Eagles Notes Eagles coach Andy Reid acknowledged yesterday that he and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel have been exchanging text messages, with Manuel wishing him luck and pledging his support in tomorrow's NFC championship game against Arizona.
Of course, since the Phillies won the World Series, Manuel is one of the most beloved sports figures in the city. So Reid was asked: Would fans adore him in the same way if the Eagles won the Super Bowl? "Honestly, I don't think about all that," Reid told reporters. "That's for you guys to take care of.
"Charlie is a heck of a guy, a great manager. I just think he did a tremendous job. We were supporting him 110 percent. Their Baseball team's been great. Our players are close, and Charlie and I communicate. But I'm not going to get into all the comparisons and all that."
Brian Dawkins , the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia, said Reid would not change his style to get the fans to embrace him.
"Here in Philadelphia, they love you to death, but they're still going to criticize you, they're still going to get on you, they're still going to ask questions," Dawkins said. "You have to have thick skin to play here, to coach here. Everybody can't coach or play here.
"Andy's doing something that a lot of coaches could not succeed in by having thick skin, holding fast in what he believes in, and continuing to move on."
Ready to go Reid said that offensive tackle Jon Runyan remained on the sideline during practice resting his injured right knee but that everyone else participated in the one-hour-plus workout.
Runyan is listed as probable for tomorrow's game, as are Dawkins (back), running back Brian Westbrook (knee), defensive end Victor Abiamiri (foot), wide receiver Jason Avant (knee), and fullback Dan Klecko (shoulder). Guard Shawn Andrews (back) is the only Eagle listed as out.
Great expectations Quarterback Donovan McNabb is 1 for 4 in advancing his team into the Super Bowl, but he shrugged off a suggestion that he needs to shut out the rampant expectations of the Eagles' fan base.
"We have personal expectations of our own," he said. "I think those are the things that you work hard to get to and to achieve. I think each individual person wants to be the best at what they do. But most importantly, the thing that they want when they play in any sport is to win a championship.
"I think for me being so close, and the rest of the guys, you still have that taste in your mouth, and the only way to fulfill that taste is to win this game and then win the next. But it's a one-game season for us, and we know that, and we have to continue to treat it as such and go out and take full advantage of the opportunity that's there for us."
- Joe Juliano
