Oct. 29, 2026
The single most maddening day in the 14-year ringless tenure of Andy Reid as Eagles head coach came right after the greatest player of his era, Brian Dawkins, left Philadelphia for a much better deal in Denver.
Reid was the beneficiary of Dawkins’ brilliance for a solid decade, and now it was time for the coach to show his appreciation for the best safety and leader of the early 2000s.
Except Reid was in no mood to talk about Dawkins. When the media gathered on that absurd day of March 5, 2009, the coach immediately shut down all questions about the only topic everyone in Philadelphia was discussing.
You see, in the offseason Reid was not readily available, so the media plan was to ask their questions about their favorite Eagle soon after the introduction of the newest member of the team, Stacy Andrews.
“I am going to say what I say every time we bring a new player aboard here,” Reid said. “This is his day. Let’s keep the questions directed towards and about Stacy. You can ask me questions about Stacy. I want to keep this his day. It’s a special day for him and let’s keep it that way.”
It was an act of cowardice like none I had ever witnessed in a very long media career. Rather than entangle himself in a dispute with team president Joe Banner – the ingrate who miscalculated Dawkins’ value – Reid dedicated a day to the lesser brother of Shawn Andrews. All you need to know about Stacy Andrews is that this brazen snub is the only way anyone remembers him now.
I never thought I would see something even more gutless and disrespectful to fans than that sickening Andy Reid moment. In fact, I’m pretty sure that was the day I started hating that annoyingly overrated coach.
Well, now I have seen something worse. Jeff Lurie topped Reid over the weekend when, in the midst of festivities honoring himself as the latest inductee into the Eagles Hall of Fame, he declined all questions about the only thing NFL fans were talking about, his organization’s dubious handling of the Jalen Hurts blood-clot case.
Now, I fully understand that this strategy is right out of the playbook of his PR tyrant, Bob Lange, but Lurie is the boss. He should know better. Any executive heading into a Hall of Fame – any Hall of Fame – should know in a passionate sports city like Philadelphia that dodging questions on important issues is not the smart play.
But there Lurie was, basking in the glow of a light he turned on himself, saying nothing about an organization he runs that is under scrutiny for possibly endangering the life of its franchise quarterback.
I already know what the explanation will be, probably in March when Lurie gives his self-serving state-of-the-team address at the annual owners’ meetings. By then, the heat will be back to a manageable temperature, allowing the owner to take this turd of a situation and giving it a high gloss.
That’s when the Eagles will roll out the old trope that he really wanted to discuss the controversy, but he had to stay mum while an NFL/NFLPA investigation was being conducted. This is pure BS. Most teams in similar circumstances answer questions without interfering with the probe. And no PR obstructionist knows this fact more than Bob Lange.
The vast majority of fans don’t pay close enough attention to see nuances like this. If an owner’s team wins, they like the guy. If not, well, just ask Sixers owner Josh Harris. In fact, the hedge-fund genius and 36-time loser in professional sports is making it easier for Lurie. In my experience, there has never been an owner more out of touch with Philadelphia than Josh Harris.
But the tone-deafness of other owners doesn’t absolve Lurie’s responsibility to a city that has made him richer than he ever could have imagined. Every seat of every game has been filled during his 32 years as owner. Most of those seats are occupied with fans who own an Eagles jersey, or three, that has further filled the coffers of the son of a publishing magnate. We put our money where our mouths are. We care.
The fans have a right to know what the Eagles were thinking when they cleared Hurts to get on that seven-hour flight to London, how they allowed him to play despite an issue serious enough to hospitalize him, and why they made the same mistake twice by allowing him back on the flight back to Philly after the game.
For as far back as anyone can remember, the Eagles made available the member of their Hall of Fame a couple of days before the official induction. This is believed to be the first time they deviated from that ritual. Why?
What is Jeff Lurie afraid of?
Does he have something to hide?
The questions are not going away. A true Hall of Fame sports executive would understand that.
Also worth considering. . . .
- So let me get this straight. Super Bowl hero Nick Foles said he could see clearly that the culture in the Eagles clubhouse had changed, and not for the better. Coach Nick Sirianni immediately called that comment “crap.” OK, now we have a choice, people. Are we Team Foles or Team Sirianni? That’s a tough one. Real tough.
- Congrats to the Milwaukee Brewers not just for winning the World Series but doing so the right way. They made consistent solid contact, had the best on-base percentage in MLB, gave up at-bats to advance the runners and – gasp – even used the bunt effectively. Were the Phillies paying attention? My best guess is no. Not at all.
- I would hate to come across as negative, but losing 12 of the first 15 games is not building on the excitement of last season for the Flyers. Just months after winning a round in the playoffs, they are moving back to the same state of irrelevance where they have resided for most of a generation. People like to advise me not to panic. If not now, when?
- At some point in every terrible season, fans have to make a choice whether to keep rooting for a lost cause or to start hoping for a high draft choice or an ending so bad that the coach gets fired. For me, that moment is Sunday night in Washington. If the Eagles lose their sixth straight game to the awful Commanders, it’s time. Having a top-five pick and no Nick Sirianni here to screw him up would be a big step in the right direction. Wouldn’t it?
- Since my original suggestion got no traction, let me try again. There is no evidence that Jalen Hurts is unable to speak right now, despite his blood-clot issues. Why haven’t the Eagles made him available? Hurts is honest. He speaks his mind without emotion or fear. He doesn’t follow a script. . . . Oh, so that’s why. I guess I answered my own question.