THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Where do you start?! I may go back and forth a bit, but hopefully I'll keep you entertained through this. I was this year and always have been an Andy Reid critic. I thought this year out of all years was his best coaching job by far. He picked the team back up after a 6-week vacation, motivated them, and learned how to run the ball……..

...which was followed up by one of the POOREST displays of coaching in the playoffs I have ever seen. Allow me to say this Andy - "You may be able to trick a team that thinks you are going to run if in fact you put the ball in the hands of talent that can make a play!!"

Allow me to elaborate. I was amazed by Reid's propensity to run the ball after Donovan went down. It is something I believe he should have done A LONG TIME AGO!!! Balance baby! I've said it all along. I'll get into 4th and 15 in a minute, but the game against the Saints wasn't lost there. It was lost when we had the ball with 2nd and 1 on the 3-yard line, and Reid elected to throw the ball on 3rd and 1 in the flat to who, Thomas Tapeh? Are you kidding me? I mean I know Tapeh's stats clearly blow Buckhalter's and Westbrook's away. This is not the time for trickery there Houdini! It's time to put the ball in the hands of your best player all year, Brian Westbrook, and tell him to get the first. If you don't get it on 3rd down, YOU DO IT AGAIN ON 4TH!! I cannot shake this play calling from my head. It is JV and if this is what we can continue to expect from you in the crunch, then maybe it's time to say goodbye.

As far as 4th and 15 goes, you have to go for it. Your defense hasn't stopped the run all game and they have been out on the field forever. Take a chance! A pass interference. SOMETHING. If you went for it and missed, the Saints would still have to punt if they didn't make a first down. This was clearly another missed call by you that could have changed the outcome of the game. Reid, you clearly need to work on your game day coaching. No one will take away your preparation skills, but when the game is on the line, you really need some help. You look confused and unwilling to take chances.

The other thing you need help with is your play calling while Donovan is at the helm. Clearly, he is not a pure passer and has difficulty throwing the short pass and leading his receiver to where he can gain "yards after the catch." Isn't that the entire foundation of the West Coast offense? Donovan, you are a play maker. I don't want to hear anymore of this crap about stereotypical black quarterbacks and how you don't want to run around the field. You make plays and some of them are so incredible you can't even describe them. Start making them again! Get out of the pocket and do it. And Reid, start calling plays that allow this. Run the ball and phase out of the West Coast offense a bit. Throw the ball down field and run some plays that will have your quarterback THROWING the ball 15 yards. It was obvious you didn't have any plays in the book that could get you that number or you would have found a set and done what you should have done. I am tired of it and so are the fans!

McNabb...sucks again brother! Garcia, you did a hell of a job the rest of the season and you have earned the respect and admiration of an ENTIRE city, but anyone who doesn't want to see Donovan leading the charge is out of their mind. You are an incredible talent and I hope you continue to heal and improve and come back next year with a vengeance. However, I wish you would have talked to your mom before she opened up her trap….

Wilma, your son has made well over 50 million dollars since he has become a "professional" athlete. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE AN OPINION!! I don't want to hear about a quarterback controversy that you called "Bittersweet!" No offense, but shut the hell up. Your job as Chunky Soups Team Mom is to support REGARDLESS! I really hope in the future you keep your thoughts to yourself because they are embarrassing. You have no right to cause any controversy whatsoever. The only people who are allowed are the people like me who PAY for season tickets. I am quite certain every seat you have sat in either the Linc or the Vet came at no cost to you. Your 15 minutes are up.

OK...now after all the hostility about the loss, I feel like I can move on. I want to tell you about an experience I had down in New Orleans for the playoff game that probably changed me forever. There was only a small pocket of about 25 of us at the top of the stadium when the game was over. There were another 25 two sections over, but not within the sound of my voice. I made a serious recommendation to Green Legionnaires as they were leaving the stadium. I told them to hold their heads up high, wear the colors out that night with pride, and congratulate every single Saints fan on the way out of the building. Honestly, when it was all said and done, I felt like I was going to shit humble pie for a week, but I learned something very valuable that night.

More people came up to us after the playoff game than did during the regular season game to thank us. Some were obnoxious, but instead of trying to start a fight or say something about their sister, we just said congratulations and good luck next week. 25 of us single-handedly changed the opinion of Philadelphia fans to THOUSANDS of Saints fans. "Come back again, PLEASE!" That is all we heard. It is becoming very obvious to me that the ASSHOLE chant is a bit out of line. Call me what you will, but someone who is coming out to support their team and not instigating trouble should be allowed to do just that, come out and support. Now if that same person is asking for trouble, by all means, open the floodgates. But think about this…The Legion is going to different cities and expecting no one to give us any grief. Aren't we a bit hypocritical? And think along these lines as well. Sports encourage tourism dollars. I say this because our current city regime has done a BANG UP job bringing in dollars from outside the area. Philadelphia is becoming so incestuous that the next thing we know, we'll be Kentucky. Maybe not quite that bad, but think about it? How many people do YOU know that travel to Philadelphia for a vacation? Umm…yeah…me too…ZERO.

Here is something else for you to chew on. I know we are a very frustrated fan base. I know there are people that spend their ENTIRE disposable income on season tickets every year and you want the same answers I found myself wanting for years. You want to know "WHY?" "Why haven't we won?" Maybe the question you should be asking yourself is "WHY should I not be happy about the fact that 10 times out of the year, I have the opportunity to spend an entire day with people that have the same interest as I?" I speak to no one I went to high school with. My longest standing friends are my fraternity brothers who I met almost 20 years ago. And I am lucky enough every home game to spend the day with those guys. Sports can bring us together like nothing else. There are some things you can really feel blessed about here but you have to start looking for reasons to be happy. It can be tough, but nonetheless, it may let you live a little longer.

I have had the opportunity to meet so many people as a result of sports and going to different cities and I think it might be time for some of you to embrace that as well. You can like someone else if they are not an Eagles fan. For the single guys, I can't tell you how many women I met after the game that night that wanted to take me home to mom. There are inherent benefits to the acceptance of this new-found attitude. By all means, be critical of your own team, but no need to criticize other fans about theirs…again, unless of course they deserve it. You know the ones I am talking about.

At any rate, the off-season should be interesting. Hey, the saying is true. After February 4th, everyone is undefeated again. And take this to heart - Every year we don't win a championship puts us closer to the year we do! I know that may not be enough for everyone, but again, less stress = live longer! This job has opened my eyes to the realization that this game is exactly just that…A Game. Yeah, a "W" in the standings feels a whole lot better than a loss, but maybe it's time to start embracing EVERYTHING that goes with it. How many friends have YOU made as a result of a Green Legion trip or SPORTS in general for that matter? There are reasons to smile regardless of the final score. Just one man's humble opinion.

See you next year!

Quimby