Ease up on Andy Reid

By John McMullen  |   Wednesday, January 14, 2009  |  Comments( 3 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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I really can't explain the fans of Philadelphia.

I can, however, explain the way fans in the city are viewed around the rest of this country. Most places simply don't believe evolution ever made its way to the City of Brotherly Love.

Ex-Phillie Todd Jones once wrote: "What the fans want most is interaction. If you wave or smile, they usually will be great to you the rest of the time. They want a ball. They want you to make their day at the game an experience. For the most part, the fans I've dealt with have been wonderful. I've met neat people all over the country. If players treat fans with respect, we'll get it in return most of the time...

Unless we're in Philly."

I can already feel the righteous indignation building in Philadelphia as I write this; however, before anyone starts making excuses, understand that Jones is at least partially right. Like most stereotypes, there is some truth to the ugly Philadelphia fan.

The vast majority of Philly loyalists attend a sporting event to enjoy themselves, but the vocal yet uneducated folks make the entire fan base look wretched to the rest of the country.

Every city has these stupefying fans -- beer-swilling, face-painting MENSA members who think nothing of dropping 75 or so F-bombs while in the presence of 5-year-olds. They're ones who live and die with a team they know virtually nothing about. The problem in Philadelphia is that this minority has taken over.

Turn on sports radio in the city limits, and you hear the same thing over and over again -- Philadelphia fans appreciate results. You don't have to be a superstar, just play hard. In fact, the tag line for the Philly faithful goes something like this: "This is a blue-collar town. If you bust your a**, people will love you."

Well, then how do you explain Eagles head coach Andy Reid?

Reid is a true superstar in his profession. He is preparing for his fifth NFC championship game in eight years on Sunday and is renowned for his tireless work ethic.

However, he's never been well-liked by his own fans. Sure, Reid has the personality of a wet mop and the charisma of the bag boy at your local grocery store, but he's also turned the Eagles into a consistently solid, respected team in the NFC.

A colleague of mine told me the one word that best describes the relationship between fans of the Eagles and Reid is "overexposure."

I countered with "spoiled."

Yep, the same fans who suffered through Joe Kuharich, Mike McCormack, Marion Campbell, Rich Kotite and Ray Rhodes think five NFC championship games in eight years isn't good enough. I suppose it all boils down to the lack of a Super Bowl title, but Reid has given himself yet another chance to erase the lone blemish on his resume.

And things have never stacked up better for "Big Red." His opponent in the title game, Arizona, was regarded by most as the worst of the NFC's playoff teams entering the proceedings. Meanwhile, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are certainly more talented than Reid's Eagles, but both teams are tailor-made for Jim Johnson's blitzing defense.

It's time for Reid to finally grab the brass ring.

"They all have a certain amount of pressure," Reid said of his championship game appearances. "The one thing that you know going through the playoffs is that it is single-elimination. If you don't perform at your best level, you're going to be watching the next game.

"You understand that for each one of these [games], you have to prepare yourself right and put enough pressure on yourself to make sure that you get things taken care of on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so that you can go out and cut it loose on Sunday."

Win or lose in Glendale, Ariz., Reid will have his Eagles prepared.

"None of us can predict the future, and that’s what makes [sports] such a great thing," Reid added. "You prepare like crazy to perform at the highest level you can."

Reid has already performed at the highest level and cemented himself as the best NFL coach not named Bill Belichick -- whether Philly knows it or not.
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About John McMullen

John is the managing editor of The Phanatic Magazine, the assistant managing editor of The Sports Network and the co-host of the highly rated 'Johns on Sports' radio show on WTBQ in New York. Every Saturday from 6:30-9 p.m. (et) you can hear John along with his co-host, John Gottlieb, talk to the ...
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