A Smart-Aleck's Take

Les Bowen, for the Daily News:

I understood what Lurie meant, without buying it completely. Somehow, in 10 seasons covering the Eagles, I have become a frequent Andy foil at his news conferences, a guy especially likely to get a nonresponsive or smart-alecky answer. (In a related development, I also am a guy especially likely to ask a smart-alecky question.) On TV or on a webcam, or whatever, this looks a little different from how it usually feels. I was really surprised, several years back, when people started approaching me on the street, congratulating me for “sticking it to” Reid or just being willing to take on the coach. I don’t really see myself that way. I try to ask the questions I think most need answering. If somebody else asks those questions, I am comfortable just sitting there and tweeting. Some reporters hunger to be seen as the guy asking the tough question. I really don’t.

More to the point, Reid and I have a cordial relationship away from the podium. Over the years, I have dealt with coaches who openly despised me way more than this guy. Our interactions just weren’t televised as much. Yes, it frustrates me that Reid has no interest in helping me or you understand what is going on, telling us why something worked or didn’t work. Lots of times, though, I think what Lurie said is right - it isn’t often arrogance. Lack of deftness, sometimes. Paranoia, sometimes, about giving information the next week’s opponent might find useful. Protectiveness of his players is in there. And stubbornness, big-time.

Touchbacks Skyrocket to 43.5 Percent

Paul Carr, for the ESPN Stats & Info blog:

Expressed as a percentage, 53.4 percent of kickoffs were returned this season, a huge drop from 80.1 percent in 2010.

In a related note, touchbacks skyrocketed to 43.5 percent this season, more than two and a half times last year’s rate of 16.4 percent.

I was pretty close. My analysis of the new rule, based on last year’s kickoffs, suggested just under 40 percent touchbacks. The difference is small but perhaps meaningful. While returners brought back more deep kicks, kickers may have used the shorter field try for distance over hangtime.

(Via BGN)

Parsing Jeffrey Lurie's Words

When evaluating what Jeffrey Lurie said yesterday, it’s important to examine what he didn’t say. While he didn’t announce any changes to the front office structure, it’s worth noting that he didn’t take the easy outs either.

Lurie could have made a simple argument about bad luck, acknowledged some vague mistakes, and how it’s important to stay the course through good and bad seasons.

Lurie could have used the late season surge against bad teams as a sign that everything is fine.

Lurie could have blamed the lockout and other circumstances beyond the front office’s control.

But he didn’t do any of that. Instead, Lurie expressed anger, frustration, and disappointment over this season’s failures. He suggested that the Juan Castillo promotion and other scheme and personnel changes were misguided at best. He described how missing the playoffs is unacceptable. Furthermore, he clearly considered his decision on Andy Reid with the utmost due diligence.

Given all of that, I find myself, if not agreeing with his conclusions (in particular the quick and unequivocal support of Howie Roseman), at least accepting them. This year was undoubtedly a failure, and legitimately Lurie’s “most disappointing season” since he’s owned the team. I’m glad that he isn’t fine with those results, and that he’s likely resolved to shake things up if there’s no playoff win next year.

Skeptics will posit that Lurie only said what he needed to in order to placate the fan base and keep the money flowing in from paint customers. But the truth is that he could have assured widespread fan interest and positive local media coverage by firing Reid, a prospect that large swaths of the city have openly salivated over for years.

All this said, I’m not sure that Lurie did what was best for this team — especially long term. But I do respect the man who made the decision, because while he stuck with the status quo, he doesn’t seem to have arrived at that place by the easy and obstinate path.

Photo from Getty.

'Dismal, Unfathomable, Terrible'

Jeff Lurie showed his anger and frustration at the press conference Tuesday afternoon, calling it the “most disappointing season since I’ve owned the team.” Despite “unacceptable” performance, he’s sticking with Andy Reid and Howie Roseman for next season.

Lurie wouldn’t go that far to endorse Juan Castillo. In fact, he distanced himself from that decision and only praised Castillo’s family and hard work.

Also, the owner sounded like this blogger when he called the late season success “fool’s gold” and said, “We proved we could dominate against teams that weren’t that competitive.” Read into all of this what you may.

A Serious Answer

Les Bowen, for the Daily News:

Reid refused to give a serious answer Sunday when asked why he thought the Eagles didn’t make the playoffs.

More specifically, Reid responded to Les’s question with “Well, we were 8-8, and the other teams weren’t. So they had better records, so they made it.”

No love lost there.

The Mirage of Late-Season Success

The central question of the moment is simple: what to make of the Eagles final month? They won four games in a row, allowed only 11.5 points per game — seemingly the make up of a long-anticipated turnaround.

Was it really?

You can make that case if you’re so inclined, citing defensive statistics like yards allowed, changed tactics, and the words of almost every player in the Eagles locker room. But I think you would be wrong.

The oft-cited Occam’s razor is typically used to defend the simplest answer, and to some minds the idea that Juan Castillo and his defense just improved over the final weeks could seem like the obvious solution. But what Occam’s razor actually recommends is the answer which makes the fewest new assumptions. A new assumption like, “Castillo is now a good coordinator.”

Instead, after the first twelve weeks of complete ineptitude, culminating in a humiliating loss on Thursday night to the Seattle Seahawks, we should give the benefit of the doubt to explanations which do not make such a radical assumption.

Explanations such as:

• Facing the vaunted quarterback lineup of Matt Moore, Mark Sanchez, Stephen McGee, and Rex Grossman.
• Playing only one game against an opponent with playoff ramifications on the line.
• Lining up against two NFC East teams that the Eagles had already shown the ability to shut down.

I could go on, keep talking about these poor offenses and, more generally, poor teams, but you know all of that. We could predict this possibility of “improved defense” weeks ago, and we did. To come back now and suggest that the Eagles are set going forward would be a mistake.

This team finished 8-8, buoyed by a 5-1 record in the putrid NFC East. In any other year, given their performance, the Eagles could count on both a worse record and a worse finish in the division. Instead, just enough optimism remains to excuse a season of failure.

What we saw over the last month was a mirage, an illusion of success encouraged by our need to see progress and find hope. It would be wise for us to accept this reality as we set expectations for the offseason, lest we remain in the desert, convinced that Castillo can lead the team to an oasis just over the next ridge.

Photo from Getty.

Something From Nothing

Phil Sheridan, for the Inquirer:

Or how about this admittedly extreme long shot: What if Reid were to initiate talks of a buyout in order to pursue another job, such as the expected vacancy in San Diego? Impossible? Remember, Reid’s agent is Bob LaMonte, the man who engineered Jon Gruden’s move from Oakland to Tampa Bay. Setting Reid up as football czar for a franchise that might move to his native Los Angeles is exactly the kind of coup that LaMonte is capable of dreaming up.

I’ve never seen so much made of so little. How Sheridan can start with Jeffrey Lurie not talking to the media postgame (instead of Tuesday), and end up with 800 words of this?

Video: From the Eagles Locker Room

Pieced together some of the best quotes and strangest responses from the Eagles locker room after yesterday’s 34-10 victory over the Redskins. Enjoy responsibly.