The fans are getting their pound of flesh ? just not all at once. A little bit here, a little bit there. The sacrifices add up. But for what purpose, and on whose orders?
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Juan Castillo was amputated first. Then Jason Babin ? an irritating mass of a player ? was excised in a surprise-but-necessary emergency procedure. Now defensive line coach Jim Washburn has been surgically removed. Oh, and Andy Reid also performed a quarterback transplant, officially swapping out Michael Vick in favor of Nick Foles for the remainder of the season.
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The earlier moves didn?t help revive the Eagles. It?s unlikely that cutting Washburn out of the situation or installing Foles will save them. The patient has been dying for most of the year. Only four games remain before the team fully flat-lines and the season is finally, mercifully declared dead.
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So why now? Why makes these particular decisions in the midst of the longest losing streak since the late ?60s? Is it possible that Reid is attempting to salvage what?s already been lost?
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Reid never talks about his job status. He also doesn?t preemptively answer questions that haven?t been asked. On Monday at the NovaCare Complex, however, he did both of those things.
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?This was a move that I made,? Reid said about Washburn in his opening monologue. ?Nobody else made this move. That?s important for you to understand. This isn?t a move to save my job. That?s not what this is. This is a move that I think needed to be done now. So I did it now.?
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Reid said he would have made the same move if the Eagles had beaten the Cowboys. Put another way, this wasn?t reflexive or spontaneous. He had clearly considered the change, at least for a while.
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Firing Washburn makes sense on the surface. It might have even been overdue. His much-maligned unit, along with the controversial wide-nine scheme he installed, underperformed all year. The Eagles tied for a league-high 50 sacks a year ago. This season, the Birds have mustered just 20 sacks (27th in the NFL).
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Washburn also wasn?t the cuddliest, most endearing guy. He evidently threw a tantrum and ?threatened to quit? after being informed that Babin had been cut. Washburn reportedly abused Castillo verbally during his time here (see story) and referred to him as ?Juanita.? And then there was the sideline fight (see story) he got into with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg during last season?s loss to the New England Patriots.
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Reid was asked about all that, about some of the ?pretty serious things? that some players said about Washburn and the way he treated Castillo and other coaches. Was Reid aware of it while it happened, and how did Washburn?s alleged conduct influence his decision?
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?I will tell you that there were just things that I was disappointed in, that as time went that I knew,? Reid said. ?I just thought it was the right thing to do right now for this football team.?
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Reid said the same thing about the Foles move ? that it was his decision alone, and that it was the right thing to do for the Eagles right now. A week ago, Reid said it would be the right thing to make Vick the starter again when he?s cleared to play. The right thing has apparently changed.
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?This was my decision to go with Nick,? Reid insisted. ?I?ve told you many times, the one great thing about the Philadelphia Eagles organization: Jeffrey [Lurie], and when Joe [Banner] was here, and Howie [Roseman] and the other general managers that were here, they?ve allowed me to make the decisions.?
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The decisions are interesting. So is the attendant timing.
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The Eagles are 3-9. They have lost eight straight games. They have the worst record in the NFC. Their futility has put them in serious contention to land the top pick in the upcoming NFL draft. And all of this has unfolded after the owner issued the now-infamous declaration that an 8-8 record would not be ?good enough.?
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The season has been such a hot mess that the organization has quickly become a smoldering ash heap. Given that, Reid has to be gone when the season is over. If the Eagles are a meritocracy, his performance warrants dismissal.
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And yet, according to Reid, the front office and the owner allow him to ?make the decisions? just as he has in the past ? decisions that not only impact this season but also could have real ramifications for next year and the years to follow. Castillo. Babin. Washburn. Vick and Foles. These are the moves of a desperate man, but they could also be seen as the moves of a man who wants to save his job and thinks it?s still possible.
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Has Reid had any conversations with Lurie about his future?
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?We haven?t even gone there,? Reid said. ?I?m sure we?ll talk about it some time.?
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There?s no doubt about that. The conversation will occur. And it will end with Reid being thanked for his service and then shown the door. ?It has to happen that way ? doesn?t it?
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E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com
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