 |
 |
 |
|
Once the Philadelphia Eagles looked more like dead ducks. Now they could win the NFC East for the fifth time in six years.
|
|
| Once 5-6, Andy Reid has the Eagles on the verge of a division title. (Getty Images) |
Yeah, I know, Jeff Garcia has been magnificent in relief of McNabb, but Reid is the guy pulling the strings here. In fact, it was Reid critics wanted to string up not that long ago when the Eagles turned a 4-1 start into a 5-6 sinkhole.
Those people have short memories. Otherwise, they would've cut Reid some slack.
Sure, he didn't have McNabb for the last seven games of 2005 when the Eagles collapsed. But he lost his leading receiver. He lost his star running back, too. Mike McMahon was throwing the passes, and Terrell Owens was dividing the locker room.
This year is different because this year Reid has players he can pull together for an effort like Monday's 23-7 demolition of Dallas. That win was more than impressive. Considering what was at stake, it was Herculean -- and Reid should be applauded.
But he's not alone. There are others who deserve to be acclaimed but won't when the league's Coach of the Year is announced.
I'm guessing the finalists probably are the Saints' Sean Payton, the Jets' Eric Mangini and San Diego's Marty Schottenheimer, and that's fair. What's not is that guys like Reid will be overlooked, but, hey, it happens when there's only one award.
Nevertheless, if I'm looking beyond our three finalists I find plenty of candidates worthy of Coach of the Year mention. Here are my top five, in no particular order:
Brian Billick, Baltimore
Let's get to the point: He was on thin ice this season, and he knew it. That's why when the Ravens were 4-2 and their offense was struggling he stepped in and took charge. He supplanted offensive coordinator Jim Fassel, an extraordinary move for a club leading the division, and started devising game plans and calling the plays. His reasoning was this: If I'm going to lose my job at least I know I did everything I could to keep it. If the plays weren't working, Billick had no one but himself to fault. They were his plays. Heck, he was calling them. So Billick takes command, and, boom, just like that Baltimore rocks New Orleans 35-22 -- the second-highest score put up by a Saints opponent. Then the Ravens beat Cincinnati. And Tennessee. And defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh. Twice, no less. Now they're 12-3 and a heartbeat away from gaining home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs. Bully for Brian. I know the Ravens have a passel of talent, but they never went 12-3 before. Never. I hear plenty of criticisms of Billick wherever I've been on the road. Now, how about giving him what he deserves for this season? Acknowledgement of a job done well.
Andy Reid, Philadelphia
Never, ever, underestimate Reid. He survived a 2002 season after McNabb was hurt and went to the NFC Championship Game. This time it's a little different because McNabb is not returning for the playoffs. It's Garcia or the first tee, and, for the moment, it's Garcia. His critics believed he was washed up after unsuccessful stints in Cleveland and Detroit, but a) they don't know the guy, and b) they failed to appreciate that he was returning to the offensive system that made him a three-time Pro Bowler. Garcia might've been OK in Cleveland if the Browns played with an offensive line, and he never had a chance in Detroit because no one has a chance in Detroit. Now, Reid has him driving the Eagles to the playoffs, and that's a credit to both men. Reid didn't give up when everything and everyone said he should. In Garcia's first start the Eagles were smoked by an Indianapolis team trying to make history by reaching the top with a defense that doesn't tackle. That's when the turnaround occurred, with the Eagles beating Carolina at home before running off three consecutive road wins. That was tough. So was Reid's decision to relinquish the play-calling to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. But he did it, and now we have another reminder why it's never wise to write off Reid or his team.
Jeff Fisher, Tennessee
He loses his first three, then turns to rookie quarterback Vince Young. I would've loved to have been there when the decision was made because the feeling in some parts of the NFL was that it amounted to an admission that Fisher was playing for next year. And there was no guarantee Fisher would be around next year. Anyway, it was a gutsy move, and look how it turned out. After losing his first five this season, Fisher is 8-2 -- winning six in a row with a rookie quarterback. In those six wins there are quality opponents everywhere. Indianapolis. Jacksonville. Philadelphia. And the Titans were ahead of Baltimore 26-7 before losing by one. Heck, Buffalo was 5-2 over its last seven when the Titans met the Bills. They beat the Bills, too. Anyway, I look at what Fisher has done, and I'm astounded. He doesn't have much of an offensive line. He has no franchise wide receiver. Travis Henry isn't an elite back, though he's had a decent year. And his defense is ranked dead last in the NFL. Yet Fisher wins. And wins. And wins. I know the quarterback is special. But so is the head coach. Over the years, Fisher has done some marvelous coaching with the Titans. This might be his best job ever.
Dick Jauron, Buffalo
I remember looking at this team in August and thinking, man, oh, man, is Buffalo lucky it plays in the same division as the New York Jets. At least the Bills know someone will finish below them. So we missed on the Jets. We missed on the Bills, too. After losing five of their first seven starts, they changed course and won five of their next seven. Now they're within a victory of finishing .500, and, OK, so the odds are against them in Baltimore. I don't care. Jauron has done a terrific job of resuscitating his team, and, like the other coaches mentioned here, did it by making a critical decision. I'm talking about his overhaul of the offensive line in midseason, with the key move the switch of underrated tackle Jason Peters from the right to the left side. The results were immediate, with quarterback J.P. Losman settling down, and the Bills scoring in bunches. I give Jauron credit for sticking by Losman when his predecessor, Mike Mularkey, would not. Now he knows he has a quarterback for the future. But he did more than that. He returned self-esteem to a franchise that lost it last season, and that's big. All I know is that over the past seven weeks only two opponents beat the New York Jets. One was Chicago. The other was Buffalo. Then there is this: Buffalo's last three losses? They've been by a total of five points ... to Indianapolis, San Diego and Tennessee.
Bill Belichick, New England
It's not often we recognize Belichick because we just assume he'll coach the Patriots to the top. So the Pats are back in familiar territory, and this time we decide to mention the guy. Why? Because they got there with Belichick coaching a club void of varsity wide receivers and with a defense that played without several of its key performers, including safety Rodney Harrison, and again was forced to press Troy Brown into emergency duty as a defensive back. Yet, New England is 11-4. I know, having Tom Brady as your quarterback is a huge advantage, but at some point the head coach has to take some of the responsibility. All I know about Belichick is that he lost offensive and defensive coordinators, offensive linemen, wide receivers and defensive backs ... yet continued to dominate the AFC East. In fact, until this season he hadn't lost consecutive regular-season games in nearly four years. Magnificent. So is this: He knocked off Chicago. He hammered Jacksonville in Jacksonville. He buried Cincinnati in Cincinnati. OK, so this isn't his best record. So the schedule isn't his most demanding, either. But this isn't his deepest or most talented team -- not by a long shot -- and Belichick has it behind only Chicago, San Diego and Baltimore in overall record. That tells you the job he's done.