Fiat justitia ruat caelum

The season is over for the Eagles. The team is in complete disarray, with no one showing any sign of any ability to right the ship.

Reid benched McNabb yesterday after the first half. I don't know if it was the right decision, and I certainly won't opine about the timing. Should it have been last week, last year? That's what sports writers get paid for. But what I want to look at is how it happened.

At his press conference yesterday, when asked about benching McNabb, Reid stated that the coaches talked to him at halftime. Lets look at a timeline:

2 years ago, the Eagles drafted with their first pick in the draft, Kevin Kolb, a QB from Houston. This was a very surprising pick. Especially when everyone in the media was anticipating a WR. They had just lost TO, ad were coming off a very succesfull run. Then they pick a quarterback. Which had more to do with the issue then who the player actually was.

McNabb was thrown off completely. Apparently, only the brass knew that pick was coming. The next year (last) there was all sorts of speculation the McNabb was going to be traded, etc. etc. That never happened.

Reid has been the biggest advocate for McNabb his whole career here in Philadelphia. And McNabb has reciprocated with undying loyalty, playing the way he has been told to play. McNabb gave up his running style of qb'ing as requested by the coaches, to become a pocket passer. And he did so with a lot of success. Let's not forget that the guy led the Eagles to 4 NFC championships in 10 years. And lets not forget that he is the winningest qb, with the most yards thrown in franchise history.

Let's fast forward to yesterday.

As long as he has been coach here, the first 5 minutes of every single press conference after every single loss have been almost exactly the same. He starts out with injuries, then goes to a single statement, that always includes, "I gotta do a better job at putting guys in the right situation. It all starts with me".

Yesterday was no different. But for the first time, he seemed to be grasping. Look, there has to be an action taken. Someone has to go. McNabb is getting long in the tooth, Reid has his own troubles. He has two sons that are both drug addicts of the worst kind, both convicted fellons. Last year, one was arrested after an acciddent that occured about 2 miles from my house. He was high on heroin, and was found with hand guns and "cop killer" bullets in his trunk. The other was arrested for driving while intoxicated and was also found with heroin.

They searched the Reid home and found more weapons, drug paraphanalia, and banned ammo. They were sent to prison and one had heroin smuggled in his pooper. This is crazy stuff that all happened in the offseason and right before camp started. Reid went about his business as the caoch of the Eagles.

Now, I don't proclaim to be the greatest parent in the world, but don't you think your kids would take precedent over anything else. Especially in this situation, with these circumstances?

These are young kids as well. Just barely in their 20's. Do you think this could be affecting his capacity to coach an NFL team? I digress...

I don't want to make any undue judgements here, and if they want to go with Kolb, then fine. But the way yesterday was handled was JV (junior varsity for my lady and nerd readers) at best. You make a snap decision out of character for yourself, without handling it yourself. Then you throw your #1 draft pick into the lions den without him having the slightest inclination that it would even be a possibility. Obviously he had very little reps.

Not to mention that the Eagles were still in the game at that point Demps had returned a 100 yard kickoff for a TD right before the half. However, Reid felt he needed to make a statement. and he picked his number one guy to do so. He had also benched LJ Smith (who he called an all-pro tight end not three weeks ago), and Omar gaither before the game. McNabb was playing lousy, and the offense wasn't producing much. Westbrook was playing hurt, and Correll Buckhalter got hurt early on. That forced Westbrook to play the rest of the game because they don't have another rb.

If you ask me, coaching has had more to do with the retardedness of this season than anything else. McNabb is a vetera with a lot of success, but I wouldn't say he is the type you keep around to groom the next sensation. I don't know that he has the ability. But if Kolb is the guy, someone needs to be around, other than coaches, to help bring him together.

So that begs the question... McNabb ro Reid? And that doesn't necesarrily means who goes. It's who deserves more of the blame? I can't see Reid going because his contract is huge. If they let him go he sits at home collecting 3 mil for the next two years. They can trade, or at least try to trade McNabb, but how much will they get for him at this point?

In less than an hour and a half (at the time of this posting) Reid will announce who will start on Thursday. How he goes with McNabb I will never know. The fans will boo him out of the stadium and really wouldn't be an environment condusive to success. McNabb is pretty thin skinned. And if yesterday was an idication to Kolb that he was getting his shot, how bad is it to give McNabb the start and hint to Kolb that he now has to look over his shoulder?

I hate to see the Eagles in turmoil like this. Especially after the run they have had for the last 10 years. But I guess this is what it takes. A few years of crap to get back on track with rebuilding. And as fans, this is what we do. Give our outlook and opinions. But for me, and many more, the biggest injustice yesterday was Reid not giving his franchise quarterback, and someone who really could be credited with Reids success, not even the common courtesy of letting him know in person, that he was being benched. Just super super ghey for me. Be a goddamned man. Such a joke.

I played Bodog last night for the first time in a long time. $100 PLO table. There was one funny thing I had to write here. I was in a hand where I had raised up from the button with QQAT, hearts and spades. The utg limper was the only caller.

Flop came a Q and two diamonds to a lone opponent. He raised and I repotted. He thought and shoved the rest of his stack. I called, and he showed 7d 2d Qc 4h. He hit the diamond on the turn, and and the board paired on the river giving me the boat and the win.

He wrote, wow! in the chat. WOW? lol... you gotta get on that site.