Rich Hofmann: Eagles coach Reid on the line for risky decisions

IT WAS THE DAY of the Michael Vick press conference, in the big auditorium at the NovaCare Complex. The Eagles had just brought this great convulsion down upon themselves and people were wondering, well, to what end? Club president Joe Banner was talking to a couple of reporters, standing in one of the side aisles, up against the wall (literally if not figuratively).

The question was simple: Has Andy

Reid - given his contract status, given

everything - just stuck out his neck here in a way that he never has?

Banner answered quickly.

"I think the nature of this decision," he said, "all of us have put ourselves on the line and will be subject to legitimate questions and skepticism and doubt if we end up being wrong - which is why we researched this so thoroughly and feel like we made a very educated decision and took a risk.

"We're not in denial about the fact that we took a risk in doing that. We all feel like, together, we came to this decision. We're all for the decision. If we made the wrong decision, we understand the way people will react to that."

It was a nice try.

But this is about Andy's neck.

It is hard to see how Reid will survive as the Eagles' coach if Vick has an off-the-field problem that embarrasses the organization. It is hard to see how Reid will survive if Vick's presence causes a quarterback controversy that paralyzes the franchise. It is hard to see how Reid will survive if Vick can't play anymore, if he turns out to be an ineffective waste of everyone's time.

It is hard to see how Reid will survive if the Eagles' rocky summer is a precursor to a rocky, unfulfilled season.

Now make no mistake: Banner and owner Jeffrey Lurie remain tied to this coach. They back this coach. They like this coach. In some ways, they probably cannot imagine the Eagles without this coach. It has been so long now - they fired Rich Kotite in 1994, and they fired Ray Rhodes in 1998, and that has been that.

But they also have worked it so this coach does not have a contract beyond this season and next season. It is the elephant in the room, and now Michael Vick is perched on its back.

If this were to go badly, would they really extend Reid's contract after the season? If this were to go badly, would they really be prepared to endure the 12-month firestorm that would surround the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010, working into the final year of his deal?