The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Monday that the team has fired Andy Reid, who has been the head coach for the past fourteen years. The Eagles are expected to make a push to lure Chip Kelly away from Oregon and into the NFL.
"Andy Reid won the most games of any head coach in Eagles history and he is someone I respect greatly and will remain friends with for many years to come," owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "But, it is time for the Eagles to move in a new direction. Coach Reid leaves us with a winning tradition that we can build upon. And we are very excited about the future."
The Eagles lost Sunday to the Giants, leaving them with a 4-12 record for the 2012 season. Reid was scheduled to make $6 million in 2013, the final year on his current contract.
Reid was hired to coach Philadelphia in 1999, and he amassed a 130-93-1 record over his fourteen seasons as the Eagles head coach. The team made nine playoff appearances, won six division titles, played in five NFC championship games, and made one super bowl appearance.
Reid drafted quarterback Donovan McNabb second overall in 1999. With McNabb under center, the Eagles were consistently dominant, yet they never won a super bowl title.
The outing of Reid opens up a strong possibility for the NFL to finally steal Oregon head coach Chip Kelly away from college football.
Kelly has never shied away from his desire to coach in the NFL someday, and he even agreed to leave the Ducks to take over the Tampa Bay Bucs after Oregon's victory in the 2012 Rose Bowl. A last minute change of heart led Kelly to return to Oregon for another season.
But Oregon fell short of the national title berth that the team - and surely Kelly - was hoping for. With NCAA sanctions looming overhead as a result of an alleged improper relationship between a scout/booster and Oregon, Kelly may pull a Pete Carroll and leave his team before the pending storm rolls in.
While Tampa Bay couldn't quite convince Kelly to leave his beloved Ducks, the Eagles have an excellent shot to lure Kelly to the NFL. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported last week that Philadelphia is expected to make a "hard push" to land Kelly, who is a hot commodity after leading Oregon to four consecutive BCS bowl games in his first four seasons as a head coach.
His innovative spread option offense has slowly made its way into the NFL, most notably this season with Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins, acting as proof that a system similar to Kelly's could work in the National Football League.
Oregon plays Kansas State January 3 in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl.
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© 2012 Max Price - All Rights Reserved.
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