There was a time when Andy Reid could do little wrong as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He took them to four consecutive NFC title games and the 2004 Super Bowl, which they lost by three points to the New England Patriots in a game many believe turned on Donovan McNabb's fourth-quarter tummy turmoil.

Reid, a Mike Holmgren disciple minus a Super Bowl ring of his own, was considered a master tactician, an astute judge of talent and a big-time motivator, even if his typically monotone, tell-'em-nothing non-answers to queries after practices and games hardly endeared him to a tough and cynical media crowd, especially after that loss to the Patriots in Jacksonville.

Over the past four years, Reid also has managed to alienate a significant portion of Philly's increasingly frustrated fan base, partly by the widely publicized drug and alcohol problems of his sons but mostly because of his inability to keep the Eagles at the highest level.

His floundering team almost certainly will not make the postseason for the third time in the past four years. And Reid's decision to bench McNabb at the half last Sunday on the road against Baltimore unleashed a torrent of criticism.

The Eagles were down 10-7 at the half when Reid decided to sit McNabb, who had played dreadfully. McNabb, a 10-year veteran and frequent Pro Bowler, had made a fool of himself the week before in a 13-13 tie with the lowly Bengals. After a mostly pitiful performance, he admitted he had no idea a game could end in a tie.

Compounding Reid's ill-conceived decision, he had quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur tell McNabb the news. This was a slap in the face to an admittedly struggling quarterback who nevertheless had been the heart and the soul of the franchise and might well have been a second-half series or two from breaking out of his slump.

Reid did meet with McNabb for 10 minutes after the game, and on Monday named him the starter for the Thanksgiving game against Arizona, which the Eagles won.

But the damage had been done.

Asked why he did not deliver the bad news himself, Reid growled, ``That's not what we do. I really don't care what anyone else thinks about that. The coach who coaches the player should tell him, and then I address it afterward.''

Oh, please.

Last time we looked, Reid was the head coach who handled McNabb for the last 10 years.

It wouldn't have taken him long despite the semi-controlled chaos of a halftime dressing room to simply say, ``Donovan, you're struggling, and I'm going to make a change. I know it's not all your fault. I respect the hell out of you and I feel badly about it. But that's my decision, and we'll reevaluate on Monday.''

But that 20-second conversation never took place. The benching also was the wrong thing to do on every level.

Why Reid would turn the reins of his team over to second-year quarterback Kevin Kolb, who didn't throw a pass his rookie season, on the road against one of the league's most fearsome defenses? Reid said he thought the kid might provide a spark, and he did. For the Ravens. Kolb threw an inexcusable pass on second-and-goal at the Baltimore 1 that was intercepted and returned for a 108-yard touchdown.

When Reid announced last Monday that McNabb would be his quarterback against the Cardinals, he said somewhat cryptically, ``You back up an inch and you evaluate it, and you should be able to step forward a mile after that.''

But it says here Reid backed up so far with that decision, he fell over a precipice neither he nor McNabb might be able to climb up.

Reid has been very large and in charge of all football operations in Philadelphia for 10 years, with McNabb his unquestioned leader. But the Eagles have deteriorated. Is it McNabb's fault that the wide receivers are still mediocre, that the offensive line gets older by the day, that the best running back plays hurt every week? How long is defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's usually competent, blitz-happy unit supposed to plug this multi-leaking dyke?

It seems almost certain that McNabb will be playing elsewhere next season. And while Eagles owner Jeff Lurie has publicly expressed confidence in Reid, he surely must be considering his head coaching options for 2009.

The Ravens disaster gave the Eagles a 29-29-1 record over the past four years, with one playoff appearance in 2006 before being eliminated by New Orleans in the second round.

It has been Reid's team every step of the way, and stepping forward in 2009 with the same coach would be a move roughly akin to a coach benching a

Pro Bowl quarterback at the half of a game he trailed by only three points.

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