Trotter: Reid Got Out-Coached In Big Games

Jeremiah Trotter is an Andy Reid fan.

He played a total of 116 games for Reid, serving three different stints with the Eagles. In fact, Trotter has gone as far as to say he loves Reid.

Which is what makes his criticism of his former coach even more intriguing.

Speaking during 97.5 The Fanatic’s Football Roundtable with Mike Missanelli, Sal Paolantonio and our very own Tim McManus, Trotter offered up his assessment of Reid’s tenure in Philadelphia.

“I do believe if it came down to both teams were even talent-wise, I think the opponents’ team would win if it came down to coaching,” Trotter said.

“Andy Reid got out-coached a lot of games, a lot of big games. The timeouts, running the football, we’re sitting on the sidelines as a defense saying… obviously, we can’t say anything because when you’re a team, you win as a team, you lose as a team. When the head coach makes a decision, you’ve got to roll with it. No matter what the offense does, it was our job to go out and stop their offense.”

But the defensive players did talk about Reid’s inefficiencies among themselves?

“As a defense, we understood we passed the ball too much,” Trotter said. “There were times we’re sitting over there like, ‘Just get us a couple first downs so we can get a break.’ And I’m sure it frustrated Jim Johnson also.”

Trotter didn’t stop there.

“We knew we weren’t good in the two-minute offense,” he said. “We knew it as a defense that if it came down to two minutes and we had to score, we were up the creek.”

As I mentioned at the top, Trotter actually likes Reid. He said if he had to grade him on a scale of 1-10, he’d give Reid a 7.5 or an 8. But clearly, he saw some of the same flaws many others saw.

To listen to the entire show (highly recommended), click here.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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