I think if anything that the guy is underrated. I was having a beer with my Cardinal fan friend the other day. I was lamenting the shitty play on the defense for Green Bay, and half-joked that the team is fucking with us by not teaching their receivers how to catch the goddamn ball. My buddy lit me up and ran down the list of how there have only been 5 cardinal playoff appearances in 50 years, how year in year out Green Bay is competetive and I can always count on at least 8 and 8 ; how GB is always in the playoff discussion in the final weeks. He told me it sucks trying to get up for a team that is bad all the time and it sucks how he would be happy with mediocrity.
He'd probably suck a dick if it got them a coach as legit as Andy Reid.
The guy consistently pulls it off with smoke and mirrors. He's universally lauded for his work with quarterbacks. theres a mountain of evidence that shows that guys are good when they are playing for him, and shit elsewhere, because first and foremost he's an amazing motivator who consistently gets more with less. a "down season" is last year when people were saying things like "this is the hottest team to not be in the playoffs". I can't remember an Eagles team in the last 15 years that people started the season saying "this team blows, they've got no chance".
on top of that, I feel like the really high level play is alot of luck. When you get to the NFL playoffs, it aint like its the NBA where you get 7 games to establish the clearly superior team. You get one team and if emotion breaks one way or momentum flows another, a team you don't think has a chance will steal one. It's the very best thing about professional sports, that there is always an element of emotion and passion that can't be quantified in statistics. I am not trying to diminish the impact of skill on the matter, because I mean we pretty much all know a shitty coaching job when we've seen it (and there are 5 year olds playing Madden with better clock management than Reid). I just think its a really interesting conversation when you look at some of the recent superbowl winners and realize how lucky they were. the Minnesota Vikings were a bad pass interference call away from going to New Orleans Superbowl. If NO doesn't win that ring, Sean Payton is unemployed not suspended. Belichek was terrible in Cleveland, but has been massively successfully in New England - another guy that was 2 bad snaps/holds away from having 2 less rings.
The conversation could go on but the point is theres a thin line between championship coach and very good coach who hasnt ever won the big one. Those guys who are consistent and keep plugging away get theres eventually - Peyton Manning finally got his ring in much the same way, he didnt have alot of clutch in him, but he was consistently a superior quarterback and eventually probability took over. Reid is a guy who is going to win one as a Head Coach eventually, its just a matter of whether or not Philly gets tired of him before that happens.
