How I learned Andy Reid is a Mormon
The Philadelphia Eagles came into the season riding a wave of optimism after a series of high-profile free agent signings and last year’s breakout performances by former Cal WR Desean Jackson and by former inmate QB Michael Vick. Some pundits considered the Eagles preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl; backup QB Vince Young referred to his new club as the Dream Team. You know the rest. They stumbled badly out of the gate, failed to gel when it counted and ended up missing the playoffs for just the third time since 2000.
When a team full of great players can’t even win the decidedly mediocre NFC East, how much responsibility lies with the head coach? Andy Reid is no stranger to criticism; even during the four straight years he took the Eagles to the NFC championship game, he was taken to task for failing to manage his stars effectively. But now that his team has lost three straight playoff games and are at home watching this postseason, is it time for Andy Reid to go?
For now, at least, it seems that the Eagles are going to retain Reid’s services. But that doesn’t mean Eagles’ fans are happy. (Philly fans are famous for being ornery; they infamously booed Santa Claus.) Of all the states, only in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware – essentially Philly and its suburbs– do a majority of ESPN voters say that the blame for the season belongs to Reid.
While the majority of the country thinks that Andy Reid deserves to keep his job, Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly think he should go. (Respondents in other Northeastern states also favor his dismissal.)
Since we know Andy Reid’s biggest fans are not in Pennsylvania, where are they? They’re not in his home state of California or in Wisconsin, where he helped the Packers win Super Bowl XXI as a quarterbacks coach. Instead, Reid’s popularity is highest in Utah, a state where Reid shares an alma mater (BYU) and a religion (Mormonism) with many of its inhabitants. In both polls, Utah voters are about 20% points more favorable toward Reid than the rest of the country. Idaho, the state with the second highest concentration of Mormons, is also significantly less harsh on Reid than the rest of the country.
The lesson: Mormons seem to look out for one another. Perhaps that’s why Andy Reid donated the maximum amount to fellow Mormon Mitt Romney’s failed 2008 presidential campaign.
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hernandezwe liked this
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josephintheworld reblogged this from sportsstates and added:
post. My family’s from Utah (and...inevitably follows, yes, we’re Mormon) but I go
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sportsstates posted this
