Andy Reid Reacts To The Eagles' Fan Base
By Joseph Santoliquito
KANSAS CITY, MO (CBS) — It took Andy Reid to skirt the issue during the announcement by the Kansas City Chiefs making him their new head coach on Monday. And it took an even further delay for the longest-tenured Eagles' coach to respond to some lingering questions after he was fired by Eagles' owner Jeffrey Lurie on December 31.
But finally, eventually Reid did address the media. And nothing really changed, save for Reid saying "Time's yours."
"I just thought there was a time and a place, and I didn't think it was right to address it right after the game, but to take a step back and I thought this was the right time to do it," Reid said. "I have nothing to say but good things about Philadelphia. I loved my time there. I had 14 great years there, and the fanbase was great. They get it. They care about football.
"The fans, they care, that's all that mattered to me. I didn't care whether they were chanting my name in a negative way, or chanting my name in a good way. It didn't matter to me. It was that they cared, and it's all you can ask for. They booed when we stunk, when we did good, they told us we did good. I got it. I understand it."
Reid said the Eagles would do the right thing and continued to stress that "change could be very good."
Reid said he no regrets. He's tried to look at his whole body of work, the player decisions he made, than one particular thing.
"There were mistakes I made in the 14 years, but to pick one thing out, that's not where I am," Reid said. "I look at all 14 years, the coaches that coached there, the players that played there, that's what I'm looking at. There was nothing more that I wanted to do than win a championship in the city of Philadelphia. There's nothing more than what Jeff Lurie wanted to do than to win a championship. All the players and all the coaches, that's what they wanted. It didn't happen. I won't tell it wasn't exciting going to the championship games or the Super Bowl.
"I know how close our fans in Philadelphia, how they watch things through the media. My point is, I have an opportunity to talk to everybody here, and the fans know how much I love Philadelphia. I still have my home in Philadelphia."
Reid was asked what it will be like coming back to Lincoln Financial Field next season. He said he hasn't gotten that far yet.
Reid was also asked about the 2010 and 2011 drafts, and again, Reid stuck to Reid-speak. He wasn't about to toss anyone under the bus, despite Lurie's claim that the 2012 draft was streamlined much better than the 2010 and 2011 drafts, firmly placing the onus of those drafts on Joe Banner.
"I would just tell you this, I think the most important thing, and you know how I operate, we're all in it together and we're all pulling in the same direction, when that gets out of whack, bad things happen," Reid said. "That's how this league works. In the structure of things, everyone has to pull in the same direction. Change can be a good thing. [General manager] Howie [Roseman] is going to do a phenomenal job. When you're some place for a long time, and you have to change players, you have to replenish and expectations remain the same, you're normally going to take a little dip there. The next guy that comes in he has a couple of years to build it. I would hope the fans and everyone gives him an opportunity and make it a dominant machine. Change can be good. That can be a positive thing. Time will tell."
Then Reid closed by saying the Eagles … "are in a better place now than when I took over, I would hope that. I think good things in the future for them."
