a part of the community as anyone on the team.  “The fans, they could be rowdy, which we’re all fine with.  We’ve got to be ready for it . . . Most important, we’ve just got to worry about our own job, what we’re doing, and everything else should take care of itself.”

Read more:   http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/playbook/20121126_Eagles_brace_for_hostile_home_crowd.html

Cheap Seats For Eagles Games As Birds Swoop Low

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

WILL WORK FOR TWINKIES———>

Get your hot dogs, get your cold beer, get your bargain-basement Black Friday ticket prices for Philadelphia Eagles games.

That’s what former Bethlehem resident and Navy diver Nolan Tombler found when he returned to the Lehigh Valley recently for his first Thanksgiving visit in years: The low-flying Birds are delivering low ticket prices for their remaining home games.

Stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Tombler admitted he’s taking a vacation in reverse of the usual kind for Lehigh Valley residents, who might fly to Hawaii in the winter (or wish they could). But when you live in the tropics and haven’t been home for Thanksgiving in a long time, the trip makes sense, the Freedom High grad said.

Tombler discovered Eagles tickets are available for $30 a pop or less, and he couldn’t resist rounding up relatives and old friends for a trip south to Lincoln Financial Field.

Read more:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-eagles-cheap-seats-20121123,0,2257017.story

Andy Reid’s Exit Is Now Imminent

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LANDOVER, MD - Never in anyone’s wildest imagination could the end of the Andy Reid era as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles have gone down like this.

Anyone who says they saw it unfolding this way is lying or insane or both. Probably both.

What we’re seeing with this team is not to be believed. The Eagles have become the NFL’s version of Monty Python‘s dead parrot, bereft of life, an EXXXXX!!!!!-football team.

They have gone from not being able to pull a couple close ones out at the end to not even being competitive.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/sports/columnists/fierro/mc-eagles-fierro-column-1118-20121118,0,5637049.column

Eagles Reach A New Low Under Andy Reid

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To be an Eagles fan is to be an expert in disappointment, a connoisseur of dashed hopes.

The team has suffered almost every flavor of defeat in Andy Reid‘s final season.  There was the shocking blowout in Arizona, the near-miss in Pittsburgh, the collapse against Detroit, the whipping administered by Atlanta, the failed gut-check in New Orleans.

But this one? This cruel beatdown at the hands of the hated Dallas Cowboys was a rare blend, indeed.  In an absolute must-win situation, the Eagles reached out for the faint sweet glimmer of hope, only to have it cruelly snatched away and replaced by the most bitter of defeats.

There was hope in the form of rookie quarterback Nick Foles, who led the team on two third-quarter scoring drives to take a 17-10 lead.  There was hope in the sudden competence of a defense that had been AWOL for the previous three-and-a-half games.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20121111_Eagles_reach_a_new_low_under_Andy_Reid.html?mr=1&submit=Vote&oid=1&178713011=Y&pid=178713011&cid=8500281

An Ode To Andy Reid :)

Les Bowen: Eagles’ Lurie Can Blame Himself For This Wasted Season

Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles owner, after the Eagles’ training camp, Aug. 3. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEW ORLEANS - If this Eagles season continues to go south, straight past the point of no return – which could happen tonight – I say it’s Jeffrey Lurie‘s fault.

The team chairman has been trying to have it both ways with head coach Andy Reid, and in the process he has all but ensured this will be Reid’s last season.

We all wondered last January what the effect would be of Lurie publicly putting Reid on the clock.  We wondered again in August, when Lurie underlined it in red: “substantial improvement,” or new coach.

We don’t have to wonder about that effect anymore.  We’re seeing it on the field.  Lurie has diminished Reid as a leader and forced the coach to fly by the seat of his pants, instead of being able to address the long-term best interests of the franchise.  A coach who felt he had job security might have pulled the Nick Foles lever by now. A coach who felt he had job security might have bitten the bullet and jettisoned Juan Castillo at the end of the 2011 season, instead of trying to jerry rig a Castillo-Todd Bowles marriage, then annulling it the moment he caught a whiff of last season’s problems, leading to defensive chaos against Atlanta last week.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20121105_Les_Bowen_.html

Coroner: Garrett Reid, Son Of Eagles Coach Andy Reid, Died From Accidental Heroin Overdose

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Easton, PA – An accidental heroin overdose killed Garrett Reid, the son of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, a coroner said Thursday.

Northampton CountyCoroner Zachary Lysek said a toxicology test confirmed the presence of heroin in Garrett Reid’s body.

Investigators revealed they found a used syringe and spoon in his room, along with a gym bag filled with dozens of syringes and needles, many of them unopened.

“We are confident today that Mr. Reid’s death was the result of a self-injected lethal dose of heroin,” District Attorney John Morganelli said at a news conference in Easton.

Reid was found dead in his dorm room early on Aug. 5 at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, where he was assisting the team’s strength and conditioning coach during training camp.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=421805

Philadelphia Eagles Fire Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo today, two days after the team blew another fourth-quarter lead, and replaced him with secondary coach Todd Bowles.

The team announced the move a day after Reid said he would “look at everything” following a 26-23 overtime loss to Detroit, when Philadelphia (3-3) couldn’t hold at 10-point lead in the final five minutes of regulation.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=421292

FIRE THIS MAN ————————————————->

Eagles Give Fans Plenty To Talk About During Bye Week

Andy Reid 080805-F-9429S-131 crop (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Disappointing.  Bad.  Disgusting.  Sickening.  Horrible.

Take your pick.  All of those words, and some not fit for a family newspaper, were used in the Eagles’ locker room to describe what happened Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.

Don’t worry about the upcoming bye week creating a void of Eagles conversation around this city that has its emotional heartstrings wrapped firmly around this often exasperating franchise.

Every year, there is one loss that resonates with the “Fire Andy!” crowd long after the game is played and torments the team into the holiday season when it is time to sort out playoff berths, byes and home-field advantage.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/sports/columnists/groller/mc-groller-eagles-lions-game-1014-20121014,0,4327232.column

 

Vick Fumbles Away Eagles’ Opportunity To Win In Pittsburgh

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PITTSBURGH, PA  - As long as Michael Vick thinks fumbling the ball away on the opponent’s goal line is just one of those things that happens sometimes, the Eagles are never going to be a championship-level team.

If you were to view Sunday’s missed opportunity in a vacuum, that assessment might seem harsh.  Vick wasn’t waving the ball around on the first-quarter quarterback draw that took him from the Steelers‘ 3 to the 1, then took the ball into the end zone, without Vick attached.  Safety Ryan Clark made a great play, jarring the fumble loose with his shoulder.  Then linebacker Larry Foote recovered it in the end zone.  In one play, a scoreless game went from first-and-goal, Eagles, to Steelers’ ball at their 20.

Read more:   http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20121008_Vick_fumbles_away_Eagles__opportunity_to_win_in_Pittsburgh.html

Eagles, Vick Beaten Up 27-6 By Cardinals

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Michael Vick was knocked into Arizona’s bench on his first play and flattened in the pocket later in the series.

His day never got any better.

Harassed all game by Arizona’s attacking defense, Vick was sacked five times and had one of his two fumbles returned for a 93-yard touchdown in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 27-6 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday.

”I wish I had all the answers right now,” Vick said. ”The only thing I can tell you is we didn’t play our best, Nowhere near what we have potential to do.”

Read more: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Eagles-Vick-beaten-up-276-by-Cardinals-20686870

Jeffrey Lurie Reiterates How Andy Reid Is On Hot Seat

Editor’s note:  Well it’s about freakin’ time!!!  The fans deserve a winning season!!!

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Jeffrey Lurie will have no problem separating the utmost respect he has for Andy Reid as a coach and the sympathy he has for him as a person from the business of football when the time comes.

That subject was one of many covered by the majority owner of the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday in a wide-ranging annual press conference that was postponed from its original date of August 5, when Andy Reid’s son Garrett was found dead at training camp.

Reid, whose contract expires at the end of next season, will not get an extension unless Lurie sees a major improvement over last season’s 8-8, non-playoff squad.  The Eagles have not won a playoff game since the 2008 season.

“It goes beyond [a certain level of expected success] but there’s no question what I said was we need substantial improvement,” Lurie said.  ”We have a very good team I think on paper, and paper doesn’t get you that far if you don’t maximize it.  I’m so excited about this season.  I think everybody in the organization and the fan base is very excited but it’s a difficult league and I think you have to beat the other teams that are very good.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/eagles/mc-eagles-lurie-0830-20120830,0,4304604.story

NFL: Vick Hurts Throwing Hand In Preseason Opener

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILADELPHIA — Nobody was expecting perfection, or symmetry, or anything in the neighborhood.  A pair of news conferences conducted earlier in the week guaranteed as much.The Eagles had to begin their season at some point, and Thursday was it.  Heartache would not prevent it.

Andy Reid, two days removed from his oldest son’s funeral, was on the sideline at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles overcame three deficits to top the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-23, on a 51-yard field goal by Alex Henery.

“It was a tough week, but this is our outlet,” Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans said.  “This is our outlet and it gives us a chance to forget about things, put things aside for three hours and come out here and play this game.”

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120810/SPORTS03/120809286/nfl-vick-hurts-throwing-hand-in-preseason-opener

Andy Reid’s Son Found Dead At Lehigh University

Garrett Reid, the troubled son of Eagles head coach Andy Reid, was found dead in his dorm room at Lehigh University this morning. He was 29 years old.

Garrett Reid, who served a prison sentence on drug charges stemming from a 2007 arrest and later had a relapse, had been working with the team’s strength and conditioning staff as a volunteer, according to a team spokesman.

Andy Reid is not with the team, which kneeled for a prayer before this morning’s practice.

Garrett Reid’s legal problems began with a 2007 arrest following a traffic accident when he was found to be high on heroin at the time.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/eagles/mc-eagles-training-camp-0805-20120805,0,7806625.story