The Real Top Coach

The following article was written by fellow expert BirdofPrey18. The opinions expressed below do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the guru himself.

When it comes to discussions about the NFL’s best coach, people mention names like Belichick, Ryan, Payton, and Tomlin. But those people are wrong.

When all aspects of résumé are taken into account, the man who may be least competent in appearance is actually the most competent in execution. Andy Reid, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles since 1999, is the best coach in all of the NFL. Reid has taken his team to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl, a remarkably impressive record. Though he has not won any championships, his personnel decisions and superior offensive system speak for themselves. While his teams have had distinct weak points, Reid has managed to overcome the flaws and make his team a contender nearly every year.

It’s easy to look at DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick, who are stars at their positions, and say that the Eagles roster has been loaded with offensive talent recently (and hence, that Reid is only winning because of his roster). What we fail to keep in mind is that Reid was responsible for bringing in much of this talent himself. He was in charge when the team drafted Jackson out of Cal, and he took the risk of signing Vick. Furthermore, Reid was the one to coach these two from potential gems to NFL superstars.

The best example of Andy Reid’s genius is his decision to trade away Donovan McNabb last offseason. Many football fans condemned this move as preposterous, given that McNabb had been the quarterback that led the Eagles to all their success in the past decade. I admit that I was one of these fans. Looking back, though, it only highlights Reid’s abilities as a personnel manager, talent assessor, and offensive mastermind. After a season in Washington, every NFL fan has seen Donovan McNabb for the inaccurate passer he is. There are two possible explanations: perhaps McNabb was never particularly talented and only looked like a star quarterback because of Reid’s vastly superior offensive system (which is still running at an elite level without McNabb), or McNabb suffered a drastic decline recently and Reid was quick enough and intelligent enough to realize it while it was happening. Either way, Andy Reid made a brilliant personnel move in trading McNabb before he lost value (especially because he made the trade with an unsuspecting division rival, who suffered as a result).

Unfortunately, it is impossible to ignore Andy Reid’s occasional clock mismanagement. Any fifth grader who plays Madden should have an adequate understanding of managing the clock. However, it must be said that Reid would never be in position to worry about mounting a comeback or protecting a lead were it not for all the other skills he brings to the Eagles. The team can afford a stupid loss or two in exchange for his expertise, which has made the Eagles the NFC powerhouse they are.

All things considered, Reid deserves far more credit than he gets. While you may not agree that he is the league’s top coach, it is impossible to ignore his ingenious decisions. Some of his mistakes are frustrating, but the Eagles would have a lot more frustration without him.

written by BirdofPrey18
edited by Fantasy Guru 37