Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie says team needs to improve or Coach Andy Reid is gone

2011 was supposed to be the Philadelphia Eagles year. Michael Vick was locked up for the foreseeable future. DeSean Jackson was on board – as much as one can be in football without the security of a long term deal in place. Another conversation for another day – and the players had a head coach they loved, Andy Reid.

We know how that turned out and as we fast forward to the season ahead, Eagles owner Jeff Lurie has made it abundantly clear, if the Eagles end the season 8-8 again, there will be changes to the team starting with coaching.

“I expect a substantially improved team,” Lurie said.  “We all thought we were a lot better than 8-8 and we weren’t.”

This year, 8-8 apparently won’t be good enough to get Reid one more year.  “We need substantial improvement,” Lurie said.  “We have a very good team on paper, and paper doesn’t get you that far if you don’t maximize it.”

There you have it. Sometimes you have to put the gauntlet on the table in order to a light a fire under some. It’s unfortunate timing that this comes while Reid is mourning the loss of his son, Garrett. There really isn’t a reason the Eagles can’t make the playoffs this season.