You think Andy Reid deserves another year and you think Donovan McNabb is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
This group is becoming an increasingly dwindling minority in the Eagles fanbase, and after the past few weeks and seasons of failure, their voices are finally being drowned out. People are demanding change, and based on what we've seen, it's not unlikely something big is going to happen.
Honestly, what do you expect? If you've been following along closely, there is obviously something wrong there. Donovan is as healthy as he's been since '04 and the team looks good on paper, yet they haven't won a game in their division and they reached a new low with Sunday's futile outcome. Clearly something must change.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
I'm genuinely curious about what Reid/McNabb supporters think this team needs. Remember, the distinction here is exclusively those fans who think both are fine. These people actually exist amazingly enough. While I clearly don't agree and you may already know where I stand on the matter, it's only fair they too have their platform. So far I've been able to break them down into three classes.
The first group touts they are the winningest head coach and quarterback in franchise history, with five division championships, four consecutive appearances in the NFC Championship, and a trip to the Super Bowl, no ring though. They remind us what it was like when Rich Kotite and Ray Rhodes were the head coaches, because that's somehow relevant, and insist any transition will automatically makes things worse before they get better. Never mind it hasn't been a problem in Baltimore, Atlanta, or Miami this year.
Group two believes a premiere wide receiver would solve everything. Despite all the belly-aching, the Eagles attempted to add a #1 receiver this off-season, but unfortunately they don't grow on trees. A formal offer was extended to Randy Moss who was the only top flight free agent at the position, they used a second round pick on a player with first round talent, and they discussed trades for several outstanding athletes. Of course, even if they acquired such a player, how would he prevent the Redskins and Giants from rushing for over 200 yards?
Our final group suggests the club needs either a new offensive coordinator or for Reid to relinquish his role as the general manager. There may be some credence to the GM idea, though 15 starters on offense and defense were either drafted or signed as undrafted free agents, so that depends on how good those 15 players are. Would that change the playcalling though? In fact, could an offensive coordinator even change that? Make no mistake, that is Andy's offense we are watching, and nobody coming in here is going to rework it.
News
I can't help but regard these ideas with cynicism, but I admit there is some truth to all of them. You can't take away what Reid and McNabb accomplished, and there is always risk involved when replacing a head coach or quarterback. An All Pro wide receiver would be an upgrade for the offense, and we've seen exactly what Donovan can do with that kind of weapon. Removing Reid's authority in areas of personnel or adding a new assistant coach could return some semblance of balance and creativity to the offense.
But overall that's only if you believe Andy Reid or Donovan McNabb are still the guys to get this done, and the last two weeks, if not the past two years, it appeared neither can. Forgive us for taking sides, we've just witnessed too much go wrong to feel it's alright.