Jeff Lurie....Keeping Things All In Perspective

When the season ended, many Eagles fans were ready for brooms to come through the NovaCare complex, and clean house. After an 8-8 finish following all of the off-season acquisitions, many people thought the coaching staff did this team a disservice, and that they all should all be sent away. But let's look at this from another angle.
First, was it any of the coaches that tried to make that silly halfback pass against San Francisco that cost the Eagles the game? No. Did any of the coaches jump offside in Buffalo that allowed the Bills to run out that game? No. Did any of the coaches fail to knock the tar out of Larry Fitzgerald in the Arizona game, and not allow him to be open to score? No. And, did any of the coaches throw 4 INT's against the Seahawks? No.
But the final four games of the season is where the coaches did some of their best work. And sure, you can say it was against teams that had nothing to play for; and that they were sub-par on a talent level. But, it's still the NFL, and those games meant something, especially the Dallas game. Forget for a moment the fact that Dallas just rolled over and played dead, which was disgraceful on their part.
Eagles owner Jeff Lurie held a "State Of The Eagles" press conference shortly after the season, and many thought he would announce sweeping changes. He did not. He did state that the season was a disappointment, and that it was unacceptable. But, he also could see things from a different side. He liked how this team gelled towards the end of the season, calling it a reason for optimism. But, in his mind, this team should have been better. It was coming off a division title, and the NFC title game the year before that. He said that any team with Coach Reid, a coach that has been in the playoffs 9 out of the last 12 seasons, should not finish 8-8.
Give Lurie his due here. He is an owner, that despite the fast press conference to address the season, has not lost his cool and blown things up the way a Dan Snyder or Jerry Jones would. He is being cool headed about this, and is sitting back, and letting Reid decide who should remain on his staff, and who he needs to bring in. And that is the sign of a smart business man. He surrounds himself with quality people and lets them make the decisions they feel are best. Sometimes, Lurie might step in, but his approach in this case is spot on.
Reid is the man to coach this team. The players believe in him. I'm just not sure Castillo is the right man for the defense. I think that, as the season went on, players like Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin were able to adjust to the Wide 9 scheme, and be successful.
Let all of the new players from this season have a one year grace period to get adjusted to this new system and to each other. Besides, the Eagles were in the chase till the next to the last game of the season, and with the bad season they had, that says something. It doesn't say the NFC East is weak; did you all see what the Giants did to Green Bay this past weekend? It says that this team will be competitive next season, that it can win, and that Reid should be the man allowed to steer the ship. Lurie, thankfully, will sit back, and let the coaches do the job he pays them to do.