Eagles' Reid open to adding 'difference-making' players

MOBILE, Ala. - Andy Reid said he hasn't spoken to Donovan McNabb about McNabb's defense of his end-of-season plea for playmakers on the quarterback's blog 2 weeks ago, a defense that seemed aimed at rebutting criticism from the head coach.

"I don't worry about all that," said Reid, who indicated he felt McNabb's response settled the matter. Reid spoke yesterday after the North team practice in preparation for this weekend's Senior Bowl college all-star game.

"He explained what he said. It was pretty clear what he said. I'm not worried about that."

Of course, that is only one facet of the issue, the fact that McNabb publicly defended his call for a better supporting cast - the sentiment that moved Reid to caution during his season-ending press conference: "I know, as players, you have to be careful about saying that, because those are your teammates that are being replaced. Most players don't get into that, who really care about their teammates on the other side."

Then there is the substance of what McNabb said, which many fans and observers agree with - that the 8-8 Eagles, the only NFC East team to miss the playoffs this season, need playmakers on offense, defense and special teams. On that, Reid obviously wasn't going to make any bold declarations, with free agency still more than a month away and fewer and fewer teams letting prominent players walk.

"If we have an opportunity to add difference-making players, obviously we'd like to do it," Reid said. "There are a lot of guys you're going to be looking at right now who are going to be tagged or signed back [by their current teams]. That's all part of it - you've got to go through it."

And part of figuring all that out, though Reid would risk a fine if he said so, is mingling with agents and other teams' coaches and executives here in Mobile, getting a sense of what the market is going to be come Feb. 29. That's a big focus of the week, probably as important as watching the college players go through pro-style practices for the first time.

"We've hit free agency hard. We'll continue to do that. You mix this in with it," Reid said, when asked how much time he puts into draft preparation this early in the offseason, with free agency much closer.

In fact, Reid has a lot more on his plate right now than getting an early line on who the Birds might target at 19th overall in the April draft. Sometime soon - maybe this week - he will announce a replacement for secondary coach John Harbaugh, who on Friday was named the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Eagles coaching intern Otis Smith, a longtime NFL corner who once played for the Birds, might have the inside track.

Several years ago, Reid and Eagles management would talk proudly of the continuity on his staff; that's not as big a strong point as it once was, as more and more of the assistants from the early Reid days move on. Harbaugh and offensive-line coach Juan Castillo were the only holdovers Reid retained when he took over from Ray Rhodes in 1999.

"You reach a point and that's going to happen. That's how this game is. I've had a lot of young coaches who want and deserve to move on," Reid said.

Many observers believe Harbaugh will name Eagles quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur his offensive coordinator, though the last Reid assistant to become a head coach, Brad Childress, was not allowed to take any coaches with him. Reid said yesterday he would not block Shurmur from a promotion with the Ravens.

"If the opportunity came up for Pat to do that, I would OK it. Pat's been with me a long time. If he has a chance to move on in that capacity, I'd welcome that for him," Reid said.

As for naming Harbaugh's replacement, Reid said: "There's a chance that it could happen fairly quick."

Then there are the college prospects, many of whom will be interviewed by teams here, before more intense evaluation at next month's scouting combine in Indianapolis.

"For the coaches, this is your initial evaluation process," Reid said. "You get to see how they handle an NFL-style practice. See how they handle the volume of plays thrown at them, it's all new to them. As much time as you can spend with these guys as you can, you want to do."

Matt Ryan, the quarterback from Boston College and Penn Charter, pulled out of the Senior Bowl last week. But the North squad added a Philly-area substitute, Delaware QB Joe Flacco, from Audubon, N.J., who pulled out of the less prestigious East-West Shrine game to come to Mobile.

Matt Ryan, the quarterback from Boston College and Penn Charter, pulled out of the Senior Bowl last week. But the North squad added a Philly-area substitute, Delaware QB Joe Flacco, from Audubon, N.J., who pulled out of the less prestigious East-West Shrine game to come to Mobile.

Flacco said yesterday he didn't think he needed to do anything special in practices this week to convince the NFL he can make the leap from the former Division I-AA level. "Stand tall in the pocket and throw the ball," said Flacco, who has an easy time with the first part of that, at 6-6.

Eagles corner Joselio Hanson, set to become a restricted free agent, has retained the agent group that represents quarterback Kevin Kolb . . . Somebody asked Andy Reid when he plans to start a blog. (When asked about Donovan McNabb's blog, Reid once replied that he didn't know what one was.) "I've got to get rid of the blog around my waist right now," he said. "That's the only blog I'm worried about." *

Eagles corner Joselio Hanson, set to become a restricted free agent, has retained the agent group that represents quarterback Kevin Kolb . . . Somebody asked Andy Reid when he plans to start a blog. (When asked about Donovan McNabb's blog, Reid once replied that he didn't know what one was.) "I've got to get rid of the blog around my waist right now," he said. "That's the only blog I'm worried about." *