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Sporting News, The, Nov 29, 2004 by Brian Baldinger

Eagles fans probably don't see a bright side to their team losing in the NFC championship game the past three years, but there was one. Andy Reid got to coach the NFC in the Pro Bowl each of those years, and it was then that he saw what his quarterback, Donovan McNabb, and the 49ers' star wide receiver, Terrell Owens, could do together.

Lo and behold, that Pro Bowl pairing became a regular-season pairing, and what we're seeing now is Reid at his best.

Reid always has been a great play-caller--he calls all the Eagles' offensive plays--but Owens has allowed him to be more aggressive. Reid had no shortage of downfield plays in his arsenal when McNabb was throwing primarily to James Thrash, Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell, but he has been much more inclined to use them this season. Reid has been particularly aggressive on second down, knowing that if McNabb doesn't connect with Owens for a big gain, he still has third down to move the chains.

Reid is superb at both preparing a game plan and managing it. You've heard of coaches scripting the first 15 plays, right? Reid prepares not one, but two, scripts for each game. If the first script is working, he sticks with it. If not, he can switch to the other one. Then at halftime, he huddles with offensive coordinator Brad Childress and scripts yet another set of plays, making adjustments to what he saw in the first half.

That was critical last Sunday when the Eagles were clinging to a 7-6 halftime lead over the Redskins. Thanks to Reid's tinkering, the second half was all Philadelphia as McNabb threw a touchdown pass to Owens and two more to Brian Westbrook. On one of the Westbrook scores, Owens lined up in the backfield, then went in motion. He took the defense with him, making it easy for McNabb to hook up with Westbrook. It was a great call by Reid, and it was a great use of Owens as a decoy.

Nobody is more creative than Reid, who loves drawing up new plays. Nobody has a better feel for calling the right play at the right time. Nobody is better at spotting defensive weaknesses and attacking them.

In short, nobody in the NFL is a better play-caller than Andy Reid.

Brian Baldinger, an offensive lineman for 12 NFL seasons, can be heard on Sporting News Radio and seen on FOX Sports. Listen online at radio.sportingnews.com.