I’d like to make an official announcement today:
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid is the winner of the best coach in the NFL to be the worst game manager of all time.
APEagles head coach Andy Reid has won a lot of games in his career for being such a poor game manager.
Normally, bad coaches are bad game managers — it kind of goes hand in hand. The “Peter Principle” takes over for bad coaches, and the one area that can’t be hidden from fans is game management. Coaches’ ability to handle game situations is visible every Sunday, so those crunch-time decisions shed light on the kind of coach that’s running the team. Bad game managers become bad coaches because their decisions result in losses, which turn off fans and create doubt about the quality of the coach.
Andy Reid is the exception to the rule about bad coaches and bad game managers going hand in hand. He’s a good coach. For someone who’s won 100 regular-season games, he continues to amaze me with his lack of regard for managing the game and giving his team a chance to win. Yet he’s won his share of games, in large part because of the talent of the late Jim Johnson, the Eagles defensive coordinator whose unit would frequently bail out Reid and his poor decisions.
Reid makes decisions that leave me asking WTF?! Last year in Cincinnati, in a classic overtime game, he dazzled me with his moves at the end of regulation and in overtime. In fact, NFL Network should put that game on its classic series to teach young kids who dream of becoming NFL coaches what not to do when it comes to game management. The back and forth between Reid and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis will one day be part of a class lecture taught by own Bob Boland at NY U. Bobb McKittrick, the renown 49ers offensive line coach, once told me as we flew back from the Senior Bowl, “Young man, you can learn as much from what not to do as you can learn from what to do.”
I know Reid is smart. I know he works hard and is well-informed. But I also know he’s the worst game manager currently in the NFL. Sunday against the Raiders, he nailed down the title.
APEagles QB Donovan McNabb couldn't deliver the road win in Oakland on Sunday.
There are some in Philadelphia – a cynical city, for sure -- who might feel that Reid is overrated as a coach. There’s some merit to that, especially when you consider that since their Super Bowl appearance in 2004, the Eagles are 36-32-1. They haven’t dominated the NFL, but they’ve been to the playoffs twice, including one conference championship game, since their bowl appearance. A little balance is always a good thing, especially in Philadelphia.
And for the record, I feel the Eagles should extend Reid’s contract because he’s a good coach. However, there should be one caveat. They should insist he bring someone from the outside to assist him, especially on game days with alternative ways to manage the game. It should be someone who won’t be intimidated by Reid and can make independent recommendations, not just tell him what he wants to hear like many do in Philadelphia.
How did Reid earn this title? With many of his game-gasping management decisions – and none more gasping than this one on Sunday. We start with the Eagles, down 13-9, getting the ball with 3:42 to go in the game and having all their timeouts.
Philadelphia Eagles at 3:42
1-10-PHI 20 (3:42) D.McNabb pass short middle to B.Westbrook to PHI 28 for 8 yards (T.Howard).
2-2-PHI 28 (3:17) B.Westbrook left tackle to PHI 39 for 11 yards (M.Huff). R13
1-10-PHI 39 (2:52) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short middle to D.Jackson to OAK 49 for 12 yards (T.Branch). P14
1-10-OAK 49 (2:45) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep right to D.Jackson.
2-10-OAK 49 (2:36) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep middle to J.Avant.
3-10-OAK 49 (2:32) (Shotgun) D.McNabb scrambles up the middle to OAK 43 for 6 yards (M.Huff).
APEagles RB Brian Westbrook
THIS PLAY CALL IS UNDERSTOOD. THEY ARE IN FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY.
Timeout #1 by PHI at 02:21.
HAVE TO TAKE THE TIMEOUT HERE TO REGROUP. NEED TO GET THE FIRST DOWN.
4-4-OAK 43 (2:21) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete deep left to D.Jackson.
Oakland Raiders at 2:14
CHANGE OF POSSESSION STOPS THE CLOCK. AT THIS POINT, BEFORE SENDING THE DEFENSE BACK ON THE FIELD, YOU MUST TELL THEM TO CALL A TIMEOUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST RUN.
1-10-OAK 44 (2:14) J.Fargas right tackle to OAK 46 for 2 yards (B.Bunkley).
Timeout #2 by PHI at 02:10.
NOW, MAKE IT VERY CLEAR TO THE PLAYERS TO LET THE PLAY CLOCK WORK DOWN. WE WANT THE RAIDERS TO HAVE TO RUN THE BALL, AND THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE A RUN IS TO LET THE CLOCK HIT THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING. IF THE PLAY CLOCK STOPS WITH ONE SECOND LEFT, AT 2:09, CALL TIME OUT. BUT ONCE THE CLOCK PASSES 2:08, LET IT GO TO THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING, WHICH WILL FORCE THE RAIDERS TO RUN ONE MORE TIME.
2-8-OAK 46 (2:10) J.Fargas up the middle to OAK 44 for -2 yards (T.Cole).
Timeout #3 by PHI at 02:02.
HEAD SCRATCHER. NOW REID HAS ALLOWED THE RAIDERS THE OPTION TO RUN OR PASS WITHOUT CAUSING ANY HARM AND FORCING HIS DEFENSE TO DEFEND THE ENTIRE OFFENSIVE PLAYBOOK. THIS IS A HUGE MISTAKE.
3-10-OAK 44 (2:02) J.Russell pass short right to G.Russell to PHI 43 for 13 yards (J.Trotter). P17
APRichard Seymour and the Raiders were able to celebrate a victory when the clock expired.
Two-Minute Warning
WOULD NEVER HAVE CALLED A PASS HERE HAD IT NOT BEEN BEFORE THE TWO MINUTE. THIS COST THE EAGLES A CHANCE TO WIN THE GAME — BY GETTING THE BALL BACK. MAYBE YOU COULD ARGUE A PLAYER CALLED TIMEOUT BY MISTAKE, BUT THE TIMEOUT BEFORE, THE COACHES SHOULD HAVE GONE OVER THIS SITUATION. IT WAS SO WEIRD THAT WHEN YOU WATCH THE TV REPLAY OF THE GAME, THEY HAD THE CLOCK GO DOWN TO THE TWO-MINUTE WARNING, NEVER THINKING THE EAGLES HAD CALLED TIMEOUT. I HAD TO REWATCH IT FIVE TIMES. THE ANNOUNCERS NEVER ADDRESSED THE RUN PASS.
1-10-PHI 43 (1:55) J.Fargas left tackle to PHI 46 for -3 yards (T.Laws).
2-13-PHI 46 (1:13) J.Russell kneels to PHI 47 for -1 yards.
PENALTY on PHI-D.Howard, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at PHI 47.
All of Philadelphia is on Reid for his play-calling and lack of halftime adjustments from the Raiders game, and here are some of his responses to those questions. Reid on WIP. Yet for me, the disappointment doesn’t come from Reid’s failure to keep the run-pass ratio in order but his lack of understanding of how to manage the game -- especially now that Jim Johnson isn’t around to bail him out.
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Hey Coach Reid, I'm pretty sure Herm Edwards is available to help out with time clock issues.
Not to mention throwing deep on three out of four plays on that last series...the defense is giving you short passes over the middle, you've got timeouts and the two minute warning to come. You've got time to take what they give you, and you are looking to get close enough to take four good shots at the end zone before the game ends.
Coaches don't watch enough endgames play out. They're just not getting the reps.
Mike, do you Think to only way to get readership is by second-guessing very successful coaches? It's very easy to second guess, especially when you have never walked in his shoes.
@Stan
I am pretty sure that is Lombardi's job, buddy. Just sayin.
Russel threw two picks in the game? Maybe Reid hoped to bait him into a third one....
The entire game was played as if it was a desperation, catch-up affair. The simple fact is that Reid is addicted to what he considers to be the sure, easy, clever concept of passing to set up everything else. He believes in McNabb implicitly to make all the throws, but once he gets off to a shaky start, Reid doesn't adjust accordingly, he dials up even more passing to create the rhythm that almost any other team would seek to use their running game to establish.
Certainly any team with five OLinemen weighing about 340-360. Eviscerate this fraud--because that is what Reid is--at every opportunity. He is in the highest echelon in drafting players. He then misappropriates the talents of half of them, and game-manages as badly as you indicate. Worse than all, in my opinion, is that he simply has an iron clad Philosophy that doesn't yield to reason: YOU MUST ESTABLISH A RUNNING GAME TO SUCCEED IN THE NFL.
Stan = Andy Reid fanboy
And as a Patriots fan, I have Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb to thank for one of our Super Bowls. They ran the WORST two-minute drill in the history of two minutes or drills. Pitiful.
@Stan,
I'm an Atlanta Braves/Falcons fan, and I can ASSURE you that Bobby Cox is both a terrific overall manager and a nincompoop playoff manager. Second guessing is part of the game, especially when guys make dumb decisions--and by that, I don't mean that one can look in hindsight and know they're wrong, but say IN THAT MOMENT "WHAT IS HE DOING???"--they deserve getting raked over the coals in the media. Reid is the same way. One doesn't have to walk in his shoes to know he steps in dog crap with his decisions sometimes.
Mike,
I really enjoy reading you and think you should be on NFL Access everyday (though I am not sure that would be what you want).
Anyway the reason I am writing you is that the Dolphins waived Shawn Murphy and picked up Lydon Murtha. I know it is a somewhat obscure transaction but it is something that I think is interesting. From the Combine, I noticed that Murtha had performed in the 3 cone, Vertical jump, and 20 yard shuttle as well as the top tight ends. I also know the Dolphins run 22 personel and line up with 3 tackles on occasion, do you know if Murtha has any pass catching skills? If so he may be a nice surprise.
What do you think is going on with this signing?
It figures that Murtha would get into Parcells' crosshairs eventually. Tom, I've been suggesting a team could use Murtha as a crushing TE ever since he set benchmarks for OLine athleticism at the combine that are Leap-Off-The-Page impressive. As athletically gifted as any Lineman at any Combine there has been, I'd expect. This is a feather in the Dolphins cap. This will work. I am certain this is about to yield big dividends.
Very good article
Thanks
Mike I usually agree with you opinion on game management but I don't on this one. If there had been 2 minutes left on the clock, why did the Raiders have to call run? They would have almost guarenteed giving the ball back to Philly with about 1:55 left with 1 timeout left(assuming the Eagles use their timeout, which they would have).
Instead the Eagles use a timeout, defend pass first since its 3rd and 10. They are taking one of the worst passing teams and therefore one of the worst teams at defending 3rd and long. Whether the pass is incomplete or completed short the Eagles get the ball back with about 1:55 left and 2 timeouts. Even if the Raiders choose to run it in that situation its the same amount of time and same number of TOs left.
This strategy allowed the Eagles to play the pass and save a timeout. Since the odds of the Raiders completing a first down were 25%-30% in was a smart move. Also since the Eagles were having so much trouble moving the ball they needed the extra timeout.
I'm sure the Raiders would have preferred to run the ball, kill some more time, and put the game in the hands of their defense. Instead, Reid makes the choice to force the Oakland offense to beat him instead of the defense, which was the intelligent call since the Oakland offense is terrible and really only had 1 big play that game while the Oakland defense is a little better and had been dominating the Eagles up until then.
as a nebraska fan, i can tell you that murtha doesn't have any pass catching ability. his measurables are great but he doesn't possess the toughness or durability to be anything more than a backup lineman in the NFL. that's just my opinion. i wouldn't look much more into this signing
"All of Philadelphia is on Reid for his play-calling and lack of halftime adjustments . . .Yet for me, the disappointment doesn’t come from Reid’s failure to keep the run-pass ratio in order but his lack of understanding of how to manage the game"
Let's blame him for both. But I lean heavily toward the run-pass ratio being the main problem with his game-managing. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to justify his overly pass happy approach in this game. Its like Groundhog's Day with this, we get a few of these pass pass pass to a fault and lose games every single year. Andy is too stubborn to change, it almost feels like he's sticking to his guns as a reaction to the way the fans & media criticize his pass happy craziness. How does he fail to see that his gameplan is NOT working? You'd think by the 3rd series he'd change it up, nope. At half, Nope. In the 4th Quarter, Nope. His biggest crime is that he won't change, he refuse to be pragmatic and change to what the situation is. They could have run Westbrook all day and came out with an ugly win but he refused to acknowledge that the pass protection wasnt there and that Donovan wasn't on.
I don't even like the FIRST timeout. Regroup? You shouldn't need to regroup, get the freaking first down!!! You just had two incompletions prior to the scramble in which you could regroup and plan.
I agree that Reid is terrible when it comes to game management, and that it has always been so, but I have to dispute your point about the Cincy game last year. Reid made a series of decisions as that game wound down which all pretty clearly were aimed at preserving the tie. The offense hadn't managed to move the ball all game, so it's hard to argue with him for believing a win was out of the question. That tie ended up getting them into the playoffs. That was actually one of Reid's finest game management hours.
I think the funniest thing about this piece is the preface to the blow by blow, which begins:
"We start with the Eagles, down 13-9, getting the ball with 3:42 to go in the game and having all their timeouts."
Long time Eagles fans know how absurd this sentence is because Andy Reid almost NEVER has all of his timeouts remaining with 3:42 left in the game. Usually, he burns one during the first drive of the second half because they can't get the play in on time!!!!!
Mike... is he a "great coach" (see The Monday Tavern 0ct 19th - The Sunday Funnies) or is he a "good coach" (several times in this article). In my opinion he is very overrated and extremely arrogant to the media. And 46 pass plays vs 12 runs (and 2 QB scrambles) on Sunday vs Oakland when the Eagles never trailed by more than 7 pts was ridiculous.
And why has the number of plays that M. Vick is involved in decreased significantly since McNabb returned? Does it have anything to do with Donovan's comments in preseason that he couldn't get into a rhythm will so much use of the Wildcat?
I don't think it would have mattered at that point. Reid had a bad game plan for the whole game...Mike, you are giving him too much credit by even thinking that getting the ball back would have helped. He did not have them mentally prepared for the game, guess they all thought it was going to be a scrimmage. That falls on the coach...the Raiders punched them in the mouth with the Miller TD and from then the Eagles looked panicked. If I'm and Eagles fan I'd be worried about games like this for the rest of the season. Luckily I'm a 'Skins fan so now I can focus all my time on the NBA and the Spurs.
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Oct 20, 2009
05:59 PM
It is amazing that someone who has been in the league as long as Reid has absolutely no idea how to properly use timeouts. And it's far from just this game - Andy can get into panic mode quickly, and I think that is part of the reason why he abandons the run so often.
I remember hearing on NFL Network over the offseason that in all the games that Andy called a huge disparity of run/pass (like we are talking 85%pass/15%run) - the Eagles lost every game. Does he not clue in? It's not like the Eagles have shitty RB's for christ's sake.
But the timeout's thing baffles me. How about when he called timeout in the Saints game with 7 seconds left and down by 26? And what happened on the play.. an INT. What possible good could have come out of calling that timeout? I'd sincerely like to know wtf he was thinking at that moment.
Or how about in the Raiders game let's trot Vick out with McNabb when there are no timeouts and 20 seconds left in the 2nd Q - WTF is that?!?!?!!? How about we get guys out there that y'know - actually play postions that involve catching the ball?!?!?
I just hope we can beat the Skins, because I'm pretty confident aboutour chances against the Giants and Boys (as strange as that sounds - the Skins just matchup well against the Eagles for some reason, and the Eagles matchup well against the Giants and the Boys).